History
People of Interest with connections to Lucas Farms:
George Henry Yewell: Artist
Came to Iowa City in the 1850’s as a young boy. He was financially supported by early Iowa civic leaders as he went to art school in New York and also received extensive classical training internationally. He painted portraits of both Lucas and Kirkwood as well as the earliest images of Iowa City, Yewell Street in Lucas Farms is named in his honor.
Links for more information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Henry_Yewell
https://bollerfamily.org/our-iowa-heritage-george-h-yewell/
W. L. Morgan: Musician
f1221 Kirkwood Ave. (husband of "The Incredible Mrs. Morgan") He was a close childhood friend of President Herbert Hoover and his painting of the blacksmith shop near Hoover's birthplace was used to recreate the blacksmith shop at the Presidential Home & Library in West Branch.
Links for more information:
http://npshistory.com/publications/heho/excavation-jesse-hoover-blacksmith-shop.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Hoover
Dr. F.W. Bennett: Physician
1105 Kirkwood Ave. Close friend of artist Grant Wood and personal physician to Wood’s mother, he was the “hand model” for Wood's final artwork, "The Physician's Hands" also referred to as “Family Doctor”.
Links for more information:
https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/family-doctor-34240
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_Wood
Professor Charles Okerbloom: Artist & Academic
1215 Yewell St. University of Iowa Art instructor, syndicated cartoonist, War Art Workshop contributor, long-time chair of University of Arkansas Art Dept.
Links for more information:
https://www.lambiek.net/artists/o/okerbloom_charles.htm https://www.invaluable.com/artist/okerbloom-charles-1908-jqpd9njh7q/ http://strippersguide.blogspot.com/2017/06/ink-slinger-profiles-by-alex-jay_19.html
Virginia Couzens: Artist
Though Virginia did not live in Lucas Farms but was a granddaughter of Gov. Robert Lucas. She came to Iowa City to paint a portrait of Jane Kirkwood and among her other art projects, she was commissioned to make a bust of Williams Jennings Bryan. Her husband, Harry D. Couzens, was also an artist who knew Robert Louis Stevenson and Jack London.
Links for more information:
https://evols.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10524/45350/1908090701.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._D._Couzens
http://pulpflakes.blogspot.com/2013/10/h-d-couzens-auto-biography-in-campfire.html
Cloy Kent: Artist
#7 Kirkwood Circle Cloy painted numerous University presidents and leaders, including Virgil Hancher and Nebraska football coach, Bob Devaney. She was the daughter-in-law of well-known University of Iowa photographer, F.W. Kent, namesake of Johnson County’s Kent Park.
Links for more information:
https://hancher.uiowa.edu/artwork
https://digitalcommons.salve.edu/heritage/19/
https://journalstar.com/janet-weyhrauch/image_9f7391e1-e994-5fe0-acb4-7e64c90c77e1.html
Glen Epstein: Artist
1213 Yewell Street Internationally recognized calligraphy artist. His work has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian, as well as internationally, and even traveled into space aboard a NASA mission. He and his brother Harry also owned an iconic self-described “hippie hangout” in downtown Iowa City, Epstein’s Books.
Links for more information:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJlyohjT0_I
https://www.berliner-sammlung-kalligraphie.de/kgraph_epstein_e.htm
Costanza Cuccaro & Edwin Penhorwood: Musicians
1025 Keokuk St. Husband and wife, after she won the 1967 New York Metropolitan Opera vocal contest, she went on to be an international opera star and her husband, Edwin, was a successful composer.
Links for more information:
https://www.bachcantatas.com/Bio/CuccaroCostanza.htm#:~:text=The%20American%20soprano%2C%20Costanza%20Cuccaro,Rome%20as%20a%20Fulbright%20scholar. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Opera_National_Council_Auditions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Penhorwood https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLMh0wVXPJE
Rinde Eckert: Musician, Producor, Actor
1401 Franklin St. Growing up in an incredibly gifted music family here in Lucas Farms, Rinde went on to his own success as a producer, actor, musician, Grammy nominee and winner. (Luciano Pavarotti visited the Eckert home at 1401 Franklin Street while here in Iowa City in 1970 for a performance at Hancher Auditorium.)
