Hi. I'm Marty Boller. After 30+ years of pastoral ministry, we're now focusing on exploring the fingerprints of God in the life stories of those who have gone before us. If you love history and love Iowa. Join us!
On Labor Day 2022 – we had a wonderful gathering – about 75 people – who joined together to celebrate the dedication of Remembrance Park. See pics here. BTW – if you have photos from the day & would like to share them – send ’em here.
KCRG-TV was there – as soon as we have the story on video – we’ll post it on our website!
A tip of the old hat to Jo Kelly – a relative of William & Sumner Phelps – early fur traders who worked closely with Native American tribes – including the Meskwaki people of Johnson County. More details here. Jo brought from her home in Arkansas a treasure trove of family heirlooms from the Phelps family and we displayed them at the State Historical Society Research Center in Iowa City on Friday, September 2.
Now – all of us can spread the word about Remembrance Park to our friends and neighbors in Johnson County. Encourage them to check out our website and pay a visit to the Park – it’s there for YOU to enjoy!
THANK YOU to all of you in being a part of this special historical work!
Parking is available along Sand Road – Bring your own lawn chairs!
All are invited to join us on Labor Day, September 5, 2022, at 10:30 am for the dedication of Remembrance Park – located at the corner of Sand Rd. and Napoleon St., south of Iowa City. After the unveiling of landmark plaques, there will be several groups of musicians including a Meskwaki festive dance. Remembrance Park is devoted to the memory of the earliest Johnson County residents – the Meskwaki tribe, to Jenny – a Native American woman, to Mogawk -an African-American man, to the Phelps brothers – early fur traders in Johnson County, and to the handful of settlers who helped set up our county‘s government in January 1838. It’s this small group of individuals who guided our course towards a spirit of diversity – a hope we desire to carry forward today. Click here for more info.
As part of our Remembrance Park Dedication Weekend – drop by the State Historical Center, meet Marybeth Slonneger – author of Remembrance Park, and see some of the rare family heirlooms from the Phelps family, brought here for one day only by our friend, Jo Kelly – a relative of William & Sumner Phelps – fur traders who worked closely with Native American tribes – including the Meskwaki people of Johnson County. More details here.
Word of mouth, quite honestly, is the best form of marketing & promotion. We are so thankful for, but, there’s so much more work to do. You can help by sharing our Remembrance Park story with friends and neighbors. We are particularly interested in reaching young people in Johnson County, and those who represent the rich diversity of our county. Anything you can do to spread the message of Remembrance Park will be greatly appreciated.
We hope to see you soon! Thank you for journeying with us.
Sabine Martin, Managing Editor August 28, 2022 Click here to visit The Daily IowanPhoto by Lilly Stence Remembrance Park is seen in Johnson County on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022.
Tucked away on the corner of Sand Road and Napoleon Street south of Iowa City, a slice of land which dates back to the 1800s is Johnson County’s newest dedicated historical site.
The piece of land, called Remembrance Park, honors Jenny, a member of the Meskwaki Nation, and Mogawk, a Black man, who helped set up the county’s government in January 1838 alongside fur trader John Gilbert. The park is slated to be permanently set aside as a wildflower park during the first weekend of September.
One of Meskwaki Nation’s former encampments stood on Sand Road, as did fur-trading posts at the time of the county’s founding, Marybeth Slonneger, head Remembrance Park organizer and Iowa City artistic historian, said.
Slonneger said Jenny was a talkative woman and worked for the Phelps Trading Company, which traded fur, according to historical records. Mogawk also worked at the Phelps Trading Company.
Map by Jami Martin-Trainor/The Daily Iowan
Meskwaki Nation is the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa, located in Tama, and formally purchased 80 acres of land in Tama County in 1857.
Slonneger said she started researching the history of Johnson County 30 years ago and has since worked to add the historical site honoring the county’s founding.
“It just wouldn’t go away, the idea didn’t go away,” she said.
Members of the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Meskwaki Nation, and area musicians will gather on Sept. 5 for a ceremony at the park to unveil landmark plaques.
Dianna Penny, who oversees and is a pastor at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, will read two of her original poems at the ceremony.
“They involve a more humanistic approach to things [are] and more related to the ups and downs and joys of life in general,” Penny said. “Even though they touch on being Black in America a little bit, it’s not necessarily all about that. It’s about enjoying life, no matter how you find it.”
Penny said she is happy to see the contributions of America’s Black citizens being recognized.
“I mean, America is a big country,” she said. “And there are things that people have done nationally, things people have done locally that made a difference.”
