John Howe

John Bedlam Howe, a lawyer who moved to a new town in 1834, partnered with Sam Williams to open the town's first bank. The flagpole on the old military academy grounds has witnessed significant historical events, including World War I, Prohibition, the Great Depression, and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It also saw the first moon landing in 1969. John Howe also witnessed the construction of the town's courthouse in 1878, which is still in use today and considered a historic landmark. He also built a house in 1875, which is now over 150 years old and houses the Howe School. My name is John Bedlam Howe. I moved here to be a lawyer in 1834. There's a lot of work to be done when a town's being built. After 20 years, I partnered with Sam Williams to open the first bank. We had a whopping $70,000 in circulation, and we put that money to good use, helping other local citizens and the town grow even more. The flagpole at the old military academy? Sure, it's just a metal pole. But there aren't many like this one. Very few have flown the American flag for 17 presidents. It was there when the Doughboys went off to help win World War I. It was here to witness the Roaring Twenties, Prohibition, and the Great Depression. That flagpole was flying a 48-star American flag when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. It was here to help train young men who went off to war in Europe and fight the Nazis. And then, when Alaska and Hawaii joined the Union in the late 1950s, it hoisted a 50-star American flag for the first time in history. That 50-star flag was flying on a hot summer night in 1969 when man first stepped onto the surface of the moon. It's witnessed every modern scientific discovery since then, every American president, every historic moment. Just a pole? Not to me. This one, on this campus, has seen more than a century of history. We built things to last back in my day, buildings, homes, even flagpoles. I'm also proud to tell you that I witnessed our historic downtown courthouse being built, stone by stone, in 1878. It was, and still is, the first formal courthouse in town. Prior to that, we were like a lot of other small towns across the country. We used a barn to hold court. Yep, that's right. Moo! We held court in a barn. The new courthouse was made of granite, another long-lasting stone. Just like the flagpole, it's still here. Still used every day for county business and on the National Register of Historic Places for a reason. When you see it, you'll know why. It's just as majestic today as the day it opened in 1878. That makes it nearly 150 years old. Yep, built to last. John Howe. You can see the house I built in 1875 from the street right next to the chapel. It's over 150 years old and one of the finest examples of Italian Gothic architecture in the entire Midwest. My bride Frances started the Howe School in this house a year after I passed away.