Jeanie Hau - Prairie Rivers of Iowa

Haunted Places Are Popular Destinations on the byways

by Jeanie Hau | Oct 1, 2025

Haunted destinations are becoming increasingly popular, and the byways do not disappoint. Cemetery walks can be found in almost every county and public libraries are getting in on the fun as well. Carnegie libraries are the oldest in the country so of course they have their own haunting stories. From luxury stays at the haunted Hotel Millwright to roughing it at the Squirrel Cage Jail. Searching for paranormal activity is exciting and fun for all ages.

Located on both the Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway and the Iowa Valley Scenic Byway, an 1892 former Funeral Home, the Periwinkle Place Manor is a one-of-its kind adventure in waiting.

The manor is a B&B but also an event center. Whether you are spending the night hunting for ghosts, having a corporate cookout at the “cremation station,” or gathering for a scouting adventure through the “witch village,” haunting memories fill dreamlands for many nights after. The manor will also host Birthday celebrations with a twisted Alice in Wonderland theme being very popular. The Periwinkle Manor was even a proud stop on the Kyle’s Mile Ride for Suicide prevention last summer. A public Witchy themed night, private parties, and a Hallowgein Ball round out October events. And don’t forget to get your photo taken at the photo booth!

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Another destination to note on the Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway is the Granger House Victorian Museum in Marion. The mansion was occupied by the same family for over 150 years, and the family is refusing to leave. At least four children and a woman were known to have died in the house. The restored example of a Victorian era home has been said to have furnishings which rearrange themselves to other rooms. A Lady in White appears in a window watching visitors but is nowhere to be found when sought out. Bone chilling singing from a young girl will accompany piano music and the girl will laugh when visitors cannot find her upon being heard. Other unexplained voices and apparitions have also been documented. Museum tours, private ghost hunts, and special events are available at the Granger House Museum.

So, whether you tour a museum, spend the night in a haunted hotel, or explore a cemetery by candlelight, October along the byways is the most ghoulish time of the year. Share your favorite experiences with us!

See you…on the byway!

Photos compliments of the Periwinkle Place Manor and the Granger House Museum Facebook page.

Prairie Rivers receives $5,000 for Inventory of Lincoln Highway Museum

by Jeanie Hau | Sep 2, 2025

The State Historical Society, Inc. of Iowa has awarded Prairie Rivers of Iowa with a $5,000 grant to begin an estimated $10,000 project to inventory the Lincoln Highway Museum in Grand Junction, Iowa.

Created in 1983, as a separate entity from the State Historical Board, the State Historical Society, Inc. of Iowa is a non-profit dedicated to protecting the heritage of Iowa. The organization utilizes its funds to support the preservation of Iowa’s history with a grant cycle available twice a year. Grants are available for projects which:

Collect and preserve materials
Conduct historical studies and research projects
Spread knowledge of the history of Iowa

Bob and Joyce Ausberger own and manage the Lincoln Highway Museum in Grand Junction, Iowa. In the late 1980s, the Ausbergers set out to save the Eureka Bridge in Greene County from destruction. After winning the battle in court to save a version of the historic bridge, the Ausbergers were tied to the Lincoln Highway and the preservation of its history.

Through the years, the Ausbergers have collected an estimated 1000 objects related to the Lincoln Highway and highway development in Iowa. In addition to objects and artifacts, the museum, housed in an old bank, features a well-established library of books, postcards, original blue-prints, and the archive of a precursor group to the Iowa Lincoln Highway Association.

The Lincoln Highway Museum Inventory Project began last spring with the assistance of the Historical Society of Iowa’s Field Services Program. Collections professional, Angela Stanford from Advanced Museum Services visited the museum and was able to define a scope and proper methods and procedures to use for completion of an inventory. To complete the inventory by a professional, an estimated $10,000 is needed. The $5,000 will allow us to begin the inventory and establish a system which can be completed in the future when additional funding is found.

Archives in the bank vault at the Lincoln Highway Museum

At the conclusion of the inventory, the Lincoln Highway Museum will have a comprehensive record of what is in the collection and where the pieces are located within the museum. The inventory document will also be a tool to identify gaps in the collection and to add stories to the artifact entries.

As museums and archives struggle with traditional funding practices to preserve history, we must continue to take the steps necessary to ensure that history is not lost. The Lincoln Highway Museum Inventory is that current step that we are taking to look to the future.

Reed-Niland Corner, Inc is Formed

by Jeanie Hau | Sep 2, 2025

A new non-profit group, the Reed-Niland Corner, Inc., has been formed in Colo, Iowa, with the intent to take over the ownership and management of the Reed-Niland Corner. One member of the organization must be a representative for the Jefferson Highway, one member must represent the Lincoln Highway, one member must represent the Colo Historical Association, and two members must be Colo residents. The organization currently has 12 members.