Links for more information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_McLaughlin (https://www.rindeeckert.com/
https://www.rindeeckert.com/
More to explore….
Music, Theater, & Film:
Hannah Holman 1104 Marcy St. Professional cellist. You will find many links to her music online.
https://www.srimf.com/classical-music-festival/Hannah-Holman-cello
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsxb_vemJUzQBsUBW7BmKkg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNcolgLxcSY
Jesse Fisher 1211 Ginter Ave. In the 1980’s, he spent his boyhood years on Ginter Avenue, attending Mark Twain School, graduating from City High before attending New York University. He majored in film making and became an editor. He is an Emmy nominee for editing of Anthony Bourdain's "Parts Unknown" and much more. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2020392/
https://www.emmys.com/bios/jesse-fisher
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2020392/
Bill Sackter 1310 Yewell Street Two 1980’s made-for-TV movies starring Mickey Rooney told the story of Bill Sackter. There were also documentaries and books written about him. Film maker Barry Morrow befriended Bill in Minnesota when he was documenting a state facility for mentally disabled. Realizing Bill was not living up to his potential, Morrow “adopted” Bill, brought him to Iowa, and documented it on film. The movie versions won 5 Emmys. Bill was invited by Pres. Jimmy Carter to the White House to receive the Disabled Iowan Award.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Sackter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_(1981_film)
Authors & Poets:
*We have been home to numerous authors of both academic, historical, and fiction works as well as poets. Those listed here are the most-published authors.
Professor Paul Engle 1218 Friendly Ave. Author, poet, director of Iowa Writers Workshop, founder of International Writer's Program.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Engle tps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Writing_Program https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_Writers%27_Workshop
Eleanor Hoyt Brainerd 1030 Carroll St. (Plum Grove) Born at Plum Grove, Her parents, Louisa Smith and Walter Hoyt, were prominent abolitionists. After growing up in Iowa City, she went east for her college education and became the author of at least 10 very popular books for independent young women in the 1910’s-1920’s. Three were made into silent movies, some starring Mary Pickford. Her books are still used as part of Women’s Studies curriculum. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Hoyt_Brainerd
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/196725010/eleanor-m.-brainerd
David Morrell 1421 Laurel St. Author and creator of the “Rambo” character, written while he lived here in LF. He experienced incredible success with his action-themed story lines and has written over 40 books, several made into motion pictures.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Blood_(novel) https://davidmorrell.net/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rambo_(franchise)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Blood
Doctors, Scientists, Researchers:
* We are also home to more scientists and doctors than we can begin to acknowledge. We will be adding more to this section in the future.
Stephanie Schwabe 1209 Yewell St. and 1219 Ginter Ave. World’s leading expert on undersea caves and black holes exploration, featured in numerous science documentaries. Authored books and articles. Schwabe spent part of her childhood in LF in the 1960’s while her father completed a post-doctoral study in dentistry at U of I.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephanie_Schwabe https://www.blueholes.org/The%20Rob%20Palmer%20Blue%20Holes%20Foundation/About%20Founder.html
Dr. Robert L. Ebel 1020 Kirkwood Court Author of numerous books and researcher of educational testing. He was sent by the U.S. Government to post-WW2 Germany to help oversee the re-establishment of schools there in 1948.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_L._Ebel
http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n80046216/
Professor Richard Phillip Baker 829 Kirkwood Ave. Originally from England, Baker was highly educated and experienced. As a child, he heard Charles Dickens and Mark Twain give lectures. He came to the State University of Iowa to pursue mathematics. As a mathematician, he invented the world's first 3-D mathematical models now on display at the Smithsonian Institute and other museums. He also corresponded with Albert Einstein.
