08/19/2025
Preserve Iowa history. Don't let our past disappear.
- *We Have a Problem* - **PLEASE READ TO THE END.** This is one we should all be able to get behind—liberal and conservative; Democrat and Republican. Anyone who feels history is important.
*ISSUE: The State Historical Society has been shifted over to the Department of Administration, and the results are proving damaging for Iowa history.
*WHAT'S HAPPENING
The State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI) is closing its Centennial Building research center in Iowa City. The cuts don’t stop there. They are:
**Ending the state’s 163-year partnership with the Annals of Iowa journal.
**Shutting down the mobile museum that brought history directly to Iowans.
Fact: The Centennial Building, opened in 1956, has housed over 200 million records, photographs, books, and artifacts of Iowa and national history.
WHAT THAT REALLY MEANS:
**In June, officials announced the Historical Library in Iowa City would be permanently closed.
**40% of the collections will go to Des Moines, into a much smaller historical library.
**60% will be dispersed across Iowa—or SOLD, GIVEN AWAY, or simply THROWN OUT.
**The cost to keep the Library open? 0.00008% of the state’s budget. (and just 13 months ago, the Governor told Iowans the state had a $1.83 billion surplus.)
THE DANGERS:
**Removal of collections begins next month—September—with no real plan. It’s haphazard and rushed.
**When 40% of collections are moved to Des Moines, they’ll spend at least 3 years in an unsuitable basement.
**That basement is plagued by temperature fluctuations, poor airflow and outside exhaust, overhead pipes that could leak, dusty HVAC conduits, inadequate fire suppression, and inaccessibility.
**These aren’t minor inconveniences. They’re serious risks that could damage or destroy priceless history.
WHAT WE NEED TO DO:
**We HAVE to act. This isn’t just “stuff.” This is Iowa’s story—our story. Once gone, it’s erased forever.
**There are 22,000 of you following this page. If you care about Iowa’s past and future, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE:
Send an email to Adam Steen at Adam.Steen@iowa.gov.
Send an email to Governor Kim Reynolds’ office.
Tell them to please 1) Save the Iowa City Centennial Research Museum, 2) Continue partnering with the Annals of Iowa to share history, and 3) continue the mobile Iowa History Museum, which brings history directly to Iowans.
Be polite, but be clear: closing the Iowa City building, ending the mobile museum, and separating from the Annals of Iowa is devastating.
Remember: state museums aren’t businesses. They preserve history. Breaking even is one thing, but they should never be expected to turn a profit.