An anonymous farmer donated the land for the park and agreed to maintain it, Slonneger said.
River Products Company, an Iowa City-based stone, and gravel producer donated two boulders for the park. Slonneger said the stones will eventually be engraved.
Marty Boller, writer of Iowa City blog “Our Iowa Heritage”, said there are some truths in the context of Iowa City that some of the earlier historians have left out, including the story the Remembrance Park is honoring.
To progress the Remembrance Park project, Slonneger and her team are talking with the educators in the Iowa City Community School District to add a booklet of the watercolor paintings by Iowa City artist Jo Myers-Walker on the history of Johnson County that Slonneger commissioned for students to utilize in school.
“As they go into the fall, I’m hoping to set up some programs, PowerPoint programs in various social organizations, and perhaps schools,” said. “It’s my intention to pursue it to not only educate children but there’ll be a whole lot of adults that don’t know about this history, for sure.”
From: The Friends of Johnson County Remembrance Park – Iowa City, Iowa
To: Local Press
Announcing: Johnson County Historical Site To Be Dedicated On Labor Day, September 5
The story: The Friends of Johnson County Remembrance Park invite all to join together at 10:30 am on Labor Day, September 5, 2022 for a one-hour Dedication Ceremony of Johnson County’s newest historical site – Remembrance Park – located at the corner of Sand Road and Napoleon Street – south of Iowa City. This small piece of land is being permanently set aside as a wildflower park dedicated to the memory of the earliest Johnson County residents – the Meskwaki tribe, to Jenny – a Native American woman, to Mogawk -an African-American man, to the Phelps brothers – early fur traders in Johnson County, and to the handful of settlers who helped set up our county‘s government in January 1838. It’s this small group of individuals who guided our course towards a spirit of diversity – a hope we desire to carry forward today.
The program: A diverse group of Johnson County residents will join together with a handful of friends from the Meskwaki tribe in Tama to dedicate two stones at Remembrance Park. After the unveiling of the landmark plaques, there will be a group of area musicians and speakers, including a Meskwaki festive dance, all designed to remember the diversity of those who helped start Johnson County in 1838.
Parking is available along Sand Road – Bring your own lawn chairs! We are presently working on our one-hour program – believing our day will be a true representation of the rich diversity found in our Johnson County heritage – honoring the Meskwaki people, the African-American presence, and the earliest American fur-traders that brought everything together in the 1830’s.
All are invited to join us on Labor Day, September 5, 2022, at 10:30 am for the dedication of Remembrance Park – located at the corner of Sand Rd. and Napoleon St., south of Iowa City. After the unveiling of landmark plaques, there will be several groups of musicians including a Meskwaki festive dance. Remembrance Park is devoted to the memory of the earliest Johnson County residents – the Meskwaki tribe, to Jenny – a Native American woman, to Mogawk -an African-American man, to the Phelps brothers – early fur traders in Johnson County, and to the handful of settlers who helped set up our county‘s government in January 1838. It’s this small group of individuals who guided our course towards a spirit of diversity – a hope we desire to carry forward today. Click here for more info.
As part of our Remembrance Park Dedication Weekend – drop by the State Historical Center, meet Marybeth Slonneger – author of Remembrance Park, and see some of the rare family heirlooms from the Phelps family, brought here for one day only by our friend, Jo Kelly – a relative of William & Sumner Phelps – fur traders who worked closely with Native American tribes – including the Meskwaki people of Johnson County. More details here.
Word of mouth, quite honestly, is the best form of marketing & promotion. We are so thankful for, but, there’s so much more work to do. You can help by sharing our Remembrance Park story with friends and neighbors. We are particularly interested in reaching young people in Johnson County, and those who represent the rich diversity of our county. Anything you can do to spread the message of Remembrance Park will be greatly appreciated.
We hope to see you soon! Thank you for journeying with us. Until next time…
Lots of exciting pieces of news surrounding the development of Remembrance Park – a wildflower park on a small piece of land – set aside so that it will be remembered what an earlier generation of Johnson County residents did here a long time ago…
Iowa City Artist Jo Myers-Walker created four amazing watercolors for us – depicting early Johnson County and John Gilbert’s Trading Post – site of Johnson County’s first business meeting. See Jo’s beautiful website here and check out her blog!
Word of mouth, quite honestly, is the best form of marketing & promotion. We are so thankful for, but, there’s so much more work to do. You can help by sharing our Remembrance Park story with friends and neighbors. We are particularly interested in reaching young people in Johnson County, and those who represent the rich diversity of our county. Anything you can do to spread the message of Remembrance Park will be greatly appreciated.
