Category Archives: Art

Town Sign Project: Van Buren County

October 25, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

A couple months back I cruised around Van Buren County harvesting their town signs. Van Buren County is interesting because it is a collection of old villages more than towns. I don’t even know if that makes sense, but that is how they view themselves. Either way, there is lots of cool history in Van Buren County and cool little villages.

Here are some facts about Van Buren County:
+ Population is 7,243, making it the 90th most populous county in Iowa. Below Worth County and above Pocahontas County.
+ Largest town and county seat is Keosauqua.
+ Formed on December 7, 1836 as part of the Wisconsin Territory. Was split off from Des Moines County. Became part of the Iowa territory on July 4, 1838.
+ Named after President Martin Van Buren, who was considered the first forgettable American President.
+ The site of The Honey War. When a bunch of thugs from Missouri tried to invade Iowa and steal honey from Iowa’s delicious honey trees. The Iowans quickly kicked their ass back to their loser state. The conflict (mostly over the border between the state) was mostly decided in 1846 when Congress ruled in Iowa’s favor. Suck it “show me state”.
+ Home of Iowa’s oldest active courthouse. Second oldest in the nation.
+ Major highways are: IA-1, IA-2, IA-16, and IA-98.
+ Adjacent counties are: Jefferson, Henry, Lee, and Davis.
+ Population peaked in 1870 at 17,672.

The Van Buren County Courthouse is okay looking:

The Van Buren County Courthouse located in Keosauqua, Iowa.

The Van Buren County Freedom Rock is located in Stockport, Iowa:

With Van Buren County conquered, here is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:

PURPLE=COMPLETED

94 counties completed. 94.9% of the Cyclone State conquered!

Here are the town signs of Van Buren County:

Keosauqua, Iowa
Keosauqua
established 1839
Population: 936 (-70)

Farmington, Iowa
Welcome To Farmington, Iowa
“Oldest Village in Van Buren County:
Home of The Strawberry Festival
2nd Weekend in June
Population: 579 (-85)

Milton, Iowa
WELCOME TO MILTON
EST. 1851
Population: 380 (-63)

Birmingham, Iowa
BIRMINGHAM
GATEWAY TO SCENIC VAN BUREN COUNTY
Population: 367 (-81)

Bonaparte, Iowa
BONAPARTE
founded 1837
IOWA
WELCOME TO A NATIONAL HISTORIC DIST.
A VILLAGE OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
Population: 359 (-84)

Stockport, Iowa
EST. 1887
Population: 272 (-24)

Cantril, Iowa
VILLAGE OF CANTRIL
EST. 1872
Population: 224 (+2)

Selma, Iowa – Unincorporated
SELMA
52588

Leando, Iowa – Unincorporated
WELCOME TO LEANDO, IA
EST. 1838

Douds, Iowa – Unincorporated
Welcome to DOUDS IOWA
Est. 1866
Home of DOUDS STONE LLC
Since 1926

Bentonsport, Iowa – Unincorporated
Welcome to Bentonsport

Van Buren County has a truly great collection of town signs. Definitely a Top 5 County in this respect. I can’t pick a bad one.

But what town gets the purple ribbon? I love so many of them. I love the Milton sign and the Keosauqua sign and the Cantril sign. But I’m going to have to give the Best in Show prize to Bonaparte.

Bonaparte – Best in Show – Van Buren County

There are a few alternate town signs in Van Buren County:

Milton – Alternate

Keosauqua – Alternate

Douds – Alternate

Cantril – Alternate

Stockport – Alternate

Here is the current list of Best in Shows:

