Lincoln Highway - Prairie Rivers of Iowa

Carnegie Library byways Tour: DeWitt, IA

by Jeanie Hau | Feb 5, 2026

The Old Library DeWitt Iowa Carnegie Library

Heading west on the Lincoln Highway, we come to our next Carnegie Library in DeWitt, Iowa. DeWitt had a public library long before it had a Carnegie Library. In 1897, a large group of citizens created the DeWitt Library Association by selling stocks. Stockholders gave $1 every 6 months for 5 years to have access to the library. Non-stockholders could also obtain a library card by paying a fee of $1 every year. The library contained 800 volumes.

By 1901, the citizens, as well as electors, petitioned for the library to be a Free Public Library funded and maintained through taxes. On March 25th of that year, during a regular municipal election, a majority vote was reached in favor of the Free Library. In January of 1902, the stockholders voted to turn the library over, and on April 2nd, the deed was transferred to the city. On April 7th, the Free DeWitt Public Library was opened to the public in a rented building on Main Street.

It wasn’t until 1906 that the DeWitt Public Library Board of Trustees began discussing the possibility of a Carnegie Grant, but with the growth of the library, a new space was needed. By April 8th, 1907, a Carnegie Grant was offered with the usual requirements of the city, which many were already met; a location was all that was needed. The corner of what is now 6th Ave and 9th St. was chosen.

The original grant offer was for $5,600, and an additional grant of $1,516 to complete the build. The architect of the Neoclassical design is unknown, and the contractor was Large Brothers from DeWitt. The opening date was June 1, 1908, and by 1909, the collection had grown to 1,774 books serving not just DeWitt but also surrounding communities and even troops during WW1 and WW2.

A remodel was done in 1962 to lighten the dark interior and add shelving and desks, but by the 1980s, the Board began looking for a new location as they had outgrown the Carnegie Building. After raising the needed funds and receiving large donations, the Frances Banta Waggoner Library opened its doors across from Lincoln Park. With 7,500 square feet of space, the library could now offer meeting areas and computer stations. The staff and volunteers moved the 15,000 volumes of books to the new location.

For a time, the town’s City Hall was located in the Carnegie Building until it outgrew the space. Then, a couple converted the building into a family home. In March of 2016, Jon and Lindsay Thiel bought the building and converted it into an event space.

This time is significant as they restored the original hardwood floors and wood trim around the doorways, converted the old wooden doors into the bar, and added handicap accessibility.

They chose to name the business ‘The Old Library’ as the building was already affectionately referred to by the town. The lower level was then rented to Soul Sisters Boutique (still in business but at a different location).

The Old Library event center and bar was successful, still, the busy life of the Thiels led them to sell the business to Beth and Martin Lanhart in February 2018. The Lanharts remodeled the building once again to expand the business with a kitchen and restaurant, which still operates today!

The Old Library is a family-run restaurant that takes pride in crafting every dish with care. They are open Wed-Sat 5 pm-9 pm.

Meanwhile, the Frances Banta Waggoner Community Library was outgrowing its space once again. In 2019, the library received a Community Attraction and Tourism grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority and expanded the library to fill the entire block of 5th Ave between 9th and 10th Streets. They also moved the front door to 5th Ave and decided to rename the library, the DeWitt Community Library, with the after-hours entrance being the Frances Banta Waggoner Community Library Entrance on 10th St. The new library space provides space for several private study rooms, as well as separated age-appropriate reading and activity spaces, classrooms, and community art space.

The community of DeWitt and the surrounding areas has a deep history in the value of education available to all, and it shows through their story.

See you on the byway!

Sources: Information on the history of the DeWitt Public Library/ DeWitt Community Library was gathered from the Carnegie Libraries in Iowa Project; articles written by Ann Soenksen, president of the Central Community Historical Society; “DeWitt library created with help of stockholders,” published in the DeWitt Observer Newspaper on June 1, 2018; “something new at the old library,” by Kate Howes published in the Observer on Nov 19, 2016; Carnegie Library on Wikipedia, The Old Library Facebook page; DeWitt Hometown Tour stories on News 8’s YouTube channel: WQAD 8 ABC Author: Shelby Kluver (WQAD); Published: 6:46 PM CDT June 14, 2023; and Google Maps

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

Catch up on the Byway Buzz

by Jeanie Hau | May 23, 2025

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Hello byway travelers! You may be wondering where we have been (unless of course, you follow the “Where Was I on the byway” series on social media).

We have been very busy in the byway department. Our former Lincoln Highway Coordinator and now Special Projects Consultant, Shellie Orngard, finished a two-year study on historical structures in the Lincoln Highway Corridor.

