All programs are scheduled for 3pm-4pm.
The Iowa Files, an educational history lecture series, returns for its seventh year in 2025/2026. This joint WDMHS-WDM Public Library program is free and open to the public, thanks to the generosity of West Des Moines Historical Society members, Bravo Greater Des Moines and the Friends Foundation of the West Des Moines Library.
Each program begins at 3pm and runs for one hour in the Community Room of the West Des Moines Public Library, 4000 Mills Civic Parkway. All programs are livestreamed on the WDMHS Facebook page and YouTube channel.
To see recordings of previous Iowa Files, please click on the year below:
September 14: Hoyt Sherman’s Enduring Legacy
What do you have to do to get a whole Des Moines neighborhood named after you? Hoyt Sherman, a banker, lawyer, postmaster, insurance company creator, Union Army paymaster, politician and philanthropist, certainly earned the honor! His legacy lives on in Hoyt Sherman Place, the 1877 grand manor which is now a museum and performing arts center.Robert Warren, Chief Executive Officer for Hoyt Sherman Place, will share behind the scenes pictures and stories of this storied home turned museum.
Watch a captioned recording of this program here.
October 19: The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument
2025 marks the 160th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War. The State of Iowa erected the 135 ft. tall Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, funded partially by refunded war taxes, to commemorate Iowans who fought during the Civil War. The monument was approved in 1888, the cornerstone was laid in 1894, and the structure was completed two years later.
Michael Swanger, publisher of the Iowa History Journal, will talk about this much-photographed monument and share the stories of the 4 Civil War Generals from Iowa who are featured on the sculpture.
A recording of the program can be found on the WDMHS YouTube channel.
November 16: Over the Hill to the Poor Farm
Poor farms were residential institutions, often operated by counties, that provided basic social services and housing for the poor, disabled, and elderly during the 19th and early 20th centuries. These farms were typically located in rural areas and relied on the labor of residents to help sustain the facility and offset costs. They were a common feature of the social welfare landscape before the rise of modern government-funded programs.
Gayla Harkin was a long time administrator of the poor farm in Boone, and will share her stories about the programs and residents.
A recording of this program can be found on the WDMHS YouTube channel.
January 11: Iowans in Andersonville Prison
214 Billy Yanks from Iowa were Starved, Fevered or Shot to Death At Andersonville Prison Camp by Johnny Reb in 1864-1865. Andersonville Prison (also known as Camp Sumter), was a Confederate prisoner-of-war camp during the final fourteen months of the American Civil War. The prison was overcrowded to four times its capacity, and had an inadequate water supply, inadequate food, and unsanitary conditions. Of the approximately 45,000 Union prisoners held at Camp Sumter during the war, nearly 13,000 (28%) died.
Historian, teacher and all around fascinating storyteller Kent Halstad will share the stories of the Iowans who experienced Andersonville.
A recording of this program can be seen on the WDMHS YouTube channel.
February 15: Ako Abdul-Samad; A Life Working for Justice
Ako Abdul-Samad has served the community in numerous capacities as an elected official, mediator, and community organizer. He has witnessed first-hand the challenges facing low income minority communities. His passion to improve the community lead to the creation of a community agency, Creative Visions Human Development Institute, to provide comprehensive, holistic services to develop and empower individuals and families. Additionally, Abdul Samad served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 2007-2025.
Ako will share his thoughts on the state of equality and the fight against systemic poverty & racial injustice and his life-long commitment to the power of dialogue to make positive change.
March 15: The Monuments Men & the Saving of Culture
The Monuments Men (& Women) had a seemingly impossible job- save some of the worlds’ most precious cultural artifacts and art from the Nazis, who treated Europe as their private looting grounds.At the same time Adolf Hitler was attempting to take over the western world, his armies were methodically seeking and hoarding the finest art treasures in Europe. The Fuehrer had begun cataloguing the art he planned to collect as well as the art he would destroy: “degenerate” works he despised.
In a race against time, behind enemy lines, often unarmed, a special force of American and British museum directors, curators, art historians, and others, called the Monuments Men, risked their lives scouring Europe to prevent the destruction of thousands of years of culture.
Presenter Ruth Ehler’s grandfather, Ralph Hammett, was one of thse men. Ruth will recount stories of the amazing and frantic work that saved and returned treasures to their rightful owners and institutions.
April 12: Colfax, the Spring City
Underneath the ground lies Colfax’s best kept secret, the mineral water! In the 1870s, underground mineral water, which was a cure-all health craze at the time, was discovered in Colfax. The water sparked health resort and bottling industries which made Colfax a world famous destination at the turn of the 20th Century. Thousands of visitors would flock to Colfax to ‘drink the cure’, bathe, and relax.
Kevin Williams, Cofax Historical Society’s Board President, will share information and pictures about this little-known boom in Colfax.
May 17: Villisca; Living With a Mystery
On the morning of June 10, 1912, the peaceful town of Villisca, Iowa awoke to horror. Josiah and Sarah Moore, along with their four children (Herman, Katherine, Boyd, and Paul), and two young overnight guests (Lena and Ina Stillinger), were all found bru tally murdered in their home. The killer had used an axe, likely Josiah Moore’s own, to bludgeon the victims while they slept.
Dr. Edgar V. Epperly has written dozens of articles and blog entries, and appeared on CourtTV and other radio and television programs. He will be joined by filmmakers Kelly & Tammy Rundle, whose 2004 documentary explores the crime’s aftermath in a small town.