First Ladies of Iowa Exhibit on Display

By Jacqueline Devine

2006

The First Ladies of Iowa display was unveiled September 27 at Terrace Hill in an evening of three-tiered events. The unveiling was the culmination of a three-year research project funded by grants from U.S. Cellular and Prairie Meadows and made possible by contributions from
The Integer Group, the State Historical Society of Iowa and the Terrace Hill Foundation.

Friends and families of former first ladies, Iowa history teachers, supporters of Terrace Hill and advocates of womens history attended. A third-floor reception was hosted by First Lady Christie Vilsack. Guests of honor, former First Ladies Billie Ray and Chris Branstad, helped welcome people to their former home. Other first ladies attending were Eva Hughes, Rachel Fulton and Jacqueline Erbe.

The permanent display located in the lower-level reception area of Terrace Hill includes photos and brief biographies of Iowas 43 first ladies, background photos depicting the evolution of womens roles in Iowa history, and a context timeline of Iowa womens achievements and events significant to the lives of Iowa women in general.

First Lady Christie Vilsack provided the spark that ignited the project. She envisioned telling the untold stories of the women who were political helpmates and life partners to the men who governed Iowa. Her purpose was to inspire new generatons of girls to become leaders, including governor. She also wanted to set the record straight on some fictional biographies that presented inaccurate impressions.

The State Historical Society of Iowa provided archive access, rare photos, historical and biographical information, and research and editorial expertise. Invaluable contributors from the State Historical Society of Iowa included Mary Bennett, Sharon Avery, Loren Horton, and Michael Zahs.

Terrace Hill Education Committee, including Christie Vilsack, David Cordes, Diane Stilley and Mary Helen Grace, plus college interns assisted with research.

The Integer Group contributed its award-winning design expertise to the display. Creative director Juli Magnusson, editor Pat Lyon, illustrator Guy Tensen, graphic designers Dave Bergeron and Connie Webb, and assistant account executive Carissa Donaldson were involved with the display design and final art. Architectural Arts produced and installed the display and lighting.

Integer President Frank Maher said, “Our partnership with Terrace Hill has spanned two decades. We are proud to help promote this icon of Iowa and support its mission of teaching Iowa history. As an agency committed to economic development, we see the value of nurturing state pride, which ultimately grows Iowas workforce. This permanent display about the lives of women who have contributed to Iowa history is an important part of the states story. We are pleased to have contributed the talents of our staff.”

Information on some of the first ladies was scarce. On others, it was buried too deeply to unearth in a project of this scope. Those working on the research found in some cases the first lady was not referred to by her own name in her own obituary, but rather by the husbands name. For some, the obituary seemed to be more about the husband than about the woman.

Photos were found for all but five of the first ladies. For the few without photos, silhouettes were created. In time, if photos surface for Christiana Clarke, Caroline Stone, Elizabeth Merrill, Adella Boies and Mary Drake, they will be added to the display. There is also room on the display, which spans 1830 to 2030, for future first ladies or “first gentlemen.”

“It is our hope that this display and the further research it inspires will turn the invisible ink of the first ladies biographies into a permanent marker of Iowa history,” said Jacqueline Devine, who spearheaded the project.

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