Amend’s high quality meat has been a culinary treat for the city of Des Moines since founder Conrad Amend opened his first meat market four years after the Civil War. Amend was 11 years old when, alone, he left Germany to seek his fame and fortune in the New World. He arrived in New York on the 11th of September, 1860 where he remained for one year.
He then worked in an apothecary in Buffalo, NY and then a farm and a meat market near there. After working for six years, Amend left to seek his fortune farther west with $50 in his pocket and a change of clothes.
Conrad opened his first shop in Des Moines in 1869. It was located at Second and Vine streets, but his main base of operations ended up being a three-story building that he built at Third and Walnut. Cattle were harvested behind the downtown building, sausage was made on the second floor and poultry was processed on the third floor. For over 50 years that building housed the Amend operation.
Conrad had a very large family with two daughters and nine sons. In 1908, the Amend sons joined the business, and with the help of William, John, George, Edward, Gus, Herman, Albert, Arthur and Ralph, C. Amend & Sons was born. The third generation of Amend men, Ralph Jr. and Richard carried on the meat processing business operating a packing plant, while Edward Jr. ran a retail store in Beaverdale.
The packing plant, known as Amend Packing Company moved to their current headquarters on S.E. 18th Street in 1928. Kent and Amy (fourth generation) continue the family operation.
]]>One of the earliest breweries was established by Frank Spitz near River, Second and Elm, on the Raccoon River. He ran a successful business until when while crossing the ice on the Raccoon River, carrying a bag of malt, he broke through and died. Andrew Sommers then purchased the plant, called it Union Brewery. A year or two afterward, in 1866, it sold to Adam Aulmann, a German immigrant. Upon purchase of the brewery, Aulmann began to improve the property. In 1872 the old buildings were torn down and large brick buildings erected. These were added to in 1874 and subsequently, the Union Brewery became well known throughout the county and State. Adam Aulmann died December 31, 1874, and the plant was then leased to Alois Mattes, who managed it for eighteen months. At this time Adam’s son, William Aulmann and John B. Schuster took control of the brewery and managed it until 1881 when the strict Iowa prohibition law caused the brewery to close. Aulmann & Schuster remained partners until in November 1895, handling as agents for beer made by brewers outside of the State.
]]>From the late nineteenth century through the 1930s Iowa had a thriving automotive industry, and automobiles were designed and manufactured in its capital city by several companies. From early electric carriages to gasoline-powered luxury cars, Des Moines played an important role in the manufacturing of automobiles in the state. According to Bill Jepsen’s meticulously researched book, Iowa’s Automobiles: An entertaining and enlightening history, Iowa was number one in the nation in automobiles per capita in 1916 – one car for every fifteen persons. Scottish-born William Morrison, a chemist by trade, produced the first horseless carriage in Iowa (and by some accounts, in the nation) with his Morrison Electric Buggy. Constructed in his laboratory on Fifth Street between Locust and Grand, the surrey made its debut to much astonishment on September 4, 1890, during the second annual Seni Om Sed (“Des Moines” spelled backward) celebration parade. The Shaver Carriage Company of Des Moines built the bodies for the Morrison vehicles, and a total of twelve buggies were made, including the original. They each sold for $3,600, an amount that would have consumed several years’ wages for the average worker at that time. Two automobile nameplates that made their debut prior to 1910 were the Hawkeye and the Monarch. The Hawkeye was a high-wheeled carriage produced by the Lagerquist Automobile Company, situated where the Brownstones on Grand are now, that sold for $2,000. The Monarch, produced by the Monarch Machine Company, just across the river where now stands the Embassy Suites, came in two varieties, the thrifty $300 “Model C” and the four-passenger “Model D Road King” that sold for $750. There are no known survivors of any of the Hawkeye or Monarch vehicles. Another local automobile manufacturer was the Des Moines Automobile Company, in business for only a year, which produced a very small number of cars in 1902. They were located on Ninth Street where the City of Des Moines parking garage is now. The Mason was probably the most widely known automobile manufactured in Des Moines. Edward R. Mason, whose parents owned the Mason House Inn in Bentonsport, was a well-to-do