Community Information
“Bahá’í community life provides you with an indispensable laboratory, where you can translate into living and constructive action the principles which you imbibe from the Teachings. By becoming a real part of that living organism you can catch the real spirit which runs throughout the Bahá’í Teachings.” – Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 424-425
Southwest Iowa
In Council Bluffs, we were informed that a couple whose son had become a Bahá’í wanted to…
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque, ~1989- 2000, Mentions to be Made
by Charlotte Solarz
Dallas County
Dallas County lies just west of Polk County and the Des Moines metropolitan area. Bob and I…
Marshalltown, 1978
If there is one word that best describes the Marshalltown Bahá’í community that word is active…
Warren County LSA, 1970
The First Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahai’s of Warren County, Iowa, was formed in March of 1970.
Spencer, Iowa
Spencer Iowa by Rod Clarken,
submitted December 2022
Des Moines/West Des Moines, Drake University’s Comparison Project
Article from Drake University’s Comparison Project
~2017
Quad Cities Pluralism Project
Article from Harvard University’s Pluralism Project Archives, last updated 2018
Cedar Rapids Peace Conference Video 1982
Wayne Anderson and Steve Murray produced this video, with narration by Bill Willis and…
Cedar Rapids
The Faith was mentioned in a local Cedar Rapids paper in 1902…
Cedar Rapids Community Observes 50 Years
50 Years of C.R. Bahá’í Faith article from Cedar Rapids Gazette, 1992
Ames, ISU Peace Groups
Peace groups on the Iowa State University campus, the Iowa State Daily, April 25, 2002
Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Cluster, 2012
This look back at cluster activity in 2012 is reprinted with permission from the Cedar Rapids Bahá’í Newsletter, May 2012, Edition 4, Volume 5
Cedar Rapids Announces Bahá’í Speaker, 1949
Article from the Cedar Rapids Gazette, February 28, 1949
Ames Community Observes United Nations Day, 1954
Iowa Press-Citizen, October 22, 1954
Le Mars Celebrates World Religion Day 1956
Henrietta Kroll shares statement from the National Spiritual Assembly, from the Le Mars Globe-Post, January 23, 1956
Traveling Teacher Winston Evans Speaks in Davenport 1957
From the Davenport Daily Times, October 9, 1957
Hugh Chance Speaks in Des Moines 1959
From the Des Moines Register, May 21, 1959
Des Moines Hosts L. Paul Harris World Religion Day, 1960
From the Des Moines Register, January 11, 1960
Keokuk Bahá’ís Sign Letter Protesting Persecution of Iranian Bahá’ís, 1926
Letter from NSA of US & Canada to Reza Shah, 1926
Des Moines Bahá’ís Sponsor Race Unity Panel, 1962
From the Des Moines Register, June 10, 1962
Des Moines Bahá’í Speaks Out for Persecuted Moroccan Bahá’ís, 1963
Letter to the Editor in the Des Moines Register, January 4, 1963, by Merle Altemeier
Carroll Methodists Host Bahá’í Speaker, 1965
From the Carroll Daily Times Herald, October 19, 1965
Davenport Lend-a-Hand Club Hosts Bahá’í Speaker, 1965
Eulalia Bobo shares “The Oneness of Mankind,” from the Quad City Times, September 10, 1965
Ames Daily Tribune Profiles Bahá’í Faith, 1967
“Bahá’í–World Faith for Modern Man” by Joyce Manchester, January 3, 1967
Waterloo Bahá’ís Attend Oceanic Conference in Palermo, Sicily, 1968
Five persons from Waterloo left Tuesday morning… From the Waterloo Courier, August 20, 1968
Des Moines Bahá’ís Present Book to Mayor Urban, 1968
From the Des Moines Tribune, November 23, 1968
Davenport Bahá’ís Present Book to Mayor Jebens, 1968
From the Quad-City Times, December 5, 1968
Waterloo Bahá’ís Sponsor Race Parlay, 1968
From the Waterloo Courier, April 5, 1968
Bettendorf Bahá’ís Observe Race Unity Day, 1969
From the Quad-City Times, June 7, 1969
Iowa City Bahá’ís Participate in Human Potential Conference, 1970
Dr. Jalil Mahmoudi among scholars, from the Iowa City Press-Citizen, March 12, 1970
Council Bluffs Bahá’ís Attend Caribbean Conference, 1971
Henrietta Kroll, Sophie Hayes, and Pauline Lehur travel to Jamaica, from the Sioux City Journal, May 18, 1971
Des Moines Bahá’í Attends International Events, 1972
Ruth Moffett attends dedication of House of Worship in Panama and International Conference, from the Des Moines Register, May 14, 1972
Cedar Rapids Bahá’í Speaks at People’s Church, 1973
Claudia Ryan speaks to church group, from Cedar Rapids Gazette, January 23, 1973
Iowa City Area Bahá’ís Interviewed Part 1,1994
Bahá’í followers stress message of unity… from Iowa City Press-Citizen, April 8, 1994
Iowa City Area Bahá’ís Interviewed Part 2, 1994
Rest of article from Iowa City Press-Citizen, April 8, 1994
Sioux City Bahá’ís Condemn Oppression in Iran, 1993
Terri Bennett interviewed in Sioux City Journal, March 12, 1993
Des Moines Bahá’í Family School at Willkie House, 1980s
In the late 1980s, Des Moines and central Iowa area Bahá’ís met alternate Sundays…
Council Bluffs Bahá’í Group Organizing, 1951
From the Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil, January 27, 1951
Des Moines Bahá’ís Promote Race Unity, 1995 – 1997
In the mid-1990s, Des Moines Bahá’ís were very active in promoting racial harmony…
Des Moines World Peace Day 1987
Terri Foster Ferrell provided photos of this World Peace Day celebration in a Des Moines park in 1987
“Soul Food & Thought” by Aldeen Davis, 1984
Muscatine, Iowa Journal, December 10, 1984. Aldeen describes a visit to the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette.
