Chapter VII
The Lucas County Historical Society is
delighted to salute the people of the Russell Community upon their highly
successful Centennial celebration. The
long-range planning and its flawless finale was nothing less than a superb
achievement. The remembrance of those
well-ordered days of entertainment and reminiscences can bring only joy and
pride to all who gave so much time and talent and to all fortunate enough to
attend the festivities.
This Historical Society also takes this
opportunity to express its deep appreciation to the many energetic citizens of
the Russell Community for their wholehearted support of the participation in
this organization and the many fine contributions they have already made to the
Museum.
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Did you know that Lucas County had the
first Historical Society in the state of Iowa?
It was organized June 10, 1901 under the leadership of Mr. Theodore M.
Stuart, great-grandfather of State Supreme Court Judge William C. Stuart. Mr. Stuart had learned of such a society in
Washington County, PA. It was believed
that in due time every county in Iowa would organize and if Lucas should be
first, it would have that honor. For
years it flourished but later, interest flagged, the charter expired and was
not renewed.
Your present Society, incorporated under
the laws of Iowa June 22, 1965, was blessed with a Board that could “look
through the tunnel” and see the absolute necessity of a Museum. Then with great courage and foresight, they
confidently launched the museum project.
The county has too rich a heritage to be lost. It must take its place among other
progressive counties to preserve that which is so uniquely its very own.
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Your present museum was built in 1909-10
by Andrew Jackson Stephens, a widely known builder-contractor. His daughter, Mrs. Fern Stephens Starr of
Buena Vista, CO., gave us this in a recent letter.
“My father was an admirer of southern
style architecture. I remember well the
day he started building. He said to my
mother, ‘Well, today we start the mansion.’
Mrs. Strr went on to say. “He
drew the plans and did most of the work himself inside and out.”
Other records state that he laid every
brick and stone with his own hands. Its
architectural proportions are perfect.
The grounds were laid out and planted by a landscape artist. The house has a striking resemblance to “The
Hermitage” – Andrew Jackson’s house near Nashville, Tennessee. Martha Slattengren Westling was a classmate
of Mary Stephens, class of 1919 and remembers well the junior-senior reception
held in the Stephens home that year.
Yes, there is beauty, dignity and a “heap
o’ livin” in your lovely old museum. As
time moves along with the cooperation of all the people of this county, the
place will emerge once again as a “thing of beauty and a joy forever:” Its restoration
is a labor of love in which folks all over the county are already eagerly
joining.
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Dumps and yawning ditches have been the
unworthy recipients of unnumbered gems of yesteryear. Not long ago, a traveling man coming into
Chariton, overtook a pickup loaded with “junk” on the way to the dump. Something atop the load caught his eye and he
followed. At the first opportunity, he
hailed the driver and asked him what he’d want for that old lamp and shade
doddering along on top. The driver said:
“Oh, half a dollar.” Two hours and a
hundred miles later, the buyer was offered $50.00 by an antique dealer. The lamp was Art glass. In that moment, Lucas County lost an
irreplaceable treasure – not alone in monetary value but in a deeper sense,
part of some ancestor’s heritage in our county – someone into whose life fabric
the light of that old lamp had woven one bright thread.
Pages 20-22
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