Best in Show – Adair County

Best in Show – Adams County

Best in Show – Allamakee County

Best in Show – Appanoose County

Best in Show – Audubon County

Best in Show – Benton County

Best in Show – Black Hawk County

Best in Show – Boone County

Best in Show – Bremer County

Best in Show – Buchanan County

Best in Show – Buena Vista County

Best in Show – Butler County

Best in Show – Calhoun County

Best in Show – Carroll County

Best in Show – Cass County

Best in Show – Cedar County

Best in Show – Cerro Gordo County

Best in Show – Cherokee County

Best in Show – Chickasaw County

Best in Show – Clarke County

Best in Show – Clay County

Best in Show – Clayton County

Best in Show – Clinton County

Best in Show – Crawford County

Best in Show – Dallas County

Best in Show – Decatur County

Best in Show – Delaware County

Terril – Best in Show – Dickinson County
Best in Show – Dickinson County

Best in Show – Emmet County

Best in Show – Fayette County

Best in Show – Floyd County

Best in Show – Franklin County

Best in Show – Fremont County

Best in Show – Greene County

Best in Show – Grundy County

Best in Show – Guthrie County

Best in Show – Hamilton County

Best in Show – Hancock County

Best in Show – Hardin County

Best in Sow – Harrison County

Best in Show – Henry County

Best in Show – Howard County

Best in Show – Humboldt County

Best in Show – Ida County

Best in Show – Iowa County

Best in Show – Jackson County

Best in Show – Jasper County

Best in Show – Jefferson County

Best in Show – Johnson County

Best in Show – Jones County

Best in Show – Keokuk County

Best in Show – Kossuth County

Best in Show – Lee County

Best in Show – Linn County

Best in Show – Lucas County

Best in Show – Lyon County

Best in Show – Madison County

Best in Show – Mahaska County

Best in Show – Marion County

Best in Show – Marshall County

Best in Show – Mills County

Best in Show – Mitchell County

Best in Show – Monona County

Best in Show – Monroe County

Best in Show – Montgomery County

Best in Show – Muscatine County

Best in Show – O’Brien County

Best in Show – Osceola County

Best in Show – Page County

Best in Show – Palo Alto County

Best in Show – Plymouth County

Best in Show – Pocahontas County

Best in Show – Polk County

Best in Show – Pottawattamie County

Best in Show – Poweshiek County

Best in Show – Ringgold County

Best in Show – Sac County

Best in Show – Shelby County

Best in Show – Sioux County

Best in Show – Story County

Best in Show – Tama County

Best in Show – Taylor County

Best in Show – Union County

Best in Show – Van Buren County

Best in Show – Wapello County

Best in Show – Warren County

Best in Show – Washington County

Best in Show – Wayne County

Best in Show – Webster County

Best in Show – Winnebago County

Best in Show – Winneshiek County

Best in Show – Woodbury County

Best in Show – Worth County

Best in Show – Wright County

The next time we hit the open road for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT, we will visit Louisa County.

Andy, Angie, Art, Becky, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Drone, Elizabeth, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 371 – LINES

October 24, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

LINES. A quick and easy theme. But did it trigger the creative juices of a ton of people? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, October 17, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Harrison Gorshe – 1 week
2-Sabas Hernandez – 1 week
3-Willy McAlpine – 1 week
4-Mike Vest – 1 week
5-Jesse Howard – 2 weeks
6-Sara Lockner – 4 weeks
7-Suzie Brannen – 8 weeks
8-Brandon Kahler – 9 weeks
9-Linda Bennett – 12 weeks (3)
10-Sarah Toot – 13 weeks
11-Monica Jennings – 14 weeks
12-Angie DeWaard – 17 weeks
13-Dawn Krause – 21 weeks
14-Kim Barker – 27 weeks
15-Joe Duff – 29 weeks (2)
16-Logan Kahler – 30 weeks (4)
17-Teresa Kahler – 39 weeks (2)
18-Tamara Peterson – 39 weeks
19-Carla Stensland – 39 weeks (3)
20-Michelle Haupt – 40 weeks
21-Micky Augustin – 41 weeks
22-Andy Sharp – 42 weeks
23-Bill Wentworth – 43 weeks
24-Cathie Morton – 47 weeks
25-Elizabeth Nordeen – 48 weeks
26-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 50 weeks
27-Kio Dettman – 53 weeks (4)

