Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-10-03
History of His Connection With
Iowa Historical Department
and Its Development
CURATOR ALDRlcH's AMBITION
II Is to Firmly Establish This De-
partment as One of the Permanent
Institutions Of the State, and to In.
sure Its Growth After He is Com
PEELED to Give Up the Work.
,ecial to Times-Republican.

| Special to es-Republican.
| Des Moines, Oct. 3.-Three-quarter
of century have passed to cover the
| life span of Hon. Charles Aldrich. GU
rator Of the Iowa historical department.
1t could hardly be said of him that he
is hale and hearty at the age of rs,
for time has been wearing him away
for some years and although he gives
his whole time to the work which has
become the passion of his life he can
not display the energy of the past.
But in his quiet and unobtrusive way.
Charles Aldrich is carrying on a great
work for the future of Iowa.
Il am IS years old today" said Mr..
Aldrich, turning from his work in the
State Historical building x realize
fully that l have not much longer for
this work and that in a few years.
perhaps at any day. I may have 20
turn it over to others to carry on for
the future generations: but 1t is the
ambition of my life that l shall hold on
long enough to finally establish this
as one of the permanent institutions of
the state, to place II on such basis
that 1t Will go right on growing when
am gone. to make sure of the per-
manency of what regard as work
of inestimable value to the state for
all time. 1t has taken years of my
life to get the work started; and il
is only started as yet, but I hope to
see 1t SO firmly rooted that it will not
be in any danger for the future.
realize that the people Of the state
have done nobly by this work. Here
is this building a portion of which
is finished, and they have shown great
interest in all that has been done here.
But when I go to other states, as for
instance to Wisconsin, and see what
they have done, ii makes me sick. Why.
what we have done is only u flea bite
cGi,ipared with what Wisconsin has
done. What is needed in Iowa right
now Is a wholesome public sentiment
in favor of this historical research and
collection. a sentiment that will back
up all the efforts of the officials who
are at work on 1t. / cannot look very
far beyond 75 years. but in the few that
build up Iowa's historical collection at
the state capital
The life history of Charles Aldrich
IS inseparable from the great work he
has done for Iowa history. From the
time he was a printers devil back n
Warren. Pa, in 1S4S, he has been in
terested in some form of collections.
1t was there that he commenced max
ing collections of autograph letters.
Then he expanded to the collection Of
portraits and manuscripts. When he
was publishing the Webster City Free
man he was frequently called upon to
show his collection and to talk about
it for the entertainment of visitors.
But in 1884 he returned from a trip to
Europe where he had visited the Brit
Paris, the Vatican collections, and
others. and looking at the Iowa state
capitol he was impressed with the idea
that Iowa had nothing for the adorn-
ment of that structure. There were no
portraits and little of historical value.
He asked himself what he could do to
develop this plain necessity. He Of
fered his collection of autograph letters
and portraits to the trustees of the
state library. He made trip to Dubu-
que where the court was sitting 10
talk it over with the members of the
supreme court. When he had finished
Justice Beck slapped him on the back
and said:
"Mr Aldrich. you must keep this
thing growing"
That was the first encouragement
he had had to go on with the work and
it's expansion. He resolved up
on devoting the rest of his life to the
work. The collection was placed in
cases which the capitol commission
was kind enough to have made, and
Mr.. Aldrlch was given plain table
In an alcove of the library where ne
might do some writing. The cases
which he devised for the collection of
letters and manuscripts have since been
initiated in other libraries. They a:e
used in the Masonic library at Cedar
Rapids in the Council Bluffs library,
in a library at Denver, one will be
placed In the library at Boone and Mr..
Crapo made use of something similar
at Burlington.
The "Aldrith collection" grew slowly
and surely and its first good friend IN
the governors chair was William Lar
rabee. But III 1892 it had so grown
that 1t was given recognition as state
department and was assigned three
rooms in the southeast corner of the
basement of the capitol. building
was erected and this was partially fin
ished when the legislature met in jan
uary four years ago. One cold winter
day Mr. Aldrich got orders to move
into the new building forthwith. In
30 minutes he was on the move and
the states collections We're soon piled
about on the floor amid the mortar and
dust of half done edifice.
The building which Iowa has for the
use of tine historical department cost
about $4,000 for the bare edifice and
there has been expended about $20,-
900 mora for furnishings. This was
built as cne wing of the entire building
rs planned and the remainder is yet
to be constructed. But the state of
put $675Oo0 into historical
building right at the state and is car