Time Frame Artifact Type Title Description
Video Racial Harmony in an Iowa Coal Mining Town in the Early 1900s

African-Americans and white residents lived side by side in the small mining town of Buxton, Iowa in the early 1900s. This segment from the "Searching for Buxton" documentary features accounts from former Buxton residents.

 
Video Mine Work in Iowa Means Opportunity for African American Workers in the Early 1900s

In the early 1900s, hundreds of African-Americans came to Iowa to work in coal mines. This segment from the "Searching for Buxton" documentary features an historian's account of why they came and how they encouraged families and friends to join them.
1800s Video Teaching in an Iowa One-room Schoolhouse

An Iowa Historian and former one-room school educators explain what a day-in-the life would be like for a teacher teaching in a one-room schoolhouse.  
1800s Video Consolidation Brings the End to Iowa's One-room Schoolhouses

What was once a hallmark of a simple liberty was now a landmark to a simpler time. The closing of the one-room schoolhouses in rural Iowa would start with the 1950s legislation that stated that all public school districts in Iowa had to provided education from kindergarten to high school.
1935-1941 Video A Rural Iowa Town Supports the World War II Effort

The impact of America’s involvement in World War II was felt in communities across Iowa. In this segment of Iowa PBS’s "Picture Perfect: Iowa in the 1940s" documentary, an Iowan recounts how her small, rural community supported the war effort.
1940-2017 Video Changes Come to Rural Iowa Communities Beginning in the 1940s

Technological advances and economic forces brought many changes to rural Iowa communities in the 1940s. The migration away from family farms and small towns that started at that time is still going on today.
1935-1941 Video Experiencing the Golden Years of Radio in the 1940s

The 1930s and 1940s are known as the Golden Age of Radio. This segment of Iowa PBS’s "Picture Perfect: Iowa in the 1940s" documentary includes Iowans’ firsthand recollections from a time before television, when radio was king of the airwaves.
1935-1941 Video Family Reunions, Ice Cream Socials and Kids Activities in Rural Iowa During the 1940s

Reunions and community picnics were a big part of life in rural Iowa communities in the 1940s. In this segment of Iowa PBS’s "Picture Perfect: Iowa in the 1940s" documentary, Iowans describe community traditions in their small Iowa town.
1935-1941 Video Going to School in Rural Iowa in the 1940s

In this segment of Iowa PBS’s "Picture Perfect: Iowa in the 1940s" documentary, alumni from a small rural Iowa town describe what school was like in the 1940s.
1935-1941 Video How Sundays Were Spent in Rural Iowa in the 1940s

For many families in rural Iowa in the 1940s, families were close-knit and social activities revolved around the local church. Iowans recount their Sunday traditions in this segment of Iowa PBS’s "Picture Perfect: Iowa in the 1940s" documentary.