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

Carla Stensland – 40 weeks

Carla Stensland

Joe Duff – 30 weeks

Joe Duff

Kio Dettman – 54 weeks

Kio Dettman

Linda Bennett – 13 weeks

Linda Bennett

Michelle Haupt – 41 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley – 51 weeks

Tamara Peterson – 40 weeks

Bill Wentworth – 44 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett

Micky Augustin – 42 weeks

Angie DeWaard – 18 weeks

Kim Barker – 28 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen – 49 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen

Teresa Kahler – 40 weeks

Teresa Kahler

Andy Sharp – 43 weeks

Suzie Brannen – 9 weeks

Sara Lockner – 5 weeks

Willy McAlpine – 2 weeks

Logan Kahler – 31 weeks

Logan Kahler

Dawn Krause – 22 weeks

Dawn Krause

Brandon Kahler – 10 weeks

Monica Jennings – 15 weeks

Monica Jennings

Sabas Hernandez – 2 weeks

Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week

Jen Ensley-Gorshe

Becky Parmelee – 1 week

Cathie Morton – 48 weeks

Cathie Morton

Sarah Toot – 14 weeks

Sarah Toot

Jesse Howard – 3 weeks

Mike Vest – 2 weeks

Mary Green – 1 week

Mary Green

30 participants! That is a great week. Possibly 30!

Pictures this weeks from Madrid, Spain for the international flavor. Those were Joe’s pictures. From the States, I got pictures submitted that were taken in Florida, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Nebraska, Arkansas, Kansas, and California. The California submission will probably be the last from California for a bit. Sabas has moved to Iowa and is becoming an Iowan. A welcome addition to the Cyclone State!

I took my picture about 4 miles from my house.

The big accomplishment this week was Brandon. He joined the double digit streak club!

It wasn’t all good news though. Harrison’s couldn’t extend his streak to two weeks. But submitting at all is a pretty big accomplishment from a toddler.

But enough dwelling on the past. Time to look to the future. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future! This week’s theme:

ART

ART! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is an ART image? It is simply a picture of something that is a piece of ART. I would urge you to not just take a standard straight on picture of a piece of ART. Try to see it from a different angle than it might be normally viewed. While your subject might be ART, your interpretation of your subject should be ARTistic. Now a truly arrogant photographer could just claim that every picture they take is ART.

While considering possible subjects for your submission, meditate on the following quote:

The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.
-Aristotle

I look forward to seeing your interpretation.

RULES

The picture has to be taken between 12:01 PM today and 11 AM next Monday. This isn’t a curate your photos project. This is a get your butt off the couch (unless you are taking your picture from the couch) and take pictures challenge.

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of ART in this place where I record the art of my life next Monday.

Art, Automobiles, Christianity, Flowers, Nature, Road Trip

Chickasaw and Howard County Aux – Vol. 3

October 23, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

No Formal Portrait Sunday this Sunday. I was in Kansas City for a good chunk of my weekend and busy the rest of it. So I didn’t want to even think about how I’m going to handle formal portraits going forward. That is clearly a decision for next Sunday. Or the Sunday after. It is hard to tell.

What I am going to share now is another collection of pictures from my road trip through Chickasaw and Howard County. All of these pictures were taken in Howard County. Lime Springs. Lidke Park. Chester. Cresco.

Lime Springs

Lidke Park

Chester

Cresco

Believe it or not, there are still more pictures from this road trip left to share. I really like Cresco. It is on my list of towns I’d like to return to and photograph again at some point in the future.

Art, Christianity, Railroad, Road Trip

Chickasaw and Howard County Aux – Vol. 2

October 22, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

A few months back I tooled around Chickasaw County and Howard County harvesting their town signs. This is the second collection of auxiliary images I took on that trip. All of these are taken in Howard County. They were taken in Elma, Lime Springs, and the unincorporated town of Lourdes. Elma is a pretty cool little town. So is Lime Springs. Lourdes has a beautiful church. I would definitely visit this area again.

Elma

Lourdes

Lime Springs

There are still lots of pictures left to share from this awesome trip. There are so many cool little towns in these two counties!

