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Red Ball Garage

Buildings and structures in Henry County, IowaCommercial buildings completed in 1929Iowa building and structure stubsNational Register of Historic Places in Henry County, IowaSoutheast Iowa Registered Historic Place stubs
Swedesburg, IowaTransportation buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa
Image The Red Ball Garage
Image The Red Ball Garage

The Red Ball Garage, also known as the Ed Neil Garage, is a historic building located in Swedesburg, Iowa, United States. The building is located along what was known as the Military Road. Because of the marshy land in the area, wagons and buggies had to be pulled out of the mud. In 1913 the road became a part of the Red Ball Route, a highway that linked the Minneapolis/St. Paul area with St. Louis. It received its name from the highway signs used to mark the route. The highway was paved from 1929 to 1930, and later became U.S. Route 218 until it was moved to the east as a four lane-highway in the 1990s. This property has been the location of vehicle-oriented businesses since 1870 when a blacksmith shop opened here. It was followed by a blacksmith and wagon-making business. As automobiles started to replace wagons the blacksmith shop was replaced by a garage. This single-story, brick building was built in 1929, replacing the original wood garage. It was remodeled in 1944 to include a Studebaker dealership. The dealership was closed in 1966 when Ed Neil bought the business. It continued to house a garage and small motor repair shop until 1998. The Swedish Heritage Museum acquired the building that year, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Red Ball Garage (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Red Ball Garage
140th Street,

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 41.105361111111 ° E -91.5445 °
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Address

140th Street 1904
52641
Iowa, United States
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Image The Red Ball Garage
Image The Red Ball Garage
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Swedesburg Historic Commercial District
Swedesburg Historic Commercial District

The Swedesburg Historic Commercial District, also known as the Swedish Heritage Museum, is a nationally recognized historic district in Swedesburg, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. At the time of its nomination it consisted of four resources, which included three contributing buildings and one non-contributing building. The three historic buildings housed commercial businesses beginning in an era when this unincorporated community was a settlement of Swedish immigrants. It is not known when the first retail establishment was built here, by the Berg Hardware Store, the frame building furthest to the west, was constructed in 1875. The Sam White General Store, the middle frame building, was completed in 1881. Both of these buildings were moved to their present location when the Farmers Union Exchange was built in 1928. This building type, a frame structure with the "boomtown" front, was typical of frontier towns and were replaced by brick buildings as the town grew. However, in many small towns in Iowa, this style continued to be the norm. The brick veneer and the aluminum siding above it were added to the front of the building in 1964. The Farmers Union Exchange had been formed after the Anderson and Nelson Store moved their business and their building north to Olds, Iowa. The White store building was joined to the new building for extra space, and the Berg building was used for storage. The store remained in operation until 1976. The complex was acquired by the Swedish Heritage Society for a museum in 1990, and opened the following year. The fourth, and non-contributing building, was built as a garage in 1928. It was converted into a stuga, a small Swedish cottage, by the museum so visitors could see what immigrants to this community left behind in the old country.

Pleasant Lawn School Historic District
Pleasant Lawn School Historic District

The Pleasant Lawn School Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located northeast of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. At the time of its nomination it consisted of three resources, all of which are contributing buildings. This is the only intact example of a consolidated rural school district in Iowa. It consists of a two-story brick school building (1917), a two-story frame teacherage (1917), and a hack barn. A gymnasium was added to the school building in 1941. The school was still in existence when the buildings were added to the National Register. Consolidated schools in rural areas were an attempt to increase the tax base and to improve the educational opportunities that were offered by these small public schools. There were about 47 such districts in the state by 1920, and by 1930 there were 89 rural districts. This school was a combination of four school districts: School No. 4 in Marion Township, and Ebenezer, Wesley, and Everett Schools in Canaan Township. Voters approved the consolidation in 1916. While several of these schools were centered around small towns, many were like this one that was located far enough away from town that it was difficult for teachers to get to the schools. A teacherage was built to house them at the school. Students were brought to school in a horse-drawn hack. The barn was used to house the horses during the school day.