Des Moines lawyer and former clerk of the United States Circuit Court. Through his sons, he met Fred Duesenberg, a brilliant engineer, and mechanic who, with a $25,000 investment from Mason, designed and built the first Mason automobile. First located in a blacksmith shop at 915 Grand Avenue, a new factory to build the car was constructed at East Fifth and Vine in Des Moines. The first Mason to be produced there made its debut on August 16, 1906, at a cost of $1,350. To demonstrate its road-worthiness, three months prior to its unveiling Fred had famously driven a prototype up the steps of the Iowa Capitol Building. Fred and his brother August, who also worked for Mason, later went on to build high-end luxury and racing cars that now sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars each. In 1909 Fred L. Maytag, Newton farm equipment and washing machine entrepreneur bought a controlling interest in the company and by 1910 the manufacturing of the newly named Maytag-Mason Motor Co. had moved to Waterloo. Eventually, the Mason name was dropped and the automobile was known simply as the Maytag. On September 15, 1915, the Waterloo factory was sold, marking the end of the Maytag-Mason automobile. A company associated with the early Masons was the Des Moines Cabinet Company, later known as the Clemens Automobile Company, operated by Ross and Ashton Clemens. The company made wood auto bodies for Duesenberg and the Mason Car Company. In 1916 the Clemens brothers built a six-story building at 200 Tenth Street in Des Moines for the sales, repair, and storage of primarily Overland and Willys-Knight automobiles. One hundred years later, in 2016, the building was renovated and now consists of 44 apartments and Bubba restaurant. The Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant, located on Grand Avenue, was completed in 1920 at a cost of $420,000, and by 1923-1924 was cranking out up to 200 cars a day. After car assembly operations ceased at the end of 1932, the plant was leased and later purchased by the Solar Aircraft Company and in 1952 was purchased by the Des Moines Public School District. It housed Des Moines Technical High School from 1958 until 1986, and is now home to Central Campus, part of the Des Moines Public Schools.
]]>George C. Baker of Polk City, Iowa, invented Baker Barbed Wire, manufactured it in Des Moines, and before too long it was the world’s largest manufacturer of barbed wire.
Barbed wire was a significant revolution for farmers. Prior to the use of barbed wire, fences were made from hand split oak rails or by trimming an Osage Orange hedge. But certainly the contribution of barbed wire to American agriculture is most noticeable in the open prairie ranges of the west.The lifestyle of the cowboy was ended by barbed wire.
The Baker Wire Company covered the whole square block from First and Second and from Vine to Market. The company operated 20 barbing machines for 10 hours a day, 6 days a week. They paid the laborers $1.50 a day. The first real labor dispute in Des Moines occurred at the Baker Wire plant.
In the 1870’s the concept of labor unions were spreading around the country. One such union was the Knights of Labor. Baker Wire let the employees know that this was something they were not to become involved with. However, they did, and when they showed up for work on Monday morning after a meeting they were fired.
The Knights of Labor rose to the defense of the workers, solicited the support of the farmers' Grange, and created a boycott of Baker wire. After a couple of months the dealers of Baker Wire started shipping the barbed wire back because no one would buy it. The company reconsidered its position, restored the men to their jobs, and business resumed. Baker Wire Company was eventually sold and moved out of the state.
]]>Byron Henry must have been feeling quite prosperous in 1918 when he and his wife Anna, along with their son Norman, moved from 1234 Ninth Street to 4995 Country Club Boulevard. At that time it was one of only a handful of houses in the area and backed up then to the Des Moines Golf and Country Club. Henry's new home was designed by Sawyer & Watrous, Architects. Mr. Henry, who lived in the house until his death in 1947, had joined the Carman and Schmitt Manufacturing Company in 1890, rising over the years from secretary/treasurer to president and chairman of the board. In 1903 the business, by now renamed the Schmitt and Henry Manufacturing Company, moved into their new factory on Southwest 8th and Elm. The prominent Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot, Bird and Rawson, known for such notable structures as the Hotel Fort Des Moines, the Equitable Building, Roosevelt High School and the Masonic Temple, was the original architect for the series of buildings.