Art, Christianity, Road Trip

Chickasaw and Howard County Aux – Vol. 1

October 19, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

Back on May 14, I cruised around Chickasaw County and Howard County harvesting their town signs. I took a ton of auxiliary images that day. So there are several collections to share.

All the pictures in this collection were taken in Chickasaw County:

Nashua

Ionia

Bassett

North Washington

Alta Vista

Still a ton more pictures to share from this road trip.

Art, Road Trip, Town Sign Project

Town Sign Project: Lee County

October 18, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

A few weeks back I travelled to Lee County to harvest their town signs. Lee County is the southernmost county in Iowa. So it is a jaunt, but it was a good trip.

Here are some facts about Lee County:
+ Population is 33,215 making it the 22nd most populous county in Iowa. Below Marion County and above Boone County.
+ Largest town is Fort Madison.
+ Has two county seats: Fort Madison and Keokuk. The only county in Iowa with two county seats.
+ Lee County was formed on December 7, 1836 as part of the Wisconsin Territory and became part of the Iowa Territory on July 4, 1838.
+ There is no consensus on who the county is named after. It is either the company Marsh, Delevan & Lee a company with extensive interests in the area. Or perhaps it was the traitor Robert E. Lee who surveyed the Des Moines Rapids, or it was named after Albert Lea who helped explore the area.
+ Sit of the first U.S. military fort in the upper Mississippi region.
+ Was home of A “Half-Breed Tract” which was about as racist as it sounds.
+ Home of the Iowa State Penitentiary.
+ Major highways are: US-61, US-136, US-218, IA-2, IA-16, and IA-27.
+ Adjacent counties are Henry, Des Moines, and Van Buren.
+ Population peaked at 44,207 in 1960.

Lee County has two county seats, therefore it has two county courthouses.

Lee County Courthouse #1 located in Fort Madison, Iowa.

Lee County Courthouse #2 located in Keokuk, Iowa.

The Lee County Freedom Rock is located in West Point, Iowa:

With Lee County conquered, here is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:

PURPLE=COMPLETED

93 counties completed. 93.9% of the Cyclone State conquered!

Here are the town signs of Lee County:

Fort Madison, Iowa
FORT MADISON WELCOMES YOU
Population: 10,270 (-781)

Keokuk, Iowa
Make It Yours
KEOKUK IOWA
WELCOME
Population: 9,900 (-880)

West Point, Iowa
Welcome to…
WEST POINT
Home of the Sweet Corn Festival
Population: 921 (-45)

Donnellson, Iowa
Welcome To DONNELLSON
Population: 885 (-27)

Montrose, Iowa
MONTROSE
INCORPORATED SINCE 1857
HISTORIC – SCENIC
Population: 738 (-160)

Houghton, Iowa
WELCOME TO
FOUNDED 1881
Houghton
Population: 141 (-5)

Franklin, Iowa
WELCOME TO THE VILLAGE OF FRANKLIN
EST. 1840
Population: 131 (-12)

St. Paul, Iowa
St Paul
WELCOMES YOU
Population: 109 (-20)

Denmark, Iowa – Unincorporated
WELCOME TO HISTORIC DENMARK
1836

Argyle, Iowa – Unincorporated
Welcome TO – ARGYLE
Hwy 218 Straight Ahead
6 Miles
1888-1988

Lee County has a solid but not spectacular collection of town signs. It is pretty clear which one is the worst one in the county though. It is Donnellson and there town sign thrown at the bottom of a billboard for Pilot Grove Savings Bank.

There are several town signs that I really like in Lee County. I like the West Point sign. I like the Montrose sign. I like the Fort Madison sign. I like Denmark sign. But it really comes down to the Argyle sign and the St. Paul sign. I’m going to give the purple ribbon to St. Paul though. By a nose.

