Iowa Almanac
Iowa Almanac -- Monday, November 25, 2024
Saving the Coopola. More from the Iowa Almanac in a Moment. [laughter] It's the Floppy Show Book now available at TheFloppyShow.com. Remember the magic of Dwayne Aladdin Floppy through nearly 200 photos that helped tell the story of Iowa's favorite television duo. Celebrate Floppy's 60th birthday by getting a copy of The Floppy Show Book. Autographed by the author only at TheFloppyShow.com. The Floppy Show Book at TheFloppyShow.com As was the case in many Iowa counties, a fierce fight developed over time over where the county seat of Butler County would be located. There was Clarksville, then Butler Center. But ultimately, Allison became the choice in great part because of how the railroad lines ran. Even after a courthouse was built there, over nearly a century the citizens were torn about the building, voters approved adding on to it a few times, and a few other times proposals to build new buildings were rejected. Finally, in May 1973, voters approved a new courthouse in a vote that had to be delayed a month because of the historic April blizzard that year. The new courthouse would cost just under a million dollars. It took a year and a half to build, and was opened on December 14, 1975, on a piece of ground just to the south of the old one. But a few weeks before that, on November 25, 1975, the 94-year-old courthouse made news when an Iowa National Guard helicopter lifted the distinctive round cupola off the building, carefully placing it on the courthouse grounds. It was to be a county-American revolution by Centennial Project, and include a hall of fame of county residents. In April 1976, the old courthouse was torn down, leaving its replacement standing on the courthouse grounds. But there was one reminder of the old building left, the cupola from the old courthouse, left to honor the old structure, was moved by helicopter to the ground, on this date, in 1975. And that's Iowa Almanac for November 25, there's more online at at IowaAlmanac.com. Until tomorrow, I'm Jeff Stein.