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Restoration Of The Depot

Editor's Note: We thought it appropriate to end this collection of memorable tales with the story of the plans and beginning of the restoration of a Lowden landmark. This seems a fitting way to close America's bicentennial year – 1976 – and to look forward to a new historical era for both America and our City of Lowden, Iowa and its surrounding community.

Picture of the Lowden Deport as it looked shortly before it was razed in late 1976.

    At a meeting of the Lowden Commercial Club on May 14, 1973, the Rev. Paul Jordan expressed his feeling that a historical emphasis has some value in a community and that the Lowden Centennial Book published in 1957 could well be the basis for a continued historical interest in Lowden. John Smeltzer, Delbert Kruckenberg, and the Rev. Jordan were appointed to look into the possibility of organizing a Lowden Historical Society. The members of this appointed committee decided to invite Albert Mensing and Arthur Fisher to share a meeting with them on July 9th. The favorable response of this meeting resulted in calling a meeting of representatives from the various community groups to the City Hall on August 8, 1973. A number of groups responded to the City Hall Meeting and a serious discussion regarding the feasibility of forming a historical society followed. A desire to move and restore the Depot was also expressed by the Rev. Jordan at this time, but the comment that followed was, “The sills under the building are no doubt rotten and therefore it cannot be moved.” A meeting was scheduled on September 19, 1973 at the Amvets Hall for all interested people.

     The September 19, 1973 meeting was shared by Loren Horton, field representative for the State Historical Society. A motion to form a Lowden Historical Society was unanimously passed, and a meeting to draw up a constitution was set for September 27th. At a Public Meeting on October 30th, the . . .

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. . . articles of incorporation were explained and a board of directors was elected. The Lowden Historical Society was launched and occasionally thereafter a reference to the restoration of the Depot was made. It was reported at a Board Meeting of May 22, 1974, that Mrs Ella Janes had inquired about the local Depot for the Society, but was informed that it was still being used by the Railroad.

     At the Lowden Bicentennial Committee Meeting of July 8, 1975, Norman Kroemer, Chairman of the committee, reported that $200,000 was available from the Iowa American Revolution Bicentennial Commission as a matching grant for local projects, and that application for the grants had to be made by October 1, 1975. The Rev. Jordan reported on a letter that he had written July 3, 1975 to the Real Estate Dept. of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Co. in Chicago, Illinois. In the letter he expressed the desire of the Lowden Historical Society and the Lowden Bicentennial Committee for obtaining the railroad station, since the Society had received word that it was to be demolished. No response to the letter was received from the Chicago office.

     On August 1, 1975, the Rev. Jordan called the Real Estate Office of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Co., in Chicago, Illinois. This office then contacted Mr. R. D. Nelson, Asst. Division Manager-Engineering at Boone, Iowa and asked him to handle the matter with the Reverend Jordan. At a Board Meeting of the Historical Society on October 2, 1975, Chairman Jordan reported that he had received a letter dated August 5, 1975, from the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad stating that as soon as the Depot was available, the Lowden Historical Society would have an opportunity to obtain it. At a Public Meeting of the Historical Society on October 29, 1975, Norman Kroemer reported that he, as president of the Lowden Bicentennial committee and the Rev. Paul Jordan, president of the Lowden Historical Society had made application to the Iowa American Revolution Bicentennial Commission for a grant of $1500 to be used for renovating the Lowden Depot for use by the Historical Society as the Lowden Historical Center.

     On November 1, 1975, Norman Kroemer, accompanied by his wife, appeared before the Iowa American Revolution Bicentennial Commission in Des Moines, Iowa, in regard to the matching funds that were applied for the Depot Project. The Lowden City Council was contacted by the Lowden Bicentennial Committee on November 3, 1975 and received a favorable response as to locating the Depot on the City Park, west of the fire station.

     At a combined meeting of the Lowden Bicentennial Committee Officers and the Board of the Lowden Historical Society on November 3, 1975, it was reported by Chairman Jordan that he had made a telephone call to R. D. Nelson of Boone, Iowa and was told that there were no further developments in regard to the Depot.

     At a Board Meeting of the society on January 13, 1976, Chairman Jordan reported on a letter dated November 26, 1975, from the Iowa American Revolution Bicentennial Commission authorizing a matching grant of $1200 to . . .

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. . . be used for the purchase of the Depot as a historical center.

     It was reported by Arthur Fisher at a Public Meeting of the Society on April 29, 1976, that Scot Butcher of Morrison, Illinois, would move the Depot Building from the present site to the City Park at a cost of $3, 695. The Society had been previously informed that about five years before, Mr. Butcher had moved a Depot building, somewhat smaller than the Lowden Depot, from its location in Calamus to a spot in the country east of Calamus for $1200. Inflation may have been one of the factors for the higher quotation which the group considered prohibitive.

     At a combined meeting of the Board of the Historical Society and Officers of the Bicentennial Committee on July 28, 1976, the Rev. Jordan read a letter dated July 20, 1976 from Mr. R. D. Nelson, the man in charge of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Office in Boone, Iowa. The letter stated that the Railroad expected to have their new building in Lowden ready to move into by August 1, 1976, and that the old Depot would be available to the Society shortly after that. It was moved by E. Elowsky and seconded by R. Huffman that the group assembled recommend that the Lowden Historical Society remove the depot by dismantling, then reassemble and restore the building. During the Public Meeting of the Society on June 29, 1976, it was moved by E. Elowsky and seconded by D. Kruckenberg that the Lowden Historical Society adopt the recommendations of the Joint Committee meeting of July 28, 1976. The Board of Directors chose members of the Society to attend the City of Lowden Council Meeting on August 2, 1976 to obtain permission to move the Depot on to the City Park and to learn the exact spot as to where it was to be located.

     A combination meeting of the Historical Society and the Bicentennial Committee Officers was called on September 29, 1976 to consider the contents of a letter from the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad. The letter stated that for a fee of $1.00, the Depot would become the property of the Lowden Historical Society on October 1, 1976 with the stipulation that it was to be moved from the railroad site by November 15, 1976. It was suggested by Norman Kroemer that the November 15th stipulation be extended to December 1st, and that the Society's part of removal of the Depot would stop at the foundation. Wesley Griesbach was appointed to be responsible for the erection of the forms used in pouring the cement slab that the Depot would rest on; Marven Deke would oversee the tearing down and the removal of the Depot; Edwin Wenndt would contact volunteers for tearing the building down; and Attorney Norton was to take care of the legal details pertaining to the agreement between the Society and the Railroad.

     Again a combination meeting of the Historical Society and the Bicentennial Committee Officers was called on October 21, 1976 to inform those present that there was to be a special City of Lowden Council Meeting the next night when a petition with 129 signatures would be read. The petition asked that the Council's decision to allow the Depot to be placed in the City Park, be rescinded. Members of the Society were urged to be present for the Council Meeting. The Lowden Council voted unanimously not to rescind the resolution providing for the location of the Depot in the Park.

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PROJECT STARTED

    The 20 ft. by 46 ft. cement slab on which the Depot will be rebuilt was poured this fall at a cost of $877.25 for concrete and $33.00 for troweling. The Depot has been torn down and the lumber packed onto five hayracks and stored in buildings on farms of Marven Deke, Melvin Licht, Virgil Kruckenberg, and Wm. Norton. Next Spring the Depot will be rebuilt and restored. It will be 14 feet shorter than it originally was because the new location was not large enough to accommodate the 20 ft. by 60 ft. building.

Editors' Note: See picture on next page of proposed Depot Museum as drawn by Miss Karen Schmidt, of Lowden.

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Sketch of Proposed View of Depot Museum