St. Paul – Best in Show – Lee County

There are a few alternate town signs in Lee County:

Montrose – Alternate

Keokuk – Alternate

Fort Madison – Alternate

Here is the current list of Best in Shows:

Best in Show – Adair County

Best in Show – Adams County

Best in Show – Allamakee County

Best in Show – Appanoose County

Best in Show – Audubon County

Best in Show – Benton County

Best in Show – Black Hawk County

Best in Show – Boone County

Best in Show – Bremer County

Best in Show – Buchanan County

Best in Show – Buena Vista County

Best in Show – Butler County

Best in Show – Calhoun County

Best in Show – Carroll County

Best in Show – Cass County

Best in Show – Cedar County

Best in Show – Cerro Gordo County

Best in Show – Cherokee County

Best in Show – Chickasaw County

Best in Show – Clarke County

Best in Show – Clay County

Best in Show – Clayton County

Best in Show – Clinton County

Best in Show – Crawford County

Best in Show – Dallas County

Best in Show – Decatur County

Best in Show – Delaware County

Terril – Best in Show – Dickinson County
Best in Show – Dickinson County

Best in Show – Emmet County

Best in Show – Fayette County

Best in Show – Floyd County

Best in Show – Franklin County

Best in Show – Fremont County

Best in Show – Greene County

Best in Show – Grundy County

Best in Show – Guthrie County

Best in Show – Hamilton County

Best in Show – Hancock County

Best in Show – Hardin County

Best in Sow – Harrison County

Best in Show – Henry County

Best in Show – Howard County

Best in Show – Humboldt County

Best in Show – Ida County

Best in Show – Iowa County

Best in Show – Jackson County

Best in Show – Jasper County

Best in Show – Jefferson County

Best in Show – Johnson County

Best in Show – Jones County

Best in Show – Keokuk County

Best in Show – Kossuth County

Best in Show – Lee County

Best in Show – Linn County

Best in Show – Lucas County

Best in Show – Lyon County

Best in Show – Madison County

Best in Show – Mahaska County

Best in Show – Marion County

Best in Show – Marshall County

Best in Show – Mills County

Best in Show – Mitchell County

Best in Show – Monona County

Best in Show – Monroe County

Best in Show – Montgomery County

Best in Show – Muscatine County

Best in Show – O’Brien County

Best in Show – Osceola County

Best in Show – Page County

Best in Show – Palo Alto County

Best in Show – Plymouth County

Best in Show – Pocahontas County

Best in Show – Polk County

Best in Show – Pottawattamie County

Best in Show – Poweshiek County

Best in Show – Ringgold County

Best in Show – Sac County

Best in Show – Shelby County

Best in Show – Sioux County

Best in Show – Story County

Best in Show – Tama County

Best in Show – Taylor County

Best in Show – Union County

Best in Show – Wapello County

Best in Show – Warren County

Best in Show – Washington County

Best in Show – Wayne County

Best in Show – Webster County

Best in Show – Winnebago County

Best in Show – Winneshiek County

Best in Show – Woodbury County

Best in Show – Worth County

Best in Show – Wright County

the next time we hit the open road for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT, we will visit Van Buren County.

Art, Christianity, Road Trip, Ruins, Tenderloining

Keokuk County Aux

October 15, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

I would be remiss if I didn’t begin by noting that the Iowa Pork Producers Association announced the 2022 winner for Iowa’s Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin.

Here is the press release:

A car dealership-turned-restaurant is where you’ll find Iowa’s Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin for 2022.

Lid’s Bar & Grill in Waukon, in the northeast corner of the state, has won the 20th annual contest, presented by the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) and managed by its restaurant and foodservice committee.

“Obviously we enjoy highlighting our state’s delicious pork,” said Kelsey Sutter, IPPA’s marketing and programs director. “But this award also forever transforms local Iowa businesses, as tenderloin enthusiasts look forward to the announcement every year, and are known to travel lengthy distances to try a variation of this Midwestern staple.”

Each third-pound tenderloin is cut and twice tenderized at Quillin’s Food Ranch in Waukon. At the restaurant, the never-frozen meat is hand-breaded to order—dipped in milk then dredged through a seasoned breading.

“The tenderloins are actually fairly thick, so you can taste the pork instead of just breading,” said Dan Liddiard, who co-owns Lid’s with his wife Kelly. Lid’s is a shortened version of the couple’s last name.

