"Civil War 150 Years Later" • Dan Clark read William D. Randall's story, "Muscatine's Heroic General," and guests Pam Knott and Lee Miller of the Civil War Memorial Committee told about a fundraising campaign to replace the 1875 monument at the Muscatine County Courthouse. As sesquicentennial observances approach, there's much local and national history to recall and much work to be done. Hear the previous show about the Civil War memorial (March 2 with Sandy Lee and Lee Miller) at http://www.muscatinetours.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=588480 ("Renewing Muscatine's Civil War monument"). See the Facebook album "The Civil War remembered at Muscatine County Courthouse" at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=79743&id=802136391&l=dfe417bd5b. FREE PUBLIC PROGRAM THIS THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 7:00-9:00 P.M.: "Recent Research on the Underground Railroad in Eastern Iowa" presented by Douglas W. Jones, Archaeologist, State Historic Preservation Office, State Historical Society of Iowa • Mobilizing Muscatine Excellence (MME) Center, 129 West Second Street (former Marie Lindsay Interiors) • Doug has served as archaeological advisor and historical researcher on the Iowa Freedom Trail project, documenting the people, places, and events associated with Abolitionist and Underground Railroad activities in Iowa. Historically those activities were better known and documented in Cedar, Johnson, and Clinton counties. However, this week he will tell about activities in adjacent counties, including Muscatine County.

"Too Much Local History?" • Dan Clark's guest is Kent Sissel, restorer and resident of the Alexander G. Clark House. The Muscatine City Council recently recognized a two-square-block area as the "Alexander Clark Heritage District." They discuss what's next for our latest district as it relates to other local history efforts and as a destination for heritage tourists. They speak about the effort to replace the 1875 Civil War monument at the courthouse and identifying other sites with Civil War significance. They urge a good turnout next week for a presentation on "Recent Research on the Underground Railroad in Eastern Iowa" by Doug Jones, archaeologist with the State Historical Society of Iowa. (Thursday, April 26, 7:00-9:00 p.m., Mobilizing Muscatine Excellence Center, 129 West Second Street—former Marie Lindsay Interiors.) Doug has served as archaeological advisor and historical researcher on the Iowa Freedom Trail project, documenting the people, places, and events associated with Abolitionist and Underground Railroad activities in Iowa. Historically those activities were better known and documented in Cedar, Johnson, and Clinton counties. However, on April 29 he will present information that is turning up about activities in adjacent counties, including Muscatine County. 

"Crawfordsville Connections" Dan Clark tells of attending the 51st annual meeting of the Washington County Historical Society the previous evening in the little Iowa town that's still bragging it was the birthplace of the national Republican Party in 1854. He continues from last week about the Underground Railroad line from Crawfordsville to Muscatine, and he says he wishes for a Muscatine County Historical Society.

"The traffic...to Muscatine was very heavy," according to O.A. Garretson, along the important Underground Railroad line from Crawfordsville in Washington County. Dan Clark reads several Muscatine references from Garretson's 1924 article which you can read at http://www.garretson.us/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=6. Mark your calendar for "Recent Research on the Underground Railroad in Eastern Iowa" which will be presented in Muscatine on Thursday, April 29, by archaeologist Douglas W. Jones of the State Historical Society of Iowa. Doug has served as archaeological advisor and historical researcher on the Iowa Freedom Trail project, documenting the people, places, and events associated with Abolitionist and Underground Railroad activities in Iowa. Historically those activities were better known and documented in Cedar, Johnson, and Clinton counties. However, Doug will present information that is turning up about activities in adjacent counties, including Muscatine County. Doug has been on the show twice: http://muscatinetours.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=555079 (Nov. 24, 2009) and http://muscatinetours.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=439389 (Mar. 3, 2009).