Schmitt and Henry grew rapidly to eventually include not only the already successful mattress factory, but also a mill, upholstering and woodworking shops, shipping and warehouse space and retail furniture sales. In 1942, it became a manufacturer of Sealy mattresses until that company was sold in 1989. Schmitt and Henry moved to West Des Moines in 1978 and finally went out of business in 1985, 101 years after its founding. The downtown building was converted to an “income-restricted apartment community” in 2011 by Hubbell Realty and is now known as Riverpoint Lofts. If you look closely at the picture of the lofts, you can still make out “Schmitt & Henry Manufacturing” at the top of the north side of the building.
]]>*Original article published in The Annals of Iowa 20 (1936), State Historical Society of Iowa.
Isaac Brandt and his family moved to Des Moines in the spring of 1858 and decided to locate on the east side of the Des Moines River because of its closeness to the new Capitol. The offices of state government had been moved from Iowa City in the fall of 1857, and were occupying the newly erected building located on the site where now stands the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument. In looking about for a home he saw the house he later named Cherry Place. It was small and almost surrounded by native timber. There was an abundance of wild cherry trees, wild plums, oak and walnut, and wild grape vines grew in great profusion. But best of all it was close to what was then the new Capitol building, and this fact is what made Isaac Brandt decide to buy the place.
While Mr. Brandt waited for possession of his new home, he lived in a small two-roomed house which he rented on East Seventh between East Walnut and Locust. This house was afterwards occupied by Mr. Nathan Mills who operated a private school there which the Brandt children attended. Mr. Mills had a high reputation as a penman and was considered an excellent teacher of an art that was highly prized at that time, penmanship.
Mr. Brandt established his business of merchandising on East Fourth and became a prominent east-side business man. He commenced at once to fell the trees and clear the land around his new place. He had purchased from Mr. Harrison Lyon most of the lots that made up the entire block between East Twelfth and Thirteenth streets immediately north of Keokuk Street with the exception of a few lots now occupied by the Capitol Hill Church of Christ.
This house purchased by Isaac Brandt was small, being a story and a half high, but with a good basement that contained a dining room, kitchen and laundry room. Mr. Brandt added to the house until he had seven rooms on the main floor and these, together with the one large bedroom on the second floor as it had been in the original house, and the basement rooms made ample space for his family. The ceilings were all low, but the rooms were large, and with plenty of windows they were airy. The house was finished throughout in white and black walnut. There was a cistern and a well of cold pure water, the supply of which was abundant. Mr. Brandt trained some of the wild grape vines over the side porch, making an attractive shade and adding much to the beauty of the place.
He planted an orchard of cherry, pear and apple trees, and carefully preserved some of the wild cherry and plum. Some of the older people have told me- that the cherry trees were especially beautiful in blossom time and that the place was noted because of them. Mr. Brandt gave the name Cherry Place to his new home.
Isaac Brandt was a man of pronounced views on most public questions. The subject of abolition was a burning one and Mr. Brandt was an ardent exponent of it. Cherry Place became one of the "stations" of the "Underground Railroad." He was a friend of John Brown who perhaps made more than one trip to Cherry Place. At least John Brown was entertained once at Cherry Place by Isaac Brandt. John Brown came to Cherry Place very early one morning in a wagon filled with corn fodder which covered four escaped slaves. He stopped and visited with Mr. Brandt and had breakfast. When he left, Mr. Brandt accompanied him as far as the little picket gate in the front yard and bade John Brown good-bye, shaking hands across this gate. The truth of this story is vouched for by Miss Olive Brandt, the youngest daughter of Isaac Brandt. Her memory of her own experiences at Cherry Place and her recollections of the early times as told by her father are vivid and accurate. We are indebted to her for most of the facts in this article.