The deep-fried favorite is served with lettuce and mayo on a lightly buttered and toasted bun, baked fresh daily also at Quillin’s. Sandwiches include a side of crinkle-cut French fries.

A few months back I cruised around Keokuk County harvesting their town signs. I didn’t spend much time their exploring cause I had to make it to Des Moines by a certain time to see Evie dance at the Renaissance Faire. Which in some way is a bit of a shame cause I was there on one of the weekends that they have a giant flea market in What Cheer. If you haven’t been to the What Cheer Flea Market, you should go check it out. I believe it happens 3 times a year and it is massive.

Chef Phil Carey, a tenderloin finalist judge, describes the sandwich as having “great pork flavor, with a wonderful breading that greatly complements the overall sandwich,” as well as a “perfect size of bun-to-pork-tenderloin ratio.”

The Liddiards are Waukon natives who opened the eatery in July 2020. Dan Liddiard had operated West Side Auto Sales on the site for nearly a decade. However, when car sales plummeted during the early months of COVID-19, he reduced his inventory and renovated a portion of the office, showroom, and shop for the restaurant. The Liddiards had no prior experience in food service.

“Nope,” Dan Liddiard admits. “Not till after the day we opened.”

Since being named among the top five tenderloin finalists earlier this month, tenderloin fans have been flooding in from all over the state, the Liddiards said. The business went from selling about 25 pounds of loins per week, to 35 to 40 pounds a day. A drive-up window accommodates carry-out customers.

“To be nominated for this was absolutely incredible,” said Dan Liddiard, choking back tears. “To win is 10 times that. It’s pretty great.”

IPPA’s restaurant and foodservice committee will officially present the best tenderloin award at the restaurant Tuesday, Oct. 18. Lid’s will receive $500, a plaque, and a large banner to display.

This year’s runner-up is Ludlow’s Steakhouse in Corydon, about an hour and a half south of Des Moines. The designation comes with a $250 prize and plaque from IPPA. Other finalists, listed alphabetically by town, have earned a top five plaque to display:

• Massena – Main Street Bar & Grill

• St. Olaf – St. Olaf Tavern

• Van Meter – 5th Quarter Bar & Grill

IPPA received 4,812 nominations for 449 different establishments during a spring nomination period. The restaurant and foodservice committee reviewed the top 40 restaurants in the summer. Each was scored on the quality of the pork, taste, physical characteristics, and eating experience.

The tenderloin contest recognizes Iowa dining establishments that offer a hand-breaded or battered pork tenderloin as a regular menu item. To win, businesses must be open year-round. The winners are announced as part of #Porktober22, or National Pork Month, which celebrates the state’s dedicated pig farmers and the great product they produce.

Victoria Station in Harlan, about an hour and 40 minutes west of Des Moines, won the 2021 contest.

If you interested in revisiting when I went to Victoria Station (the 2021 winner, click on the link below:

TENDERLOIN APPRECIATION SOCIETY – HARLAN FIELD WORK

Waukon is a 3 and half hour drive from Boone. But don’t think I won’t make that drive. Sounds like a good excuse to take a Friday off. I have too much PTO anyways.

I need to start knocking off the Tenderloin Trail 2.0 as well. I should just stop working Fridays for awhile.

+++++++

A few months back I cruised around Keokuk County harvesting their town signs. I didn’t spend much time exploring because I had to make it to Des Moines by a certain time to watch Evie dance as the Renaissance Faire.

It was a bit of shame that I didn’t have more time there because I was there one of the weekends the What Cheer Flea Festival was going down. If you enjoy flea markets half as much as I do, you should make a pilgrimage there. It is massive and they hold it, I believe, three times a year.

Here are the auxiliary images from Keokuk County:

Thornburg

Keswick

Do they still make Slice?

Webster – I hate power lines so much!

Keota

Zenith?

Harper

Richland

Ollie – There is only one right color for a tractor and that is green, but it is a John Deere, so it is still okay.

