River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6

First Phase of Production Completed on "Highway 6" Documentary

A gem of a place off of Iowa's Highway 6! The Museum of Natural History in Iowa City--a SSNHA partner site.

The first phase of production on the new documentary River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6 by Emmy-nominated filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films has been completed.  The Rundles spent much of August and September filming after receiving a grant award from Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area (SSNHA) through their fiscal sponsor KPTS-PBS in June.

"The grant allowed us to shoot footage along the eastern section of Route 6 between Davenport and Des Moines," said producer Tammy Rundle.

"A number of SSNHA partner sites are located along the historic highway and will be of interest to motorists and tourists who have chosen the two-lane scenic route over the busy I-80 Freeway," said director Kelly Rundle.

Not directly on Route 6, but worth the short hop, skip and jump is the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch.

The SSNHA Iowa Highway 6 journey included the Family Museum in Bettendorf; the Putnam Museum of History and Natural Science in Davenport; the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch; the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History, and the Plum Grove Historic Home in Iowa City.

A lovely place to stretch your legs in Coralville, Iowa is the Iowa River Gazebo and Pedestrian Bridge.

Just off of Route 6 in Coralville, footage was gathered at the Iowa River Gazebo and Pedestrian Bridge, and the 1876 Coralville School House. 

F.W. Kent Park near Oxford, IA is a must stop for a scenic picnic off of Historic Route 6. 

Late summer footage of scenic prairies, wildflowers and wetlands was gathered at F.W. Kent Park directly off of Highway 6 near Oxford, Iowa.  A remnant of Old Highway 6 can be found near the entrance of the park. 

The Amana Colonies off of Route 6.

Highway 6’s scenic drive to the Amana Colonies produced beautiful images of numerous historic structures built by the Germans who settled there in the mid-1800s.

Sugar Grove Vineyard and Gathering Place in Newton, Iowa.

An Historic Highway 6 Classic Car Cruise, organized by Dave Darby of the Iowa Route 6 Tourist Association, provided energetic and colorful images of motorists enjoying the historic route in restored vintage automobiles.  The cruise began in Davenport and ended in Council Bluffs.  

Classic cars gathered at the Valle Drive-In in Newton, Iowa after a Historic Route 6 road tour.

A highlight in Newton, Iowa was a gathering of the classic cars at the Valle Drive-In at dusk.  Also in Newton, the Jasper County Historical Museum and Sugar Grove Gathering Place were filmed.

Kelly Rundle and State Historical Society Curator Jack Lufkin pose in front of a rare Mason automobile.

Footage was gathered at a number of sites in Des Moines, including Living History Farms, and the State Historical Society.  A rare Mason automobile designed by the Duesenberg brothers and manufactured by the Maytag-Mason Motor Company in Des Moines in 1910 was filmed during the visit.

Final production on the documentary will take place in the spring of 2013.  River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6 is slated for release in late fall of 2013.

Dave Darby, Executive Director of the Iowa Route 6 Tourist Association.

Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area, a non-profit organization, is one of 49 federally designated heritage areas in the nation and is an Affiliated Area of the National Park Service.  Through the development of a network of sites, programs and events, SSNHA's mission is to interpret farm life, agribuisiness and rural communities--past and present.

 

At the Intersection of "Country School" and "River to River" Road

The 1876 Schoolhouse appears in the award-winning documentary
"Country School: One Room - One Nation" and the new documentary
River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6.

Little did we know that while filming the 1876 Schoolhouse in Coralville, Iowa for our documentary Country School: One Room – One Nation that we would reach an “intersection” with a future project about the historic transcontinental Highway 6.

Situated on the original Highway 6 alignment, the beautiful two-story, red-brick country school is a “must see” historical museum operated by the Johnson County Historical Society.  The school was built on a small acreage donated by the Ezekiel Clark family, accommodating classes for grades 1-8 on the first floor and a gymnasium and auditorium on the second floor—no doubt, the floor where many Christmas programs were presented to the rural community.

The structure served as a place for learning until 1951.  Through the years, the schoolhouse has been used for various other purposes, including a recreational center for teens and a warehouse, before it was put to use as a museum.  The restored two-room schoolhouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and is open by appointment by calling 319.351.5738.

Visit: www.johnsoncountyhistory.org  for more information about the 1876 Schoolhouse in Coralville, Iowa (just off of Highway 6). 

For more information about Iowa’s Highway 6 and the fascinating history and charming towns that line the route, visit www.route6tour.com/Route6iowa.htm or email Executive Director of the Iowa U.S. Route 6, Dave Darby at Iowa@route6tour.com

Planning to take a Transcontinental Highway 6 road trip this summer?  Visit the Route 6 Tourist Association website at http://www.route6tour.com/

Production on the documentary adventure River to River: Iowa’s Forgotten Highway 6 continues through 2012.  Anticipated release of the film is slated for 2013.

Walcott's "Castle" on U.S. Highway 6

 
Castle Hall in Walcott, Iowa on U.S. Highway 6

By Dave Darby

One of the more interesting sights in Walcott is “Castle Hall” Built in 1905, the designer intended to replicate the Balmoral Castle, an old Norman stronghold in Scotland. When first built, the metal panels that cover the framework were gray.  Beneath the tower is a basement dungeon that was once the subject of much speculation.  Originally the home and business of Doctor Henry Schumacher, his residence was on the second floor, while the pharmacy was on the main floor.  Quite the eccentric, Dr. Schumacher kept a pair of plaster of Paris skeletons in the basement dungeon, painted with phosphorescent paint to awe his visitors.  After the doctor passed away in 1934, the first floor was used as a “beer parlor.”