Initial paperwork has been completed, and the group is forming committees to fulfill the dedicated purpose to preserve, maintain, and promote the visitor experience of the historic Reed-Niland Corner. And to the continued operation of the café, motel, museum, and apartment buildings through activities which shall include educational programs, advocacy, fundraising, maintenance, and oversight of this historic site. The group hopes to be in a position to take over the ownership of the Corner near the first of the year, 2026.

Early days of Reed's Standard Service Station - Colo Historical Association Photo

Background: It has been over 100 years since Charlie sold his first customer gas at the SE corner of his family farm. What began as a supplemental income to farming became a way of life for Charlie Reed, his nephews (the Niland families), and much of the community of Colo. Being located at the crossing of two transcontinental roadways, the Lincoln Highway and the Jefferson Highway, the businesses needed to employ many residents of Colo and the surrounding communities. The Corner became a part of the community.

When Highway 30 was moved to the south and Interstate 35 was built to the west, business declined, and operations ceased by 1995. When the city was gifted the site (minus the apartment building) in 1999 by John Niland, the Lincoln Highway Association and the community of Colo worked together to obtain a succession of grants and donations to restore the buildings and site. By 2003, the station had been restored to an early 1930s design, the café was restored to an appearance it had in 1955, and the motel was restored to a 1946 appearance. The café was leased to operate as a 1950s diner and interpretive center, and the motel rooms were available for rent once again. The Reed-Niland Corner became a popular “one-stop” site to visit on a national level for both the Lincoln Highway Association travelers and the Jefferson Highway Association travelers.

Flash-forward almost 25 years, and the Corner is now in a new Era. The community of Colo has invested in a new fire station, a rehabbed fire truck, and a new housing development. Resources are scarce, and insurance premiums are up. At a City Council meeting in February 2025, the council suggested that the city should sell the Corner. Rural Colo resident and Colo Historical Association member, Brenda McGuire, happened to be at the meeting and began asking questions. Brenda contacted Prairie Rivers of Iowa who had recently recorded a video of past Reed Station employees.

Together, Prairie Rivers of Iowa staff, Iowa Lincoln Highway Association members, Jefferson Highway representatives, Kelsey Reed (the current lease holder of Niland’s Café and the Colo Motel), and numerous community members started meeting to discuss options for the Corner.

It was agreed upon that National Register status and Local Preservation guidelines should be created to protect the property.
A non-profit should be formed to take over the ownership of the property in order to preserve it and to continue operations

Prairie Rivers of Iowa Special Projects Coordinator, Shellie Orngaard, is working towards a National Register of Historic Places Nomination for the Reed-Niland Corner District. She is also assisting the City in developing local preservation guidelines.

The Colo Historical Association has been working on grants for awnings for the Reed Station, for which they have recently received awards. The Association has recently posted that they will no longer be located at the station and will not have the station open on the last weekend of the month. Since this is a new development, the Reed-Niland Corner, Inc. has not had a meeting to discuss and cannot comment at this time.

Maintenance issues at the Corner continue to be addressed by the city and the Colo Development Group. A grant committee on the new non-profit is working to find grants to help fund these needs. As with any property management, new maintenance needs arise frequently and communication between groups is key at this time.

Finally, in uplifting news, WHO and “Gabe on the Go” recently filmed a segment at the Corner interviewing former city clerk, Scott Berka and Reed-Niland Corner, Inc President, Brenda McGuire. As Brenda said in the interview, “We hope that the Corner can be a gathering place for years to come.”

This update is provided by the Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway Coordinator, Jeanie Hau, and is not an official statement of the Reed-Niland Corner, Inc.

If you would like to help, please email:

Attn: Reed-Niland Corner, Inc.

bmcguire25@hotmail.com

Mailing Address:

Reed-Niland Corner, Inc.

PO Box 244

Colo, Iowa 50056

A Coordinator Gone Tourist

by Jeanie Hau | Jul 25, 2025

Usually when I talk about the Amana Colonies along the Iowa Valley Scenic Byway, I am promoting a Festival; I mean, Amana does have the best festivals. I found out this past week that Amana is perhaps even more enjoyable on a solo visit in the heat of the summer between festivals.

You might think that as a Byway Coordinator I visit the communities and experience them on a regular basis. This isn’t the reality. I did, however, have a stack of new Iowa Valley Scenic Byway Audio & App Tour brochures sitting on my desk that needed to get to Amana somehow. I have also been eager to see Lily Lake in full bloom for a long time now.