Along in the early part of the eighties, Mr. Brandt decided to build a new house. The new Capitol was being constructed and one of the head carpenters, Mr. William Crawshaw, had moved near the Brandts while he was engaged in work on the new Capitol. Mr. Brandt secured him to take charge of building his new house.
It took Mr. Crawshaw two years to assemble the lumber for the house. He bought only the best, being especially careful of the mahogany, walnut and oak he was going to use for finishing. He sent south for most of the lumber.
In March, they moved the old house back and started work on the construction of the new one. A deep basement was dug which enclosed the well of good drinking water of which Isaac Brandt was so fond. The stone mason work was done by William and George Van Dyke who had worked on the Capitol. In giving the facts in this article. Miss Brandt laughingly related the following incident: "When they got the large furnace chimney up and the timbers for the framework of the house, two enterprising insurance men got after my father to insure the house as it stood against accident. Pa finally took out insurance to get rid of them. On the Fourth of July a heavy electric storm struck the large furnace. chimney, completely demolishing it. It did little or no damage to the rest of the house. Of course the five hundred dollars took care of the damage with some to space." The house was finished so they could move in and have their Thanksgiving dinner in it.
It was a commodious house, there were six rooms besides the large hall, vestibule, two pantries, bathroom and alcove to the library on the first floor. The second floor contained seven rooms and two baths, and the third floor was finished in one large room with the floor waxed for dancing. The basement contained a suite of two rooms for the houseman, also laundry, furnace, coal, vegetable and fruit rooms.
As late as the eighties, furnaces were rare in Des Moines and Mr. Brandt had a man come from New York City to install a huge hot air furnace in the new house. There were eight fireplaces in Cherry Place, four upstairs and four downstairs. Miss Brandt says they did their cooking on a large coal stove in winter, but in summer they cooked on gas. The house was lighted by gas.
The woodwork in Cherry Place is still fíne after almost half a century. It was hand-carved and has been beautifully finished. The work was done by men who knew their craft well. Some of them worked on the new Capitol which was then nearing completion. The resemblance of the carving on the woodwork in the Capitol to that of Cherry Place is quite noticeable. The variety of woods in the different rooms is interesting. The drawing room and library are finished in mahogany, the northwest and north rooms are in oak, the east room, which was a bedroom, in bird's-eye maple.
Isaac Brandt's love for the trees grown on his place is shown in the unusual wainscoting which is in the vestibule. The panels are small, and are made of oak, walnut, wild cherry, tame cherry. pear and apple. These first three species are made from native timber cut from the place, the last three from trees which lie had planted and cultivated. Its beautiful finish added distinction and interest to the entire house. The floors were all carpeted to the baseboard, the carpet in the drawing room woven in one piece, with a border. The walls were papered. Lace curtains were at the windows and drapes of various colors were used in the different rooms. The blinds were Venetian and many of them are still in use. The original color of the house on the outside was a very light green with trimmings of a darker shade of the same color. The wide porch on the front, another on the west side and a smaller one on the north gave it an air of Iiospitality that was usually' apparent in houses of the eighties.
Isaac Brandt was a contemporary of a group of distinguished Des Moines men who obtained public recognition both national and international. They were his devoted friends and frequent guests at Cherry Place. Among this group were John A. Kasson and Edwin H. Conger.
However, Mrs. Brandt did not care for social life and preferred charitable and church work to society. Instead of small selected parties she held open house about three times a year, to which she invited every one, rich and poor, alike. In the eighties and nineties there was no organized charity work in Des Moines, but Mrs. Brandt was always interested in people who needed help. One of her storerooms was used for discarded clothing, bedding and anything and everything, including all kinds of food supplies that were needed by poor families. These were regularly sent out to the poor by Mrs. Brandt and carried to them by Olive Brandt who had a pony and cart (known as a dog cart) that she often used for this purpose. Miss Brandt says that her mother regularly cared for six families.
