In honor of spring and the baseball season beginning, the Historical Society's photo of the month for April is of Hank Severeid.  Hank was born in Story City in 1891 and grew up playing on the local teams.  He went on to play on a few minor league teams in the Midwest and in 1911 he made his major league debut with the Cincinnati Reds. Hank played for three other major league teams after the Reds including the St. Louis Browns, Washington Senators, and the New York Yankees.  During his time with the Yankees, Hank played with big names like Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth.  Hank's last season in the majors was in 1926. This photo is of Hank and his wife Adele visiting Story City after he finished his last season.  The sign on the back of the car reads "Welcome Home Hank" and the two boys in the back seat of the car are Harris and Charles Hill. Join us at the Carriage House Museum on April 28th at 5:30 pm for a ballpark themed dinner and a presentation by Don Doxsie on his recently published book Iowa Baseball Greats, which includes Hank Severeid.

​In the early 1900s Julia and Anna Mathre opened a millinery shop which was located on Broad St about where the Post Office is today. In this photo the sisters are posing with some of their millinery products. Their hats were made out of felt or straw – materials that were malleable and could be molded. The material chosen would be shaped over carved wooden hat blocks – different blocks for different head sizes. Once dry, they would hand stitch the brim and hatband on and add adornments of ribbons, flowers, feathers and bows. The Mathre sisters were probably quite busy this time of year with spring just around the corner and Easter fast approaching.