https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1079958 https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object-groups/maa-charter/geometric-models-richard-p-baker
https://archive.org/details/Letter1937June100Eins/page/n1/mode/2up
Professor Gladys E. Baker 829 Kirkwood Ave. Daughter of Richard P. Baker, highly accomplished scientist, musician, and artist. She drew 21 plates of illustrations for Macbride's study (MacBride Museum of Natural Science, Iowa City), she studied and documented species from Admiral Byrd's II Antarctic Expedition, her research crossed continents and oceans and was in demand right up to the space age.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3852/08-226 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladys_Elizabeth_Baker
Dr. Elmer DeGowin 1218 Yewell St. and 1203 Friendly Ave. Researched and refined the blood transfusion process just on the cusp of WW2, saving many lives on the battlefield. Worked with and became lifelong friends with one of Winston Churchill's doctors who visited the DeGowins at 1203 Friendly Ave. University of Iowa DeGowin Blood Center is named in his honor. Author of widely published “Bedside Diagnostics”.
https://uihc.org/about-elmer-degowin
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16565029/
Dr. Richard DeGowin 1218 Yewell St. and 1203 Friendly Ave. Son of Dr. & Mrs. Elmer DeGowin physician and author of “House of Moffitt” a memoir of growing up in “Moffitt Hollow, Lucas Farms.
Professor Louis Landweber 1104 Marcy St. A mathematician and engineer, his knowledge was a great resource during WW2, earning him one of the Navy’s highest awards. His children and grandchildren were all highly gifted as well. He received the Navy's Metirorius Civilian Service Award in 1947 for his war-related research, primarily in mine-sweeping problems. He came to the University of Iowa in 1954 as a professor of mechanics and hydraulics and research engineer at the Iowa Institute of Hydraulic Research. He received many awards and citations including being appointed the David Taylor Lecturer at DTMB and receiving the Davidson Medal for Ship Research Accomplishments by the Society of Naval Architects. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landweber_iteration https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Landweber https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Peter_Landweber
Professor Samuel James 1101 Kirkwood Ave. (Former resident of Samuel Kirkwood's house) James is considered one of the world's experts on earthworms. He housed an extensive collection in antique cabinets in his Kirkwood Ave. home.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Wooster_James http://blogs.biomedcentral.com/bmcseriesblog/2017/06/01/the-evolution-of-earthworms/
Dr. Raymond Bunge 829 Kirkwood Ave. "Father of the Sperm Bank" University of Iowa Urologist, he shocked the world by announcing a man, after his death, could still father a child. https://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1645&context=annals-of-iowahttps://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/04/how-the-first-sperm-bank-began/361288/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_insemination
Professor Howard Meredith 1205 Pickard Street Meredith was the first to do exhaustive mapping of the bone growth of infants and children. He was the co-author of a book widely distributed to new parents called “Better Homes & Gardens Baby Book”.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.3102/00346543009001047
https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/howard-v-meredith/2081839/ https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Howard-V-Meredith-83420499
Dr. Richard Marks, 6 Kirkwood Circle, was the son of Arlyn Marks, a university administrator whose wife and daughter were tragically killed in a car accident near North Liberty in the 1950’s. Richard excelled academically and is acknowledged in City High’s Hall of Fame. He went on to become a physician in New York City and treated John Lennon the night he was shot. (John Lennon also lost his mother to a car accident when he was a teen.)