Isaac Brandt was as zealous an advocate of temperance as he had been of abolition. During this period there was a great deal of temperance agitation and many apostles of this cause were in Des Moines. Many nationally known lecturers spoke here, among others, John B. Gough, and were entertained at Cherry Place.
The history of Cherry Place is interwoven with that of the growth and development of Des Moines.
]]>A fashionable hotel known as the Demoine House once stood at First and Walnut Streets, which is now where the Polk County Office building resides. John Yost and Martin Tucker opened the Demoine House in April 1855, and it soon became the site of elegant parties for city residents and lodging for visitors. Part of the building was completed by covering some of the vacated barracks from the old fort. Not long after the DeMoine House opened, Colonel Sumner Spoffard (not officially a colonel) purchased it and ran it himself until 1862. Lorenzo F. Andrews writes, “it was a lively place. The bar-room annex on the south side was the rendezvous for politicians. There being no public hall, the dining-room was a favorite place for dancing parties, where, in the pale mellow light of tallow dips or whale oil, joy went unconfined.” When the state capital was moved to Des Moines, many people working in government stayed at the Demoine House, as well as those traveling through. Mildred Throne cites: The space between the river and the capitol was a muddy swamp… But the people of Des Moines tried to make up for the shortcomings of their little town by lavish hospitality – at least as lavish as the frontier could afford. On the west side, at the “only hotel of much pretentions” – the DeMoine House. There Governor Grimes had rooms, and Ralph P. Lowe awaited his inauguration, and the “soft coal stoves glowed with a red heat.” When Governor Grimes held his victory reception for U.S. Senate in January of 1858, it was at the Demoine House. Throne mentions it as “the famous hostelry” and Governor Grimes dressed the part, which many found surprising: One of the great levees given at the famous hostelry (Demoine House) was that given by Governor Grimes in honor of his election as United States senator. The Governor was never noted for the tidiness of his wearing apparel, and was often seen trudging from the DeMoine House over to the Capitol Building through the mud, generally with his pants stuck in his boot tops, or else one leg in the boot top and the other rolled up, while the rest of his dress was worn in a don't-care sort of manner—in fact it was on the slouchy order… But when the guests—the members of the legislative, the state officers, judges of the Supreme Court and leading citizens began to arrive they found a great surprise awaiting them, for there stood the senator elect clothed in a spick-and-span new full dress suit, patent leather shoes and kid gloves. This little incident furnished food for talk for the frontier town for many months. The old settlers even say that it was one of the grandest soirees ever given in the city. Senator-elect Grimes said there were 178 guests and all his rivals were there and they enjoyed a “harmonious, well-conducted, sumptuous feast.” Many other parties were held there, including one on Washington’s birthday in 1858 that had live music and dancing until 3 AM. The pioneers knew how to throw a party. The DeMoine house continued operating until 1877 when the building was pulled down. It was to be replaced with the Spofford but money became scarce, and it was never finished. Eventually, the property was deeded to Uncle Sam for a new post office in a deal negotiated by Louis Harbach.
]]>Open air schools in the United States started in 1908 but closed down by 1941. Children who attended usually suffered from tuberculosis (TB). Most people with TB were treated in sanitariums, but this made it difficult for children to acquire an education. Des Moines began an open air school in 1914 for underweight and those physically unhealthy. This first school was not open to children who had TB, though. Wallace Elementary (1404 E. 13th) and Casady School (16th St & Jefferson) were both open air schools. In an article in the March 7, 1921, edition of the Des Moines Tribune, The student, Margaret Hall, states that her school is located at Eighth and College Avenue (Open Air School, 1521 8th St.- old North High) and consists of three rooms. “The middle one is kept warm so when we get chilly we can go in there. We have wool suits and overshoes which we wear in the colder rooms.” A separate article also ran that day. Below you will find an excerpt. "History of the Open Air School" (excerpt) by Irene Welsh:
In 1914 a plan was made by the superintendent to have an open air school for children who were underweight or physically subnormal, but no children who had tuberculosis were allowed to come, as there were other schools for tubercular children and also sanitariums. “The first school was a small building with canvas curtains all around it so it would not be so cold and to keep out the rain and snow. There were twenty children at first and only one teacher. . . She also had to make the woolen suits that we wear instead of our coats and caps. “Now we have a little building of three rooms. It looks like a little bungalow from the outside. Two of the rooms are all windows on three sides, which can be opened and closed according to the wind and so a draft would be through the room. They also could be pushed out in a way that the rain and snow could be left out and yet get plenty of fresh air.
