The annual membership meeting of the Lucas County Historical Society --- open to all, member or not --- will begin with introductions at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday (April 26) at the C.B.&Q. Freight House in Chariton with Michael Plummer, Iowa's historic sites manager, as guest speaker.
We could call this, I suppose, our "third try is the charm" annual meeting. We had made similar arrangements back in April of 2020, and then restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic were put into place and we cancelled. April of 2021 rolled around and it still seemed unwise to host a gathering of this sort. But now we're back on track.
Mr. Plummer, who administers eight state-owned historic sites as well as managing the state's roadside historic markers program, was relatively new to Iowa's Department of Cultural Affairs back in 2020 when he first agreed to be our annual meeting speaker. By now he has three years of experience under his belt and has deepened his knowledge of Iowa's built heritage.
The most familiar of the state-owned sites in the south of Iowa is the American Gothic House at Eldon, backdrop for Grant Wood's iconic painting. Plum Grove, the Iowa City home of Lucas County's namesake territorial governor Robert Lucas, is another of the sites. And then there's Montauk, the majestic hilltop home of Gov. William Larrabee and his family, at Clermont.
Other sites are the Abbie Gardner Sharp Cabin, Arnolds Park; the Blood Run National Historical Landmark near Larchwood; the Matthew Edel Blacksmith Shop at Haverhill; Toolesboro Mounds National Historic Site at Wapello; and the Western Trails Historic Center, Council Bluffs.
The program will begin at approximately 7 p.m. Tuesday and the meeting will conclude with pie, coffee and conversation after. Hope to see you there!
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