Hedrick

Hayesville – I bet The Roadhouse was a rockin’ in the day.

Sigourney

Delta

What Cheer

Just a small taste of the What Cheer Flea Market.

If you are interested in seeing the pictures of the time I went to the What Cheer Flea Market, click on the link below:

All the Fleas

Keokuk County is a good example of The Missouri Rule. If you don’t know, The Missouri Rule states that the closer in Iowa you get to Missouri, the more rundown and trashy the place you are in becomes.

The next time we hit the open road to see auxiliary images from THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT, we will visit Howard and Chickasaw County.

Animals, Art, Black & White, Christianity, Photoshop, Road Trip, Ruins

Appanoose County Aux – Vol. 3

October 12, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

This is the third and final collection of auxiliary images I took while harvesting the town signs of Appanoose County.

Here is the final collection:

Centerville

Little Flock Chapel

Mystic

Rathbun

Lake Rathbun – Some of these future edits are kinda sarcastic edits. Photoshop editing jokes, everybody gets those, right?

Jester Park – Polk County

The next time I share the auxiliary images from a THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT harvesting road trip, we will visit Keokuk County. Which mean, I probably should start thinking about sharing the Renaissance Fair pictures I took on that day. Wow. That was over 5 months ago!

Art, Road Trip, Teresa, Town Sign Project

Town Sign Project: Jefferson County

October 11, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

Several weeks back I cruised around Jefferson County with Teresa harvesting their town signs. It was a good trip and Jefferson County has some interesting things in it. Stuff I’d like to revisit some day.

Here are some facts about Jefferson County:
+ Population is 15,647 making it the 48th most populous county in Iowa. Below Crawford County and above Floyd County.
+ The largest town and county seat is Fairfield.
+ Formed in 1839.
+ Named after 3rd U.S. President and slave rape enthusiast Thomas Jefferson. He also made a mean vanilla ice cream.
+ Home of Maharishi International University founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and features “consciousness-based education”.
+ Major highways are: US-34, IA-1, and IA-78.
+ Adjacent counties are Keokuk, Washington, Henry, Van Buren, and Wapello.
+ Population peaked in 1870 at 17,839.

Jefferson County has a very pretty courthouse:

The Jefferson County Courthouse located in Fairfield, Iowa.

The Jefferson County Freedom Rock is located in Fairfield, Iowa:

Not counting the special 100th Freedom Rock, I believe Jefferson County to be the final county to get a Freedom Rock.

With Jefferson County conquered, here is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:

PURPLE=COMPLETED

92 counties completed. 92.9% of the Cyclone State conquered!

Here are the town signs of Jefferson County:

Fairfield, Iowa
FAIRFIELD
Population: 9,416 (-48)

Batavia, Iowa
BATAVIA
EST. 1853
Population: 430 (-69)

Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa
MAHARISHI VEDIC CITY
Population: 277 (+16)

Libertyville, Iowa
LIBERTYVILLE
est. 1842
Population: 274 (-41)

Lockridge, Iowa
LOCKRIDGE
FIRE & RESCUE
Population: 244 (-24)

Packwood, Iowa
Packwood WELCOMES YOU
An Active & Progressive Community
Population: 183 (-21)

Pleasant Plain, Iowa
Welcome
PLEASANT PLAIN
CITY LIMITS
Please Drive Carefully
Population: 84 (-9)

I hate to say it, but for the most part, Jefferson County has a terrible collection of town signs. One of the worst. But even the worst has a worst and that is Lockridge, that doesn’t even have a real town sign. Which is disappointing because Lockridge has this kind of crazy clock museum that they could have done something fun with.

Another disappointing aspect of this is that Packwood used to have a really awesome town sign and they replaced it with a fine town sign, but not remotely memorable. The golden age of the town sign is behind us and Packwood, Iowa is Exhibit B. Stuart, Iowa is Exhibit A. If I have to pick a winner in this collection, the Purple Ribbon goes to Fairfield. Which might be a bit of a shocker since it is well documented that I don’t like stone signs.

