We are happy to announce that the Bartlett House Museum is a free bonus stop on this year's Tour of Homes. Our Queen Anne style home will be fully decorated for Christmas with vintage ornamentation. 

Visitors to the Bartlett House will also be able to partake in a 12 Days of Christmas themed scavenger hunt. Images representing the gifts in the song will be placed throughout the house. Participants who find all 12 images will be entered in a drawing. The winner will receive a Story City themed gift basket.  Thanks to Romsey Art and Gifts and the Story City GCC for their donations to the gift basket. 

Complimentary refreshments will be served. A variety of gift items will also be for sale, including commemorative items for the 100th anniversary of the municipal Christmas tree, note cards, rosemaling, and books. Please stop in for a visit and try your luck at the scavenger hunt!

Info on Tour Homes & Tickets:
Homes featured this year include Rocke & Angela Rahfeldt, 1109 Pennsylvania Ave (sponsored by Hook & Eye Questers); Steve & Miriam Skartvedt, 1039 Eighth Street (sponsored by P.E.O Chapter FZ); and Chuck & Cheryl Semler, 319 Grand Ave (sponsored by Praeri Rail Trail Questers).

Tickets are $6 each and may be purchased at the Chamber Office, 524 Broad Street, NuCara Pharmacy, 621 Broad Street, from any Quester or P.E.O. Chapter FZ member or at any of the homes on tour days.

Decorating a tree with lights may seem very commonplace to us with today’s modern technology and lights that are available in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and can blink in a multitude of patterns.   In the early 1900s however, decorating a tree with electric lights would have been a relatively new idea.  In fact, even the idea of having a large municipal Christmas tree was relatively new at that time in the U.S.  The municipal Christmas tree seems to have been a popular observance in Europe for some time and an eastern city in the U.S. had a tree two years before Story City.  In 1914 the Story City Commercial Club made arrangements to erect the first municipal Christmas tree at the intersection of Broad St. and Penn Ave. and this year we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of that first tree.   

The first tree was a gift from J.H. Jacobson and was cut from his residence lot on Lafayette Ave.  The tree was put into position the week of December 14, 1914, and lit for the first time on the evening of December 16th.   Two hundred and fifty electric lights in different colors decorated the thirty-foot tree and the strands of lights that ran from the tree to the four corners of the intersection. These lights were described as 30 candle power electric lamps at the time and were quite large in size.  Credit was given to Oscar Henderson as the one who decorated the tree.

The first municipal tree in 1914 drew many visitors to Story City from miles around for the purpose of viewing it.  According to the Dec. 17 edition of the Herald, Story City is the first town in Iowa to have a “great big” municipal Christmas tree.  Peter Eide, who was visiting Story City, was quoted in the Dec. 31, 1914 Herald saying “Story City’s municipal Christmas tree was the biggest stunt the town ever pulled off.” He had seen the tree mentioned in every newspaper he picked up in his travels around the country from Minneapolis to Chicago, Sioux City to Dubuque.  

Paul A. Olson, long-time editor of the Story City Herald, wrote in the Dec. 17, 1914 edition on the unity that the municipal tree symbolized.  “The tree is not only a beautiful thing in itself, but its splendor calls to mind and emphasizes the joyous spirit of the Yuletide in a manner that nothing else could have done. Besides the tree stands for Story City’s unity in a most effective way.  It represents no church, no society, no individual.  It is in very truth a Municipal Christmas Tree, bodying forth the hopes and joys of the whole community, reminding all to prepare for the natal day of the King of Kings.”

The tree for 2014 will be donated by Dee & Dwayne Fiihr.  Much like the original 1914 tree, the tree this year will be cut from the Fiihr’s property on Lafayette Ave.  It’s quite fitting that the first municipal Christmas tree and the 100th anniversary tree will have been cut from the same one block area of Story City. This year the Yulefest tree lighting festivities will be held on Friday, November 28.  Caroling will begin at 5:15 pm with the illumination of the tree at 5:30 pm.  

The Historical Society will have note cards and magnets available for sale at the GCC office to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the municipal Christmas tree during the tree lighting.  We will also have these commemorative items for sale at the Bartlett House Museum during Tour of Homes, Dec. 6th & 7th. There will be a mini exhibit about the 100th anniversary of the municipal Christmas tree at the Bartlett during the Tour of Homes as well.  If anyone has photos of the Municipal Christmas Tree from over the last 100 years, please share these photos with the Historical Society.