Early Bahá’í Events in Sioux City, ~1958-1968 by Sharon Bábbitt
1967 Feast in Woodbury County, from a detailed account shared with Marie Scheffer in 1997
Interesting Cedar Rapids Connection: Nina Gomer Du Bois
Nina Gomer Du Bois, Bahá’í and wife of Civil Rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois, grew up in Cedar Rapids.
Des Moines Register Editorial Introduces Bahá’í Faith, December 1957
Lyle Munson, Secretary of the Des Moines LSA, authored this article…
Bahá’ís Honored as “Iowans of the Week” in the U.S. House of Representatives, 2021
Early in 2021, when the Covid pandemic was heating up…
Some Iowa Bahá’í History by Marjie Baker, 1991
This piece was written in 1991 by Marjie Baker with help from her mother, Henrietta Kroll.
Des Moines Tribune Article, 1974
Interesting to see how the Faith was perceived…
Ruth Moffett Speaks in Council Bluffs, 1978
Flyer for for Ruth’s talk on Spiritual Springtime and a New World Order
Seminar on Teaching Christians Offered in Dallas County, 2000
Video presentation and program prepared by Dr. David Young…
Johnson County Bahá’í Newsletter, 1975
“Rejoice, for the heavenly table is prepared for you…”
Des Moines LSA Report to mike NEWS, 1969
Two items of statewide significance are included in the report
Des Moines Community Scrapbook, 1959
Pages from a scrapbook in the Des Moines Bahá’í Archives
Des Moines Community Scrapbook, 1963, 1964, 1976, 1983
More pages from a scrapbook in the Des Moines Bahá’í Archives
Johnson County Newsletters, 1975 and 1976
Samples of monthly newsletters from Sharaf/Sultan 131 BE and Jalal 132 BE
Waterloo Conference, Five Year Plan 1974 – 1979
“The Waterloo Bahá’í Community is sponsoring a conference on May 18 and 19…”
Davenport Newsletter, April 1975
“Printed monthly by the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Davenport…”
Iowa City Deepening Newsletter 1975-1976
An introductory letter and issue from the Iowa City LSA’s Deepening Committee
University of Iowa Campus Club Letter 1976
The Local Spiritual Assembly recently met with the University of Iowa Bahá’í Club officers…
Iowa City Bahá’í Newsletters 1972-1975
Sample newsletters from BE 129-132
Early Iowa City Bahá’í Center, 1969-70
David Springer and Terry Riggins shared information about this Center…
Des Moines LSA’s 1983 History Committee Details Community’s Beginnings
“This summary…can only give a glimmer of the reality which was the life of a Bahá’í in Des Moines in the 1950s…
Stoakley Speaks at Des Moines World Religion Day Event, 1976
Yvor Stoakley was a staff writer and photographer for the Marshalltown Times Republican…
Cedar Rapids Gazette Letter to the Editor, 1983
Curtis Mickunas wrote this Letter to the Editor regarding the World Court
Des Moines Bahá’ís Present Gift to Willkie House, 1983
Bill Brown and Louis Martin presented a copy of TO MOVE THE WORLD, a biography of Louis Gregory…
Bahá’í Week in Marshalltown, 1969
This invitation and program describes an ambitious effort in May, 1969…
Bahá’ís Present Book to Marshalltown Mayor, 1968
Ruth Moffett, Barbara McEntyre, and Merle Altemeier present book to Mayor Nutter…
Women as Peacemakers Conference in Des Moines, 1986
Saturday, July 26, 1986, at Drake’s Olmstead Center
Open House in Des Moines, 1979
“One Planet, One People… Please.” A nice slogan, you might say…
Bea Halsa Serves as Homefront Pioneer to Fairfield, 1960s
Halsa took time between international pioneering and travel teaching to support the Bahá’ís at Parsons College…
Development of the Faith in the Sioux City Area, by Marie Scheffer
Although Scheffer compiled most of this comprehensive history, other members of the community added their observations…
Feasts & Holy Days in Des Moines, 1985
Invitation to events in May, 1985
Support for Persecuted Iranian Baháʼís in Cedar Rapids Media, 1980s
These items appeared in the Cedar Rapids Gazette in response to persecution of Baháʼís…
Ad in Des Moines Register, 1979
This ad appeared in the Des Moines Register in February 1979, in the midst of the Iranian Revolution.
Sioux City: The Little Cluster that Could
Marie Scheffer offered this account of the Sioux City area through the history of Cluster designations.
A small group of Cedar Rapids residents has a special reason for following the turbulent events in Iran…
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Cedar Rapids had a Baha’i Center in 1949?!
It’s interesting to see how much support for the persecuted Baháʼís in Iran appeared in the media in Iowa at the time of the Iranian Revolution, from both Baháʼí sources and others. There’s just a sampling here and I’m sure there was more that I haven’t found.