Fairfield – Best in Show – Jefferson County

There were a few alternate signs in Jefferson County:

Libertyville – Alternate

Fairfield – Alternate

Here is the current list of Best in Shows:

Best in Show – Adair County

Best in Show – Adams County

Best in Show – Allamakee County

Best in Show – Appanoose County

Best in Show – Audubon County

Best in Show – Benton County

Best in Show – Black Hawk County

Best in Show – Boone County

Best in Show – Bremer County

Best in Show – Buchanan County

Best in Show – Buena Vista County

Best in Show – Butler County

Best in Show – Calhoun County

Best in Show – Carroll County

Best in Show – Cass County

Best in Show – Cedar County

Best in Show – Cerro Gordo County

Best in Show – Cherokee County

Best in Show – Chickasaw County

Best in Show – Clarke County

Best in Show – Clay County

Best in Show – Clayton County

Best in Show – Clinton County

Best in Show – Crawford County

Best in Show – Dallas County

Best in Show – Decatur County

Best in Show – Delaware County

Terril – Best in Show – Dickinson County
Best in Show – Dickinson County

Best in Show – Emmet County

Best in Show – Fayette County

Best in Show – Floyd County

Best in Show – Franklin County

Best in Show – Fremont County

Best in Show – Greene County

Best in Show – Grundy County

Best in Show – Guthrie County

Best in Show – Hamilton County

Best in Show – Hancock County

Best in Show – Hardin County

Best in Sow – Harrison County

Best in Show – Henry County

Best in Show – Howard County

Best in Show – Humboldt County

Best in Show – Ida County

Best in Show – Iowa County

Best in Show – Jackson County

Best in Show – Jasper County

Best in Show – Jefferson County

Best in Show – Johnson County

Best in Show – Jones County

Best in Show – Keokuk County

Best in Show – Kossuth County

Best in Show – Linn County

Best in Show – Lucas County

Best in Show – Lyon County

Best in Show – Madison County

Best in Show – Mahaska County

Best in Show – Marion County

Best in Show – Marshall County

Best in Show – Mills County

Best in Show – Mitchell County

Best in Show – Monona County

Best in Show – Monroe County

Best in Show – Montgomery County

Best in Show – Muscatine County

Best in Show – O’Brien County

Best in Show – Osceola County

Best in Show – Page County

Best in Show – Palo Alto County

Best in Show – Plymouth County

Best in Show – Pocahontas County

Best in Show – Polk County

Best in Show – Pottawattamie County

Best in Show – Poweshiek County

Best in Show – Ringgold County

Best in Show – Sac County

Best in Show – Shelby County

Best in Show – Sioux County

Best in Show – Story County

Best in Show – Tama County

Best in Show – Taylor County

Best in Show – Union County

Best in Show – Wapello County

Best in Show – Warren County

Best in Show – Washington County

Best in Show – Wayne County

Best in Show – Webster County

Best in Show – Winnebago County

Best in Show – Winneshiek County

Best in Show – Woodbury County

Best in Show – Worth County

Best in Show – Wright County

The next time we hit the open road for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT, we will visit Lee County.

Art, Christianity, History, Road Trip, Ruins

Appanoose County Aux – Vol. 2

October 8, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

Time for another collection of auxiliary pictures from my trip to Appanoose County to harvest their town signs. If your relationship to this website is exclusively through the email subscription service, you probably missed the first collection because the delivery search had a glitch on that day and didn’t deliver the emails that day. Which is sad, cause you missed some sweet outhouse pictures.

However… if you click on the link below, you can go back and still check out those sweet outhouse pictures:

Appanoose County Aux – Vol. 2

Here is the second collection of auxiliary images from Appanoose County:

Moulton

Exline

Cincinnati

Numa

Centerville

Centerville claims to have the World’s Largest Town Square.

I really loved Centerville. It is definitely a town I would like to visit again. Spend more time there. And photograph more. And Pancake Day is definitely on my list of things I want to hit in the future!

There is still one more collection of pictures from this road trip to share!