That’s enough for now. We will keep you informed in future newsletters and look to hear from you as you share with us your creative ideas. Thank you for journeying with us. Until next time…
It’s now official! Mark both events on your Labor Day weekend calendar!
Join us at Remembrance Park – Johnson County’s newest historical site – for our Dedication Ceremony. We will gather here on Labor Day 2022 -September 5 – to remember our rich heritage – celebrating the great diversity found within our history – plus we will look forward with one another – offering ourselves for the common good for all people.
Also – join us for…
Wed-Thu-Fri – Aug 31 – Sept 1 & 2 – 11 am to 1:30 pm
State Historical Society Research Center – 402 Iowa Avenue – Iowa City
In this first issue – we want to update you on just a few of the exciting pieces of news surrounding the development of Remembrance Park – a wildflower park on a small piece of land – set aside so that it will be remembered what an earlier generation of Johnson County residents did here a long time ago…
Recently, we had the honor of meeting Wayne Pushetonequa – Director of the Meskwaki Language Preservation (MLP) Program. Wayne has graciously provided us with a vision statement written in the Meskwaki language (see below)….
As you probably know, Our Iowa Heritage includes many rich traditions from the Meskwaki people and you simply can’t tell the story of Johnson County without including the amazing contribution of the proud Meskwaki tribes who tended this land long before white fur traders and settlers came here in the 1820’s and 30’s. Our big thank you to Wayne and the entire Meskwaki Tribe for this generous gift! You can read more about the MLP program here.
Editor’s note: It’s believed that the Iowa River channel has moved further westward than where it was in the 1820’s-30’s – thus the above map (above-red x) approximates the location of today’s Remembrance Park – about 1/2 mile east of the present day Iowa River channel.
Located near the intersection of Sand Road and Napoleon Road (see map below), Remembrance Park is a triangular tract of farmland (less than an acre) generously set aside by the owner – who chooses to remain anonymous. We plan to add a historical marker to the site and would love to have your generous contributions toward that effort. The land owner has already placed a large chunk of Iowa River limestone near one of the trees on the land (see pic below). This piece of limestone came from a field located very near the spot where Sumner Phelps’ trading post was first built!
We are working diligently to pull together all the necessary details for a dedication ceremony of Remembrance Park – to be held hopefully in the late summer 2022. It’s our desire to involve a good number of local and state-wide contacts – all of whom can join in the celebration of the great diversity found in our Johnson County history. More details are coming soon!
Word of mouth, quite honestly, is the best form of marketing & promotion. We are so thankful for:
But, there’s so much more work to do. You can help by sharing our Remembrance Park story with friends and neighbors. We are particularly interested in reaching young people in Johnson County, and those who represent the rich diversity of our county. Anything you can do to spread the message of Remembrance Park will be greatly appreciated.
Do you have a copy of Marybeth’s book? This beautiful volume has a limited printing and it makes a wonderful gift for those who appreciate our rich heritage here in Iowa. Learn more here.
That’s enough for now. We will keep you informed in future newsletters and look to hear from you as you share with us your creative ideas. Thank you for journeying with us. Until next time…
I faced about again, and rushed towards the approaching Martian, rushed right down the gravelly beach and headlong into the water. Others did the same. A boatload of people putting back came leaping out as I rushed past. The stones under my feet were muddy and slippery, and the river was so low that I ran perhaps twenty feet scarcely waist-deep. Then, as the Martian towered overhead scarcely a couple of hundred yards away, I flung myself forward under the surface. The splashes of the people in the boats leaping into the river sounded like thunderclaps in my ears. People were landing hastily on both sides of the river. But the Martian machine took no more notice for the moment of the people running this way and that than a man would of the confusion of ants in a nest against which his foot has kicked. When, half suffocated, I raised my head above water, the Martian’s hood pointed at the batteries that were still firing across the river, and as it advanced it swung loose what must have been the generator of the Heat-Ray.
No, but I am their friend, although I live in the land of the North. When they saw the Witch of the East was dead the Munchkins sent a swift messenger to me, and I came at once. I am the Witch of the North.
To be sure, the broad river now cut them off from this beautiful land. But the raft was nearly done, and after the Tin Woodman had cut a few more logs and fastened them together with wooden pins, they were ready to start. Dorothy sat down in the middle of the raft and held Toto in her arms. When the Cowardly Lion stepped upon the raft it tipped badly, for he was big and heavy; but the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman stood upon the other end to steady it, and they had long poles in their hands to push the raft through the water.
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Remembrance Park - Johnson County 