Anamosa - A Reminiscence 1838 - 1988

others and the Sheean boys. who lived on the hill
near the Fishers. spent their free time on many
weekends on top of High Bluff working with picks and
pry bars just to loosen one of those monstrous rocks
and watch it fall with the tremendous splash in the
river. There the boulders rest, lasting monuments to
the boys’ Herculean efforts.
My father was quite an outdoorsman who was a Boy
Scoutmaster for a time and who helped establish the
Anamosa Conservaton Club, which later became a
chapter of the Isaak Walton League.
We spent hours hiking in the woods. where he taught
me to identify the trees and plants of the area:
knowledge that has been invaluable to me over the
years. We gathered mushrooms and explored caves on
Dutch Creek. south of the park. and we also spent time
in the Freemont area which was heavily wooded.
Showy ladyslippers and plants. uncommon today .
could be found there. as well as more caves to explore.
Years later I was distressed to see that all this land had
been cleard to make railroad ties. wiping out the
beautiful forest glens and leaving the bare hills to
erode.
The World's Fair was held in Chicago in 1932 and
1933. I was about 12 years old at the time and was
working weekends and after school for 10 cents and
hour for the Lawrence brothers. the local stamp
dealers. The fair had been a big success in 1932. so they
decided to organize tours to Chicago and the fair. They
had posters printed to advertise the tour. and I went
with them around Jones county to tack up the posters.
The brothers watched their pennies carefully. so as
one was driving and came to the top of a hill. he turned
off the engine. put the car out of gear. and coasted to the
bottom. When the car cameto a complete halt. he would
grind the starter to get the engine going again. At times
the engine would flood and one of the twins would
blame the other for wasting so much gas to get it
started. In spite of the bickering and the question of
economy. we always coasted down the hills.
The tour advertised “Five Days for $15.50". which
included round-trip fare. three nights in a Chicago loop
hotel. admission and transportation to and from the fair
for two days. and a stage play at a down-town theater. It
was a great bargain for our family. and the four of us
made the trip for $62.50. plus the cost of our food. We
had the time of our lives.
My grandfather. Frank Fisher. owned a cigar store in
Anamosa. Tobacco grown nearby was used for the
wrapper on many of his cigars. The tobacco barn where
the leaf was cured and stored. was located about a
quarter of a mile northwest of the Riverside Cemetery.
Only vestiges of the old barn remained when I was a
boy. but it was interesting to ieam about one of
Anamosa‘s earlier enterprises. Grandfather later
became a harnessmaker and ran a shop in town until
he was forced to retire. due to a Civil War-related
illness.
Jones county used to have two county fairs: one in
Anamosa and another in Monticello. When it came time
for the county to replace the courthouse. which was
located on the corner of Huber and Main streets. great
rivalry arose between the towns concerning the
location of the new building.
Monticello thought it should have the county offices
since Anamosa had had them for so many years.
Anamosa didn't want to give them up. and after years
of controversy. it was agreed that Anamosa could have
the courthouse if it would give up the county fair. The
fairgrounds were located at the present site of the sale
barn. The Monticello fair never seemed the same to me.
and though I missed the excitement of the horse and
auto races and the delicious cream candy. I rarely
attended after the change was made.
Major General Charles D. Metcalf is comptroller.
Headquarters Air Force Logistics Command. Wright-
Patterson Air Force Base. Ohio.
General Metcalf was bom June 18. 1933. in
Anamosa. and graduated from Anamosa High School in
1951. He received a bachelor of arts degree from Coe
College. Cedar Rapids in 1955 and a master's degree in
business administration from Michigan State
University in 1964. He completed the Squadron Officer
School in 1962 and Air War College in 1974.
Upon entering the Air Force in October 1955. as a
graduate of the Coe College Air Force Reserve Officers‘
Training Corps program. Metcalfs initial assignment
was as accounting and finance officer for the Air Force
Hospital at Wimpole Park. England. In I958 he became
accounting and finance officer at Donaldson Air Force
Base. S.C.. and in May 1959 transferred to George Air
Force Base. Calif.. where he served as accounting and
finance officer.
In September 1962 General Metcalf became the first
accounting and finance officer assigned in the Republic
of Vietnam and activated the first in-country
Accounting and Finance Office at Tan Son Nhut Air
Base.
Following completion of graduate work at Michigan
State University. he was assigned to Headquarters Air
Gen. Charles D. Metcalf
Anamosa to Air Force VIP
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Major General Charles Metcalf