http://dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu/DI/1956/di1956-11-24.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_John_Lennon
Groundbreakers, Innovators, Explorers:
Donald Luscombe 123 Marcy St. or 1104 Marcy Street WW1 Croix de Guirre medal winner, became interested in aircraft after he took a short airplane ride while stationed in France. When he came back to Iowa, he began an advertising business in the Quad Cities that meshed well with his family background. His grandfather had been the editor-publisher of the Iowa City Republican Newspaper. His father, James, was a professional photographer. He realized he could combine his love of aircraft with his advertising business, but soon learned the planes of the 1920’s were poorly designed for passengers. He started his own aircraft company to reconfigure aircraft. His designs were very well received. His business grew rapidly across the country, only to be overwhelmed by surplus planes that flooded the market following the end of WW2. His planes are highly prized, collected, and considered classics of design. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Arthur_Luscombe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luscombe_Aircraft
Gov. Lucas's grandson was Capt. Jack Colton Sumner. (His mother was Lucas’ daughter by his first marriage to Elizabeth, she died when Minerva was about 1 year old and married Horatio Sumner, Friendly Sumner’s brother making him Robert Lucas’ son-in-law AND brother-in-law! Minerva and Horatio lived in numerous places and were often in need of financial help from the family.) Sumner was a wounded Civil War Veteran. He withdrew from society and lived in Colorado as a guide and trapper. Capt. Jack Colton Sumner, as he was known, became part of the Powell Expedition that explored and mapped the Colorado River. The expedition was made into a play recently, "Men in Boats".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Sumner
https://www.chsglobe.com/35302/commentary/my-experience-with-men-on-boat
Albert Burkley, creator of “Ardenia” and Iowa City Hotelier. Ardenia was once the home of Gov. Robert Lucas’ son, Edward, a lieutenant in the Civil War, and daughter-in-law Phoebe. The home was put on the market after their deaths. Burkley purchased it and remodeled it into an English Estate for himself and his sister. He shipped in real pieces from an English castle and the grounds had an expansive model railway track in the back yard built by Burkley’s primary builder, Rush Clark. It was featured in silent news reels of the time. (Rush Clark was a descendant of early Iowa pioneers and politicians.) The Great Depression made it difficult to maintain such a large home and soon it was sold, divided into apartments, fell into disrepair over the years, and by 1991 was demolished to make way for the condos that stand there today. The original fence still surrounds the property.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_Clark
https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/IA-01-CE290
http://iagenweb.org/johnson/Postcards/Hibbs/Postcard27.htm
Howard Moffitt Home-builder 837 Kirkwood was a ground-breaker in that he found a way to provide inexpensive housing, particularly to post graduate students at the U of I who also had young families. His rental cottages were made out of almost entirely recycled or repurposed materials. He was very clever and innovative but he also cut corners and it is jokingly said that he never owned a ruler or a level. There are numerous Moffitt houses peppered around the central area of LF Neighborhood. Some of his home on Muscatine Ave. are on the National Historic Register.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscatine_Avenue_Moffitt_Cottage_Historic_District
https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/IA-01-CE295
Byron Beeler Birchwood Builders 1401 Franklin St. Founder of S.E.C. Beeler was also a groundbreaker in the Iowa City Community. After flying in over 60 combat missions in WW2, he returned to Iowa and law school. Highly ambitious, he wasn’t content with a career in real estate and mortgage law so he decided to start his own development business. He designed and built much of the east side of Lucas Farms Neighborhood, partnering with National Component Homes out of Indiana. He was a master at marketing the small mid-century homes. His affordable houses went up quickly and satisfied a post-war housing boom. He did so well that he went on to be a major developer in Florida, but he also had his share of legal problems over the years.
https://www.secobserver.com/2002/07/byron-beeler-sec-a-founding-sec-member/
Sports Figures
Tim Dwight 1142 Downey Drive Mark Twain alumni and City High, Iowa, and NFL Superbowl football star.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Dwight
Coach John Raffensberger 1308 Brookwood Drive Highly successful track and football coach at City High. Hall of Fame, author of book "It's a Great Day to be a Little Hawk". 8 times State Coach of the Year, 15 times MVC Coach of the Year, and once, National Coach of the year, 2000.
https://unipanthers.com/honors/hall-of-fame/john-raffensperger/119
https://www.thelittlehawk.com/49497/sports/remembering-coach-john-raffensperger/?return
Coach Clyde Bean 1218 Friendly Ave. City High Wrestling Coach, football coach, Hall of Fame. His wife Lea was a long-time secretary at Mark Twain School.
