i went back to work and my boss noticed i was a little sunburned from the outdoor event from the previous day. i liked how the day seemed to go rather quickly, since there is the upcoming holiday weekend.
i got two movies at blockbuster on thursday, watched one of them tonight. probably should try netflix, more convenient i hear. saw 'the big one', a michael moore movie. it was one i hadn't heard of, but good entertainment. it was about his book tour to promote 'downsize this'. liked the songs in it, like 'i've been everywhere' by johnny cash, as well as 'on the road again' by willie nelson and 'times they are a changing' by bob dylan. saw bob and willie in concert about 5 years ago at a minor league baseball stadium. don't think i have any of his books yet, may want to get this one.
still doing research on emerson hough, the man and the school. i had heard how the school may be on the national register of historic places, so i went online to check it out. and i FOUND it! added in 2002, most recent addition in jasper county. there are 12 listings, 6 of them in newton. besides the school, there are 2 houses, 2 churches, and the county courthouse. unsure why the courthouse is there, but i know it is famous for its christmas decorations. i think 1 of the 2 houses is known as 'la corsette', an upscale restaurant. never been there, but i know where it is, across the street from a convenience store i once worked at in high school. attended 1 of the 2 churches, st. stephen's episcopal, but not too often. it was a gray-looking church. never heard of the other one, it is outside of town. but i did become very familiar with the town from delivering pizza for one summer after one year of college.
seeing it on the national register is a compelling reason to keep it open! i mean, it is a school, what else could it be used for? and i checked a few other areas to see what is on the register. went to college in iowa city, and the old capitol is on the list. toured it many times before college, and once while in college. so is the englert theater, saw some movies there. also in jasper county, is the james norman hall house, in colfax. makes sense, since hall was a co-writer in the 'mutiny on the bounty' book series. seen some of the movie versions, various actors have played fletcher christian like clark gable, marlon brando, even mel gibson. also once saw a commercial spoof, for old milwaukee beer, on a tape of old commericals.
the register puts the school in some respectable company. some sports venues are on the list. i heard how wrigley field in chicago is there, and it is. but so is soldier field in the same city.
i read further in some companion articles about the register. it was authorized under the national historic preservation act of 1966. guess that there were many who grew tired of historic buildings being demolished. for a while i hadn't heard there was another wrigley field, in los angeles, where a minor league affiliate of the cubs played. many movies and tv shows were filmed there, being close to hollywood. another is about frequently asked questions, where it states the purpose of the register even further. it recognizes the accomplishments of all peoples who have made a significant contribution to our country's history and heritage.
there is no doubt that this describes mr. hough, which seems to be why the school is on the register. when i go online to research the man and his writings, it says 'also try e.h. elementary'. this suggests to me that the school may be the only one named for him. under criteria considerations, it does give a line to this effect. 'when no other building or structure with the same association has survived'. this may have helped in getting the school added. it is the only school in the county on the register, likely one of the few in the state. will have to research each county- 99 in all- to see how many others are on it. probably not too many. but not all at once, maybe 10 counties at a time.
i decided to help with the effort to save the school in the name of historical preservation. while i am pleased that it had already been added, sadly it didn't seem to be enough to keep it open.
i was a little surprised about a few places in newton that wasn't listed on the register. unsure when it was last updated, i know some websites are not updated that often. there is a historical marker in front of hough's boyhood home, but the home is not the list i found. same is true with the maytag mansion, which i understand became the administration building for the school system. i know there was more than one maytag mansion, a tour guide at the jasper county museum said there was 2 but one was torn down. unsure which one survived, if it was the one for f.l., the founder of the appliance company, or elmer, the son. it is no longer officially known by this name, same with some other buildings like 'm. hotel' (midtown building) and 'm. museum' (jasper county museum). but of course there is still a big exhibit about the company's products there. but the maytag name will definitely live on in newton for years to come, as there is also maytag park, where my graduation was held, and whenever the weather permits. same is true for the bowl, and pool, inside the park. in fact, the graduation was actually just at the bowl. cool to hear how my hometown has a bowl, haven't heard of too many others aside from the hollywood bowl, still a notable venue for musicians.
all of this research reminds me of one observation i've made before about historical figures: it's not always what you do while alive, but how well you're remembered after you're gone. something that these people may have known, motivating them to leave a legacy. many colleges like yale, vanderbilt, stanford, and johns hopkins were named after their benefactors. then there are buildings that are donations to the university. at the university of iowa, where i attended, there are various buildings named for businessman and benefactor roy carver, not just the basketball arena but also a hospital wing. i have traveled to pittsburgh before, and many things there are named for andrew carnegie, and not just carnegie-mellon either, a college. somebody once said that steel city was a big memorial to him, and it seems to be true. then people are more likely to know who they are and what they did that was notable.
we should be aware of our history more, to understand where we're headed.
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