September 25, 2014
5:30 pm
Carriage House Museum
619 Grand Ave
Story City, IA

Join us for a Milk Can Dinner with the Story City Locker.  Don’t know what a milk can dinner is?  Vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, corn, potatoes and meat are layered in a large milk can and boiled.  Albert Donhoe’s recipe for bologna will be used on top. Stop by and taste for yourself! A free-will donation will be collected for the dinner. 

Ty, Bobbie, and Brian from the Story City Locker will speak on the differences and similarities of meat markets in the past compared to today.  

Dinner will be served from 5:30-6:30pm
Welcome and announcements 6:30pm
Presentation by SC Locker 6:40pm

We look forward to seeing you on the 25th! 

May 1st, 2014
5:30 pm
Fairview Lodge, Grove Ave Story City, Iowa

Join us at the Fairview Lodge for the Historical Society's Spring Dinner. A free-will donation Scandinavian themed dinner will be provided, including Norwegian meatballs, potatoes, corn, and a variety of Scandinavian desserts! Traditional cooking utensils will be on display with their modern counterparts. Plus, you'll be able to take home recipe cards of the food provided!

Several examples of Scandinavian crafts such as rosemalling and hardanger embroidery will be on display. Linda Stole will be on hand to demonstrate the beautiful hardanger embroidery. 

Stop by to experience the Scandinavian history of Story City!

February 9th, 2014
1-3pm
Fairview Lodge, Grove Ave Story City, Iowa
Join us for a sampling of coffees and desserts! You will have the chance to sample 5 flavors of coffee from KaffeGeita. A variety of mini desserts will be served, all made by local bakers including Deb Mortvedt, Robyn from The Bistro and Dawn from Dinners by Dawn.

Along with the great coffee and desserts, entertainment will be provided by artist, Lucky Kim. She will be demonstrating the art of Hanji Craft, a traditional paper cutting craft with a Valentine theme. Lucky’s creations will be available for sale. A large collection of vintage valentines will also be on display. Plus, live music from local musician Pat Hashman!

Tickets are $12.00 per person or $20.00 for a pair. Tickets are available at the Carriage House Museum, GCC Office (524 Broad St), or at KaffeGeita (1463 Broad St). Tickets will also be available at the door on the day of the event.

Proceeds benefit the Story City Historical Society.

January 16, 2014
Carriage House Museum
619 Grand Ave
Story City, IA 

Stop by the Carriage House Museum for the Historical Society's Winter Dinner and Presentation. A free-will donation soup and chili dinner will be provided, including spicy and mild chili, vegetable beef soup, oyster soup, Norwegian flat bread, and traditional Norwegian desserts.

Following the meal we will be showing a television program that originally aired on WOI-TV on March 1, 1960 entitled “TV Schooltime: Landmarks in Iowa History: Story City”. Herb Hake visits Story City and the Sheldall Schoolhouse and talks about some of the customs of the Norwegians who settled the area. 

Dinner will be served from 5:30-6:30pm
Welcome and announcements 6:30pm
30 minute video on Sheldall Schoolhouse 6:45pm

Join us for dinner and a show! 

We are happy to announce that the Bartlett House Museum is a free bonus stop on this year's Tour of Homes. Our Queen Anne style home will be fully decorated for Christmas with vintage ornamentation.  

In addition to the antique decorations throughout the home, there will also be several Christmas trees and collections of ornaments on display, loaned from one of our members Sandy Jacobson. Sandy has loaned us 7 trees, each with a different collection of ornaments.  The tree shown here showcases a vintage handkerchief collection and was inspired by a similar tree Sandy saw while visiting Terrace Hill.  

Visitors to the Bartlett House will also be able to partake in a 12 Days of Christmas themed scavenger hunt. Images representing the gifts in the song will be placed throughout the house. Participants who find all 12 images will be entered in a drawing. The winner will receive a Story City themed gift basket.  We would like to thank Ackley State Bank and Romsey Art and Gifts for their donations to the gift basket.  

Complimentary refreshments will be served. A variety of gift items will also be for sale, including pecans, posters, rosemalling, and books. Please stop in for a visit and try your luck at the scavenger hunt!

Stop by the Sheldall Schoolhouse Museum for the Historical 
Society's summer ice cream social and outdoor games. Homemade ice cream will be available for a free-will donation. Plenty of outdoor games will be played on the lawn next to the schoolhouse, 
including croquet, kubb, and more.  If you’ve never played kubb, stop by on Sunday and learn about this Scandinavian wooden block game, fun for all ages.  Bring a lawn chair and enjoy the afternoon with us!

Date: Sunday, August 18th
Location: Sheldall Schoolhouse Museum, corner of Broad St & Hillcrest Dr, Story City, IA
Time: 1:00-3:00 pm

We look forward to seeing you on the 18th!