https://www.iowawrestlinghalloffame.com/inductee/clyde-bean
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/press-citizen/obituary.aspx?n=clyde-dell-bean&pid=180074556
Historical Figures & Pioneers
Chief Poweshiek- His Sauk & Fox tribe occupied and hunted this area and land along the Iowa River. It is said that Gov. Robert Lucas could see the fires of their camps from his farmland as he looked across the Iowa River. (See more about the Sauk and Fox tribes (Meskwaki) in the history section on this website.) https://www.casamusica.com/Ewart/Chief_Poweshiek.htm https://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6729&context=iowareview
Chief Keokuk- is the namesake of Keokuk Street and Keokuk Court in Lucas Farms. Lucas Farms sits on what was once the "Keokuk Reserve". Keokuk actually lived south and east of Iowa City, near Muscatine, Ia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keokuk_(Sauk_leader)
Gov.Robert Lucas 1030 Carroll St. (Plum Grove) Iowa's First Territorial Governor (Also two-time Governor of Ohio) He came by steamboat to Iowa, then later by horseback with some of his family. He purchased land and built the Plum Grove home to resemble the brick home his wife Friendly had to leave behind in Ohio. Some of his family members lived on this land for many years as well. The farm was finally broken up by developers in 1908, around the time Lucas’ oldest son, Edward, died. Plum Grove Home 1030 Carroll Street is listed on National Historic Register.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum_Grove_Historic_House https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lucas_(governor)
Samuel J. Kirkwood 1101 Kirkwood Ave. Iowa's Civil War Governor, Senator, U.S. Secretary of Interior under Garfield. (There is extensive history on Samuel and Jane Kirkwood available. Kirkwood Street, college and school are all named after this beloved war governor. There are too many links to list.) His statue is in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol. The Kirkwood House has been owned by only 4 families.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkwood_House
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_J._Kirkwood https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_J._Kirkwood_(Ream)
The Kirkwoods were concerned about preserving the quickly disappearing native lifestyle and art. Sitting Bull and native tribal connections to Kirkwood: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitting_Bull https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/stories/articles/2019/4/15/letter-sitting-bull-kirkwood
Hugh Dinwiddy Downey, Downey Drive Iowa City pioneer, influencer, lawyer, banker, realtor, owned land in area of Mark Twain School. Downey, Iowa was founded by him. He owned land on the SW and SE sides of today’s Lucas Farms. His law firm sponsored the popular Millar Map of Iowa City that was illustrated by George Henry Yewell.
Augustus & Florence Clark 829 Kirkwood Ave. Augustus is a direct descendant of Abraham Clark, signer of the Declaration of Independence, she was a granddaughter of Gov. Robert Lucas. Florence Street in LF is named after her. The Clark House:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_House_(Iowa_City,_Iowa)
Odd History:
Yes, the “Weiner Mobile” spent some time in Lucas Farms at Leo Maske’s car repair shop at 1405 Broadway St. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wienermobile
Yes, houses were moved into Lucas Farms, often by Max Yokum. We have houses that were once such things as an A & W Rootbeer Stand, a radio station, a country school house, and garages that have been converted into houses.
Yes, there was once an active Dairy Farm within Lucas Farms boundaries, Sunnyside Dairy.
Yes, F. Scott Firzgerald’s wife, Zelda, spent the night at 1120 Kirkwood Ave.
Yes, there was once a tree farm and nursery, Regan Nursery, also called Kirkwood Ave. Nursery at 1507 Kirkwood Ave. That’s why there are some streets named after trees on that side of the area.
Yes, back in the 1940’s, the Liberty Bell, The Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution rolled through on a train in the NE corner of Lucas Farms.
Yes, there are many, many more stories from the history pages of Lucas Farms! Stay tuned!