]]>The Court Avenue Restaurant and Brewing Co. building has housed many businesses over the years and managed to stay standing through times when many older buildings were razed. It is the last remaining example of a cast iron façade in Des Moines. This building began as the home of The Des Moines Saddlery Co. The saddlery business was founded by Jacob Rubelmann who came to Des Moines from Muscatine. Rubelmann was born in Germany in 1828 and came to the U.S. in 1849. He helped his father run a tannery in Muscatine for a couple years and spent some time in St. Louis before returning to Iowa. Jacob’s sons, George and John helped get the business up and running. They started with a four-story building with a single bay where they made harnesses and collars and eventually sold hardware, whips, robes, horse blankets, and horse brushes. According to local historian James Jacobsen, Rubelmann’s firm was incorporated as the Des Moines Saddlery and Hardware Company with William E. Hoffman, of Wheeling, Virginia, as president in 1887. Ground was broken for a building expansion in August. As Jacobsen indicates, it is unknown if this expansion was planned prior to the incorporation. The expansion included a building addition, as well as the addition of a fifth floor. The link to the Hoffman name can be seen in early advertisements for J. Rubelmann & Company where they indicate they only use “J.G. Hoffman & Son’s celebrated Star Oak Leather.” In 1902, this tannery was noted as one of the largest oak harness leather tanneries in the world with 300 employees. Their relationship with the Rubelmanns must have been strong, since the Hoffmans bought the factory upon J.E. Rubelmann’s retirement.
]]>It all began when L.M. Mann bought 100 acres of land and created a destination. He opened the Des Moines Zoological Gardens on July 4, 1889. The park included an elephant, lions, panthers, kangaroos, monkeys, elk, numerous birds, and other animals. Mann ran the zoo for one year and then sold it to numerous business men who made improvements, including a levy on the south side of the park. In 1912, local businessmen became interested in creating an amusement park in Des Moines. The Zoological Gardens were no longer in use and became the chosen property for Riverview Amusement Park. An ice company owned the property and had been harvesting ice from the Zoo Lakes. Ice makers were now in use, so the lakes were no longer needed for gathering ice.
From 1915-1978 the location was the Riverview Amusement Park, and is nowRiverview Park.
The Des Moines Mail & Times had high praise for Mann and published this in their Souvenir of Des Moines.
The opening of the Zoological Gardens to the citizens of Des Moines marked the first effort put forth to provide a recreation ground for the inhabitants since the city was founded. It not only required nerve, but capital, to start the enterprise, and it took just such an indefatigable worker, sagacious capitalist and far-sighted citizen as Mr. L. M. Mann to put the plan into execution. After expending a large sum in grading up the grounds, hollowing out the artificial lake, a mile in extent, building a tight fence around the whole acreage, and for divers minor improvements, Mr. Mann took the train and went to Boston, where he secured the whole collection of wild animals in a bunch from an institution that was going out of business, and wrote his check for over $5,000 in payment for them. The shipping of such an aggregation was quite an item, and an expert was employed to bring them out here and take charge of them after they arrived... The results of this outlay of capital have been quite satisfactory. Mr. Mann in all his speculations has quietly endeavored, while promoting his personal interests, to instill into his undertakings a spirit of broad philanthropy. It forms one of the prettiest sights to be seen anywhere, to witness the crowds of well dressed, happy faced people gathered beneath the shades of the umbrageous foliage on almost any day in the week, and especially on Sunday, breathing the pure, fresh air, and listening to the strains of music as they float upon the ambient air.
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