Documentaries, Books, and More!
We are a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization based in the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois. We produce documentaries, books, and public programs that tell the stories of diverse peoples, places, and events of the past and present. Our goal is to provide interesting and educational experiences for K-12 students, college students, and the general public.
We draw upon the expertise of film and video specialists, artists, historians, geographers, teachers, and others to assure quality work. Thus far we have produced video documentaries on corn husking contests, which drew very large crowds and national attention before World War II, and the Rock Island Civil War Prison, which has the undeserved reputation as the "Andersonville of the North." Our books include a history of Riverside Cemetery, designed by William Le Baron Jenney; a history of Wharton Field House, designed by Theodore F. Wharton and home arena of a charter member of the National Basketball Association, the Tri-Cities Blackhawks; the story of the Swedish immigrant family of Gustaf Johnson, a carpenter/contracter who built eighty houses in the Quad Cities; and a documentary on the first railroad bridge to span the Mississippi river, which was completed in 1856 between Rock Island, Illinois, and Davenport, Iowa. More documnentaries and books are forthcoming. Among them is a documentary on Zebulon Pike's 1805 expedition on the Upper Mississippi River.
When Farmers Were Heroes: The Era of National Corn Husking Contests
In the late 1930s and early 1940s, national corn husking contests drew over 100,000 spectators and were prominent on the national scene. The rise in popularity of corn husking contests and their role in buoying spirits during the Depression are unique in American history. When Farmers Were Heroes: The Era of National Corn Husking Contests, portrays the rich and traditional farm heritage of corn husking.
