George F. Holtz–Edgewood soldier loses leg in France in WW I

(The three letters below are taken from a photocopy of an article in the Edgewood Journal Nov. 14, 1918, provided by Lt. Col. Jerry Holtz, USAF (Ret), George Holtz’ son.) Col. Holtz writes:  My father was wounded during the Battle of Bealleau Wood on October 9, 1918, in France.  He was an electrical engineer with the 56thEngineers, Company B. He …

The Ring:  A journey from Edgewood to Hell and back!

The Ring –Written in 2007 by Edgewood native, Bernice (Bea) Jacobs Carlson (1921-2016), for “The Hilltop”, a newsletter for her retirement community in the Boston, MA, area. Thank you to her daughter, Desiree Carlson, MD, for providing it to the Edgewood Museum.  An article on Lt. Fraser will be posted here in the near future.– Recently, my Edgewood, Iowa, hometown …

The Life of Bryan G. Sherman 1892-1984–Part 1

Editor’s note:  In 1975, at age 82, Bryan G. Sherman wrote a memoir of his life, a charming description of growing up on a small Iowa farm in the 1890’s, of his education, his service in Europe as a soldier in WW I, and the manifold changes he saw through his life. Although it is a story written for his …

B. G. Sherman Memoir–Part 2: Rural school, high school & college

Editor’s note: This is the second installment of the memoir of his life, written by Edgewood native, Bryan G. Sherman, in 1974 at age 82.  The first installment is down page. Until the series is complete, installments will be found here in reverse order with the most recent at the top, so readers can easily find new posts. When the series …

Bryan G.Sherman Memoir–Part 3: In Service of Country

Bryan Sherman wrote this memoir for family and friends in 1974 at age 82.  Installments 1 & 2 concerning his childhood on the farm and education can be found on the Home page. Installments will be posted each Sunday. There will likely be 8 installments in all.  The words are exactly as written, excepting a very few instances where editing was necessary …

Bryan G. Sherman Memoir–Part 4: Coming Home from the War and Butchering Hogs

Installments 1-3 can be found down page on the Home page and in the March archive. In Part III, the armistice for “The War to End All Wars” had taken effect on 11-11-1918, and Bryan Sherman’s outfit was engaged in post-war activities stationed at Goudrecourt, France, arriving there January 5, 1919. The 88th Division Headquarters were located in this place, and the supply train …

Bryan G. Sherman Memoir–Part 5: Marriage, Children, and Maple Syrup

This is the fifth installment of the memoir of Bryan G. Sherman, written in 1974-5 when he was 82 years old.  Previous installments can be found down page and by following the March and April archives links found throughout the site. ############# My brother, Elmer, had been married before I went to service, and was living on the Henry Smith …

Bryan G. Sherman Memoir: Final Installment–Changes I Have Seen

This is the 7th and final installment of the memoir of Bryan G. Sherman, written in 1974-5 when he was 82 years old.  Previous installments can be found down page and by following the March and April 2018 archives links found on the Museum Home page and elsewhere on this website. *************** Random observations of things I have experienced and …

The March Blizzards of 1959

I’d like to share a story about farms and the effect of blizzards 60 years ago: It was in March of ’59, and I was in 8th grade, when NE Iowa had two major snowstorms about a week apart. We had something like 20″ of blowing snow in northern Delaware County from the first storm, and we were unable to …