Muscatine Tours Podcast

Dan Clark and author/musician Bill Duval. At age 85, Bill plays piano at Northpark Von Maur and Port City Underground and is promoting his first book and two CDs.

Dan Clark and granddaughter Elise speak with Melanie Alexander, director of the Muscatine History and Industry Center. Melanie describes the "Muscatine Experience" event during "PatriArt Week" and tells what's happening at her museum.

Sheila Chaudoin of Musser Public Library tells Dan Clark and Shirley Calvert about her new job at the library focusing on local history (after 36 years on staff). "She continues working at the library part-time scanning and digitizing the photographic collection of early 20th century photographer Oscar Grossheim of Muscatine and other historical materials." http://www.muscatinejournal.com/articles...

Part 2 of Dan's conversation with Dr. Jeff Shay about Muscatine in the Civil War. We examine origins of Memorial Day and continue discussion of the book Jeff is writing.

Dan Clark and Frank Kelly, former executive director of the Muscatine Community Foundation and new part-time staffer for the Downtown Action Alliance. Frank talks about making Downtown more attractive for shopping and tourism.

Dan Clark and Dr. Jeff Shay, author of a forthcoming book about Muscatine and the Civil War, in Part 1 of a two-part conversation that continues on May 20. Dan also tells about his "Muscatine Flood 2008" slideshow which logged almost 2,000 YouTube views in its first week at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKZeJFkrfBU and plays a new recording of a 1912 tune called "Muscatine."

Dan Clark and architect Tom Bankhead and callers discuss business development and property improvements in the Downtown Historic District. Dan names recipients of 2008 Historic Preservation Awards.

Dan Clark tells origins of MT&T, recollections of his own bus driving long ago, and more.

Tom Savage and Mary Anne Kessler talk historic preservation and old-time place names. Mary Anne is a member of the Muscatine Historic Preservation Commission; Tom is author of A Dictionary of Iowa Place-Names.

Dan Clark and history teacher Mike Hutchison discuss Hispanic migration to the Muscatine area dating to the 1850s. This Part 1 (topic continues Feb. 5 and 12) takes off from Mike's paper "River of Steel, River of Sweat: Early Mexican-American Community in Muscatine, Iowa" http://www.immigration-usa.com/new/mexican_american.html .

Dan Clark's guest is Michael Maharry, MD, president of Friends of Muscatine Historic Preservation ( http://muscatinepreservation.org ). "If the community values the neighborhoods and and the old buildings, sort of like a resource... We don't have oil like Saudi Arabia that can bring us income, but we can have tourism income by preserving these old buildings and having people come in from all parts...

Dan Clark and Shirley Calvert and a call from Dennis Cockshoot

Dan Clark discusses changes afoot in Downtown Muscatine. How might the Greater Downtown Muscatine Association be reorganized? Who speaks for our historic downtown anyway? Dan talks about Downtown as his reason for bringing a trolley bus to town, and a caller asks why Muscatine can't be as attractive a "destination" as Galena.

Dan Clark reads from "Let the Chips Fall: Thoughts From a Wood Chopper," by Chuck Hotle (1915-2007), Washington County author and historian and father of a current Muscatine resident.

Dan Clark's guest is David Brodnax, Sr., assistant professor of history at Trinity Christian College (Palos Heights, IL). He is in town copying documents at the Alexander G. Clark House.

Dan Clark and Jeff Shay discuss Muscatine area involvement in the Civil War. Dan reads "Patriotic Patriarchs," William D. Randall's account of the 37th Iowa regiment known as "the Greybeards." Jeff tells more and describes the Civil War book he is writing.

Dan Clark and guest Gladys Mittman of the Muscatine County Genealogical Society and Muscatine County Heritage Association discuss Heritage Days, the Old Stone Church, and various topics in Muscatine County history. Dan plays a recording of William D. Randall on Benjamin Nye, the first permanent settler of Muscatine County.

Dan Clark reads his blog post about Muscatine's Alexander G. Clark (http://iowaglobal.blogspot.com/2006/08/long-overdue-attention-for-alexander-g_25.html) and tells about the prize-winning paper about A.G. Clark by Stephen Frese. (More at http://alexanderclark.org and http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/ht/40.1/frese.html.) Also, callers try to answer Dan's question, "Who was Pearl McGill?"

Dan Clark talks with Peter and Marie Press about writing and producing "Muscatine! the Musical." See http://web.mac.com/press_a/iWeb/Muscatine!%20The%20Musical/The%20Production.html. [Peter died of cancer at age 52 on Nov. 30, 2008.]

Dan Clark starts with a 1949 recording of William D. Randall reading his story, "Jimmy White Finds Freedom: Slavery and Alexander Clark," then discusses Black History of Muscatine with Annabell Luth and Kent Sissel. Annabell is descended from early settlers who were among the first African Americans in Iowa, and Kent is restorer and resident of the 1878 Alexander G. Clark House.

Dan Clark interviews John Haskins, founder of Friends of the Old  Barn. The FOB's first meeting was that evening.