A look at Waterloo’s history through the eyes of the Grout Museum
Waterloo is a river city. It sits near the Cedar River in northeastern Iowa. Its nearly 70,000 residents make the city Iowa’s sixth largest. Its history is interesting and is documented at the Grout Museum of History of Science.
It all begins with a model of the Battle of Waterloo. The 1815 battle ended the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte as France’s leader. Is that how the city got its name? Nope. Word has it that a man looking to bring the first post office to the area thumbed through a book of city names until he saw Waterloo. It allegedly stayed with him and, voila, the former Prairie Rapids Crossing (original name given to the area) became Waterloo.
Heritage Hall offers a look at the early days of Waterloo, beginning in 1850. Much of the collection was a gift from the late Henry Grout. He supposedly was a man of many interests and careers. Those are displayed in several exhibits of the museum.
An interesting part of the museum offers a glimpse into small town life in the 1800s. Pioneer Hall takes visitors back to the old days with a blacksmith shop, carpenter’s shop, drug store and cabin.
The city’s industrial development is featured throughout the museum. Looking at workplace safety, as well as the beginnings of the labor union movement in Waterloo, the Grout offers an interesting view of the early workforce life.
Waterloo has seen its share of transportation stories. The railroad came through the area – very important for industrial and shipping success. The city was home to an Illinois Central Railroad Roundhouse.
Maytag-Mason and Dart manufactured vehicles during the early 1900s in Waterloo. Neither stayed in business long, due to equipment issues and poor sales. Maytag was better known for its washing machines.
Agriculture has long been a Waterloo-area industry. As agri-business has grown over the years, better products have come along. Waterloo has seen its share of technology advancements.
Perhaps one of the best known companies has called Waterloo home for decades. The John Deere Company has been in Waterloo since 1918, when the company purchased the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company. The former company was known for its tractor success – the Waterloo Boy. John Deere kept that model and later introduced a series of tractors.
The Grout Museum recognizes a former First Lady of the United States – Lou Henry Hoover. A Waterloo native, Hoover married Herbert Hoover. The couple were known for humanitarian work in their early days. They worked to deliver food to starving people in Belgium. The museum features a display of the couple’s successes with the relief effort. A dress made from food bags is on display.
The museum also offers visitors a chance to see temporary exhibits. The current exhibit – “365 Days and Counting: Iowans in the Vietnam War” – provides a look into America’s involvement with the war in Southeast Asia, beginning in 1962 through the mid-1970s, when the United States reached a peace accord with its enemy and soldiers returned home. the exhibit runs through July.
The exhibit takes a realistic look at the war and Iowans participating in it. It recognizes the five military branches.
One display that I found very sobering was of a soldier in a makeshift tent (using his rain poncho as cover) and his girlfriend or wife back home, sitting at the kitchen table with a letter and pen on the table.
The Vietnam War was the first war fought on television. People could watch recent events on the nightly news from the comfort of their living rooms. Correspondents and photographers logged the stories that the anchors – including the trusted Walter Cronkite – reported.
A couple of displays caught my attention as a veteran. The first was a display of an American soldier walking through a jungle, not knowing where the enemy was or when they would attack.
The second featured a string of dog tags, each with the name of a person who lost their life during the conflict. About 115,000 Iowans served. A little more than 850 died during combat.
The Vietnam War also saw its share of American military women near the frontlines. While they couldn’t fight alongside their male counterparts, they served several roles, including nurses and admins. Women in the military have come a long way from the early days. Today, they serve in a variety of roles, including pilots and doctors.
The Grout Museum is part of the Grout Museum District, sharing space with the Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum, Carl A. and Peggy J. Bluedorn Science Imaginarium, Renssellaer Russell House Museum and the Snowden House.
For more information on the Grout Museum of History and Science and the other attractions, please visit www.groutmuseumdistrict.org.
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