So, on a beautiful sunny morning I headed over to Amana. My first stop was the Amana Colonies Visitor’s Center where our brochure has been flying off the shelf. I was delighted to see the Grant Wood Artwork in the yard as Grant Wood has many connections to many of our eastern Iowa byways.

I visited with the docent myself for a few moments while I purchased a Grant Wood book and asked about “The People Are Kind: A Religious History of Iowa” by Bill Douglas of Clutier (I don’t know for sure if the Community of True Inspiration was included in his book but I assumed it would be). When I left, she said that she hoped that I had time to explore the Amana shops before heading back to work. As I walked outside into the sunshine having had this cultural experience, and the antique shop across the
road was calling, I decided to do just that!

After restocking our brochure and adding our Lincoln Highway’s Eastern Iowa: Breweries, Wineries, and Distilleries brochure (Millstream Brewing & Millstream Brau Haus are listed), I headed over to the Amana History Museum and Book Store to drop another load of brochures. While I browsed the books available (for research!), I overhead a tourist conveying to the docent that they knew that the people were kicked out of the commune in the 1930s. No, no, I shook my head as I listened. The docent explained that “The Great Change” was at a time when Society members were seeking more personal freedom. Then she mentioned her own family, telling her own story.

I went to that antique shop, I took photos of all the buildings on the street (I did need summer photos for the app), I went in the General Store and International Christmas Market, I found a metal art shop, and the Haus Maus t-shirt shop. I even found live music at the brewery. Finally, I visited the Chocolate Haus for fudge. As a famous Iowa Hawkeye basketball announcer used to say, “Oh, myyyy.”

As I reflected on this trip on my way back to work, I realized that I wouldn’t have had this experience if I 1) had mailed the boxes of brochures and 2) had gone to the Amanas during a huge Festival when the museums and shops are crowded. Oh, and if you want to see the lily blooms at Lily Lake, there is still time. The lake is full of lilies but the blooms were closed.
Enjoy and I will see you on the byway!

Jeanie

Summer along the Iowa Valley Scenic Byway

by Jeanie Hau | Jul 1, 2025

Byway Travelers,

It is summer in Iowa which means heat, tall corn, and it is time for the prairies to put on a show! From wetlands to tallgrass prairie species, the Iowa Valley Scenic Byway has opportunities to enjoy plant and wildlife beauty all summer long.

Northwest of Chelsea at the western end of the 77-mile byway, is an observation deck shaped like an eagle in flight. The deck overlooks a wetland prairie at Otter Creek Marsh State Wildlife Refuge. Enjoy marsh marigold, pickerel weed, and buttonbush along with various duck species and herons.

At the eastern end of the byway enjoy the wonder of Lily Lake in July. Thousands of blooming yellow American Lotus fill the lake as do birds such as pelicans, songbirds, and trumpeter swans. A short, family-friendly multi-use trail, the Kolonieweg Trail surrounds Lily Lake. In German, Kolonieweg translates to “Colony Way” which perfectly describes this trail that offers scenic views of the Millrace, pastures, farmland, and a prairie edge.

View of the Woolen Mill (left) and Hotel Millright today. Photographer looking east along the Mill Race.

July 4^th is a special time for the Amana Colonies story as their ancestors came to America for religious freedom. The annual celebration includes pick-up baseball games in the park (check out the unique story of baseball in the Amanas at the Norway Baseball Museum of Iowa), a huge pot-luck supper and fireworks over Lily Lake.

Later in July (July 26) tour the gardens at residences and businesses in the Amana Colonies during the Colonies in Bloom event. Each garden is unique, and visitors will experience both modern and traditional gardens. The self-guided garden tour includes gardens of vegetables, fruits, perennials, annuals, and much more.

If you can’t make the trip until August, plan to participate in the Annual Bike Ride of Iowa County with numerous stops and picturesque views from Amana to Marengo and back. This 28-mile fun ride is free and appropriate for all ages.

Get away for a long weekend in Marengo. Take in the Market at the City Park with homegrown produce and handmade goods every Thursday night in the summer. Then explore the Pioneer Heritage Museum and the next day and take in a game and dinner at Lucky 6 Lanes. Or relax with a day of fishing at the lake or take in the music at the family-owned Fireside Winery. You can find many sites in Marengo which are on the Iowa Valley Scenic Byway Audio Tour & App (www.seeyouonthebyway.stqry.app). Visit Gateway Park for a walk around the lake and the Veteran’s Memorial including the Iowa County Freedom Rock.

Have a great summer and I will see you on the byway!

Iowa Valley Scenic Byway Iowa Prairie Rivers of Iowa

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