“Many historic properties have been lost over the years, and it is critical that this work be undertaken to avoid losing more… Surveys are a point-in-time snapshot of properties and to ascertain their preservation needs. The end product provides information gathered and includes recommendations for preservation.”

The project was funded in part by the State Historical Society of Iowa, Historical Resource Development Program.

The Survey of National Historic Register Sites, Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway, Iowa; Final Report, prepared by Shellie Orngard is available now on our website.

We were fortunate to have a student working with us the past several months and we kicked out some “to do” list items.Our student spent time editing a new series, “Tales on the byway.”

This is an oral/video history project we are experimenting with to record conversations with people who have lived and worked along the Lincoln Highway Corridor. The video was recorded for the Colo Historical Association and will be played at the Reed Station Museum during open hours.

The Iowa Valley Scenic Byway Audio Tour App is something we have been spending time getting up and going, and learning about future capabilities. We needed to change the name and online location of the App so that we can expand with future tours featuring recreation areas and the Lincoln Highway once funding can be secured. The new location is: https://seeyouonthebyway.stqry.app.

Be sure to use the share icon (square with an arrow) to choose “save site to home screen.” We continue to make changes and updates to the app as we gather updated information, photos, and links. A great new “Quiz” section will be added in the coming months.

“Where Was I on the byway” continues to be the Lincoln Highway Byway theme for Wednesdays on social media and we have added a series to the Iowa Valley Scenic Byway called, “Where Was I on the App”. This series encourage exploration of the App, the audio tour, and ultimately to visit the communities.

We made much-needed route updates in our source map for the Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway. Recently, the Iowa Department of Transportation completed the Hwy 30 four-lane from Lisbon to Ogden. With this construction, there were a few changes with how the Lincoln Highway enters and exits the four-lane. We are patiently awaiting new signs to complete the sign updates in Lisbon, Chelsea, and the Ralston Corners area where the route was incorrectly signed several years ago. Continue to reference the Lincoln Highway Map until we can update these sign inconsistencies.

Speaking of road construction (after-all it is spring in Iowa), we have just linked a map to our Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway website that has most of the summer/fall road construction locations marked along our updated route. We have been experimenting with the My Google Maps and trying to see how we can add information with a limited number of layers, so note that the layers in this map are still a work in-progress.

Those are the highlights of what the byway team has been up to since January. We continue to be involved with the Reed-Niland Corner’s progression with developing preservation guidelines and the development of the Reed-Niland Corner non-profit. We are working with the City of Tama regarding the Lincoln Highway Bridge. An alternate vehicular route has been constructed around the bridge. We need an inspection to move forward.

June will keep us busy again with the Preserve Iowa Summit, where Shellie and Jeanie will be a part of the round-table presentations and discussion on June 7^th.

We are looking forward to the Lincoln Highway Association’s Middle Third Tour through Iowa, June 19th-21st, with overnight stays in Cedar Rapids and Ames.

We will be hosting a viewing of the Iowa PBS Road Trip Iowa Lincoln Highway episodes on June 19^th at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre with special guest, Kelsey Kramer. Kelsey is the producer of the eastern Iowa episodes. This event is FREE to attend and is open to the public. Shows begin at 9:30 with a discussion with Kelsey to follow.

Also during the tour, the Iowa Lincoln Highway Association President, Mary Preston, will be at the Cedar Rapids evening Tour stop and Joyce Ausberger is hosting lunch at the Lincoln Highway Museum on June 21^st. All are welcome to travel along; only those on the tour can attend meals.

And then it is off to Ogallala for the Lincoln Highway Association Conference, where we will be taking the traveling exhibit, “Promise Road, How the Lincoln Highway Changed America.”– There is still time to register!

And with that….I will see you on the byway!

All my best,

Jeanie

Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway A National Scenic Byway

IPBS Road Trip Iowa Spring 2025: The Lincoln Highway Episodes

by Jeanie Hau | Mar 4, 2025

The Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway- A National Scenic Byway will be showcased by Iowa Public Television during Season 2 of the Road Trip Iowa Series. Episodes will premiere weekly on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. and will repeat on Saturdays at 9 a.m. on Iowa PBS. The program will also be available to stream on demand on iowapbs.org and on the PBS app.

AIR DATE	EPISODE NUMBER	ROAD TRIP IOWA – S2 EPISODE ORDER
4/9	201	Driftless Area Scenic Byway
4/16	202	River Bluffs Scenic Byway
4/23	203	Loess Hills National Scenic Byway North
4/30	204	Loess Hills National Scenic Byway South
5/7	205	Grant Wood Scenic Byway
5/14	206	Historic Hills Scenic Byway
5/21	207	Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway East
5/28	208	Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway East-Central
6/4	209	Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway Central
6/11	210	Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway West

Be sure to catch the

Iowa Valley Scenic Byway | Iowa PBS

from Season 1!

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