Des Moines LSA’s 1983 History Committee Details Activity in the 1950s

From the Des Moines Bahá’í Archives, entered November 2025

This rich, detailed account of the early history of the Des Moines Bahá’í community as described by its authors JoAnn Brown and Catherine Andreasen, “…can only give a glimmer of the reality which was the life of a Bahá’í in Des Moines, Iowa, in the 1950s. However, it seems to show an active, dedicated, although small community, and, interestingly, reflect many of the same achievements and problems which the community experiences in the 1980s.” They go on to express the spirit behind all of our efforts to preserve and share Bahá’í history in the final sentence: “The former History Committee sincerely hopes that this narrative will be of interest to the community and perhaps inspire it to even greater efforts to spread the Message of Baha’u’llah in Des Moines.”