The State Historical Society of Iowa will mark its 150th anniversary next week (on Wednesday, February 7th). Spokesman Jeff Morgan says it’ll kick off a year-long statewide celebration with a series of events, displays and performances at the agency’s Iowa City office.
Morgan says there will be an open house at the archives, library and special collections area in Iowa City. Displays will include one on World War Two and an exhibition of photographs by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Don Ultang. National History Day student Kiona Rolfes, from Harding Middle School in Cedar Rapids, will perform her play based on Annie Wittenmyer, who worked with Sanitary Commissions during the Civil War.
Morgan says the events mark the signing of the society’s constitution on February 7th, 1857. He says more anniversary-related events will be held across the state over the coming year at various historic sites. Morgan says the State Historical Society of Iowa , a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, serves as a trustee of Iowa’s historical legacy and as an advocate for understanding Iowa’s past.
He says its dual mission of preservation and education involves identifying, recording, collecting, preserving, managing and providing access to Iowa’s historical resources. Events in Iowa City are free and open to anyone.