I would understand if people were somewhat disappointed with these POSTCARD RECREATION PROJECT images. Because, spoiler, the building in these postcards that I recreated doesn’t exist any longer. It was demolished a long time ago. This won’t be the last time this happens. I mean, just wait until we get to the Holst Hotel images…
This time I decided to recreate two pictures of the Boone Biblical College. I wanted to find out lots of fascinating history about the Boone Biblical College. It still sorta exists. What is left of the Boone Biblical College church is now shared with Stonebridge Church. There is still a church building there that Stonebridge and Boone Biblical congregations share. There is an old building to the south of it. I’m not really sure what is in it any longer, but it used to be a men’s homeless shelter.
Crawford Hall, the other remaining building from the Boone Biblical College’s heyday was sold recently. I think that somebody is turning that into apartments, but that is at least 35% conjecture.
There is also a Boone Biblical College Cemetery, but it isn’t accessible by road and is on private land, therefore I have never seen it.
The only other things I can really tell you about the Boone Biblical College is that they used to have a good sized orphanage, they were given the old courthouse when Boone County decided to replace the courthouse, and they used to run a local radio station with the call letters KFGQ, which is where I used to listen to the radio show “Unshackled”.
I struggled with this postcard because the building in it doesn’t exist any longer. It took me longer than I care to admit to figure that out. There is a building that still stands that looks similar and I thought that was it for a period of time. Obviously modified over the years, but the same building. However after examining some maps and pictures from a series Boone News Republican articles by Ed Mondt, I figured out first, that this building no longer exists and then after further examination, where it once sat.
Postcard No. 4
Original
Redux
I sepia toned my image to give it an older look to it.
Postcard No. 5
Original
Redux
The original Boone Biblical College Building was on the southeast corner of West 2nd Street and State Street. I’m not sure when these postcards were made, but it was definitely before 1915, because some of those Ed Mondt photos I found were dated 1915 and the building that still exists are in those photos.
Here are some of those images:
From 1915. You can see the existing building in the picture.
A picture of the Children’s Home, which I gather was an orphanage. This building also no longer exists. Seems to be an empty lot now.
This map of the Boone Biblical College complex is from 1916. You can see where the orphanage was located. Where they put the old courthouse and where their church was located. There is still a church there, but it is not the same building.
The Boone News Republican article isn’t clear whether or not this map is from 1925 or 1950. But you can see the orphanage is now a Boy’s Home. There is an Infant’s Home and a new Girl’s home. The building that would become Crawford Hall and is still standing.
I include this picture because you can see the old courthouse in the background.
In this picture, you can see the original building and the original Tabernacle
I feel like this project is going to cause me to join the Boone Historical Society. Which is okay, now that their reputation has been restored, it seems.
These are really awesome – and bonus, I hear the Boone Historical Society is haunted! So it’s got that going for it.
I appreciate the incredible research you did on this!
Very interesting detailed photos and history, Chris. Great pictures.
Angie,
Wow. What an incredible number of typos in this post. Hopefully I just fixed them all. I hadn’t heard that the Boone Historical Society is haunted, but it is an old Masonic Temple, so how can it not be? Imagine what kind of new world order things have gone down in that building. Bad stuff. I recently purchased a book of Haunted Iowa places with my Computer Mine Self-Directed Training Budget. Unfortunately, don’t think I learned much that I didn’t already know. But maybe a couple potential photography subjects in there. If you are impressed on this research, wait until I get into the story of Boone’s dandruff magnate. I never even knew the guy existed and fortunately, the building that house his factory is still standing. That one might be in the next batch of images. I’ve already taken the picture, but editing the image is going to be more difficult than the ones from today.
Tamara,
Thanks! I actually wish the history was more detailed, but my internet searches just didn’t pull up much information on them. However, there will be more information on when county gave the courthouse to them and moved it across the street in the future. I wish it was still standing. I also wish the old post office was still standing. Much better looking than the current post office. But I like old buildings.
I read something recently online – here’s a reference to it: https://www.newsrepublican.com/story/news/2020/10/28/iowa-paranormal-group-checks-out-boone-history-center/6051656002/
I saw this, and I do remember going in that elevator when my grandpa was County Supervisor and we went to some event there, and I think maybe the elevator is just SO old it’s out of code: https://www.hauntedplaces.org/item/boone-county-historical-society-masonic-temple/
I love that there is such a book.
It is not a great book.
Reading that article, it sometimes strikes me that a lot of places just try to create the aura of being haunted because of the popularity of the paranormal for their own economic gain. But perhaps I’m just cynical.