Tama County Historical Society & Genealogical Library

08/26/2026

08/19/2026

The Tama County Historical Society is pleased to announce that it has received a Historical Resource Development Program Grant from the State Historical Society of Iowa. Grant funds will support microfilm preservation of historic newspapers in and around Tama County.

The Historical Resource Development Program supports projects that help preserve, conserve, interpret, enhance, and educate the public about Iowa’s historical assets. This grant will support microfilm preservation of historic newspapers in Tama County, including recent publication years. It will also include editions of the Reinbeck newspaper in Grundy County. Funds from this grant allow the historical society to microfilm all remaining newspapers in Tama County that have not been microfilmed, as well as the Reinbeck newspaper.

Additional financial support for this effort is provided by grants from the Traer, Gladbrook, and Dysart community foundations, as well as private donors.

This project will preserve an important record of Iowa history by microfilming recent Tama County newspapers at a time when local newspapers and their physical offices are disappearing. The resulting permanent record will document the people, events, institutions, and decisions that shaped Tama County in the early 21st century, including information often unavailable elsewhere, such as obituaries, school activities, and community news. By ensuring these materials remain accessible locally for residents, genealogists, researchers, students, and future generations, the project will strengthen public access to Tama County’s history and help preserve community identity for years to come.

“We are grateful for this opportunity to ensure these important historical documents are available for historians, genealogists, students, and the general public at our museum now and in the future,” said Joan Hayward Helm, president of the Tama County Historical Society.

Funding for the Historical Resource Development Program is made possible by the Resource Enhancement and Protection Act (REAP).

08/18/2026

Can hardly wait.

08/13/2026

Recently, the Tama County Historical Society’s Museum & Library, had a surprise visit from two women researching at our library. We surprised them too with what we had on their family. They are Marianne Hummel Nielsen, pictured below (left) and her sister Caroline Hummel (right). They are descendants of Rev. Dr. Lewis Bookwalter, granddaughters of his daughter, Ruth Bookwalter Hummel. Lewis was once president of Western College, later Leander Clark College, in Toledo, Iowa. According to records, he and his family once lived at 500 S. Church Street in Toledo, Iowa which is still standing.
The picture below was taken in front of college’s only exterior remnant of the college. It hung in one of the main buildings located in the area of 701 S. Church Street where the South Tama County Middle School is now located. When the college closed, it became part of Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The campus area in Toledo then became what was later known as the Iowa Juvenile Home until its closing several years ago.
We had a wonderful time helping them. Jean Bolen, one of our estimable volunteers, found many things they had not seen and what was to be a short visit, turned into a longer one. In the comments are pictures of the home of the Bookwalter’s, Rev. Dr. Lewis Bookwalter and his sister Marie Bookwalter who taught at the college.

08/13/2026

Thank you, Don Paustian, for your outstanding program about the USS Honolulu on August 12, 2026. We received many compliments afterwards for having Don as our speaker. And no wonder. His program reflected his remarkable research and knowledge, as well as bringing us his collection of items relating to his program to share. All of which was Don’s way of honoring his father’s service (Louis J. Paustian) during WWII on the USS Honolulu. It was an excellent in-depth look of the day-to-day life on that ship during WWII. It was also heartening to see the younger generation present and asking excellent questions. We also enjoyed hearing about his mother’s (Margaret Hegardt Paustian) personal experiences including rationing and the home front during WWII. He closed his program reminding us that we can do a great service to our US Veterans and all those serving in our country’s military, by taking the time to thank them for their service.

07/30/2026

Another wonderful find from donations we are gong through. This picture was in one of the boxes containing pictures and history relating to Toledo, Iowa and Tama County, Iowa. In particular, there is a wonderful assortment of pictures relating to the Toledo Fire Department throughout the years. We had to share this one from 1977 due to all the familiar faces and names. The other copy includes the names that were on the back of this photo.
Thank you to the family of Charles “Pat” & Lois (Morgan) Patterson for your donation. And thank you to all our County’s firefighters and EMS personnel who give so much.

07/17/2026

The Tama County Historical Society continues to receive some outstanding donations for our museum and research library. We want to start sharing some of these acquisitions more often with you.
One of our recent donations is thanks to Mike Carnahan, retiring band teacher for South Tama Schools. His family were friends with others that had ties to Tama and Montour and asked him to bring some historical items to the Tama County Historical Society, etc. Well, he did, and we were thrilled at what was in a large box of items including an old beverage bottle labeled Tama Bottling Company, a copy of an early Leander Clark College Souvenir book with interior pages in excellent condition, and an amazing assortment of pictures and a scrapbook all relating to the Montour school as well as other items. In the comments are some pictures we are going to ask people from Montour to help us identify. Thank you Joyce Wiese for coming in and identifying several people.
We also want to thank Mike as well as the Harold & Thelma Gregory family including a Cook family that once lived in the area for their donation. Harold & Thelma ran the Gregory Men’s Clothing Store located on the NE corner of W 3rd Street and McClellan Street in Tama, Iowa.
Keep in mind, we would love to take more but our goal is to accept items relating to Tama County, Iowa and its citizens and that it fits in with our goals & purpose. Please contact us prior to donating at 641-484-6767 or at [email protected]