Macedonia Historical Preservation Society

05/30/2026

The Pioneer Trail Museum is open today from 11 AM - 2 PM. Stop by and check out the artifacts from the Woodmancy fortified house built in 1867!

After being severely wounded in the Civil War, Reuben Woodmancy bought 250 acres east of Old Town and built a limestone house with portholes, designed for defense against possible Indian attacks. Why the caution? As a 17-year-old in Kansas, Woodmancy helped rescue two kidnapped girls whose parents had been killed, an encounter in which he survived a tomahawk blow to the head.

Part of the limestone house remained for decades. In 1964, farmer Donald Schultz uncovered limestone remnants of it while plowing his field.

05/30/2026

Macedonia's First Graduates - 1893

Every Macedonia High School graduate can trace their roots back to just two students.

In 1893, Armanis F. Patton and Lillian B. Ashley became the first students to complete the coursework required by the Macedonia School Board and earn a high school diploma. Their commencement ceremony, held on the evening of June 29, 1893, was the first graduation in Macedonia's history.

The two graduates went on to very different careers. Armanis began working at the Botna Valley News in Macedonia before becoming a newspaper editor and publisher in Webster County. One of his early printing presses was powered by a horse walking in circles to drive the machinery! The newspaper business he built in Gowrie, IA remained in the Patton family for more than 100 years.

Lillian became a teacher before marrying and eventually moved to Washington state.

What neither could have known that June evening in 1893 was that they were setting a precedent for generations of Macedonia students who would follow in their footsteps. Every commencement since then owes a little something to these two pioneers of education in Macedonia.

05/28/2026

Due to illness affecting the cannoneer, tonight’s Civil War Reenactment and cannon firing demonstration in Macedonia has been postponed.

We hope to reschedule the event for a later date, although a new date has not yet been determined.

We appreciate everyone’s understanding and hope to bring this exciting living history program back to Macedonia soon!

05/28/2026

Due to illness affecting one of the cannoneers, tonight’s Civil War Reenactment and cannon firing demonstration in Macedonia has been postponed.

We hope to reschedule the event for a later date, although a new date has not yet been determined.

We appreciate everyone’s understanding and hope to bring this exciting living history program back to Macedonia soon!

05/25/2026

Macedonia has long honored its veterans and war heroes with deep respect and community pride on Memorial Day at the Macedonia Cemetery. Beginning in 1880, a solemn march began in town and proceeded to the cemetery, where residents gathered to remember those who gave their lives in service to our country.

Beginning in 1880, the observance was organized by members of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), Civil War veterans who believed the values of sacrifice, patriotism, gratitude, and national unity should be passed on to future generations.

Nearly 150 years later, that tradition continues, but without the parade. Today, the annual Memorial Day service is led by members of the American Legion and includes a 21-gun salute and “Taps” echoing across the cemetery, a reminder that the sacrifices of our veterans are never forgotten.

Pictured: The Memorial Day procession on the railroad bridge to the cemetery and GAR members on Memorial Day, both photographed in 1915.

05/25/2026

This Memorial Day weekend, we remember T/4 Sgt. Paul Leo Mickey of Macedonia, whose life carried him from the farms of southwest Iowa to wartime France during World War II.

Paul graduated from Macedonia High School and farmed alongside his family until entering military service in 1942. By 1944, the 35-year-old soldier was serving with the 714th Engineers Depot Company in France, helping support the massive Allied war effort following the invasion of Europe.

His final letter home was a Christmas card dated November 17, sent just weeks before tragedy struck. Paul died in France on December 2, 1944, from a skull fracture. His fiancée, Sgt. Ruby Lewis, a meteorologist also stationed in France, was serving overseas at the same time.

Army friends, commanding officers, and even French civilians who worked alongside him attended a memorial service held in an Army chapel before his burial in the American military cemetery in Sarthe, France. Today, a headstone in the Macedonia Cemetery also honors his memory and connection to home.

Stories like Paul Mickey’s, Monty Storm's (Sunday's post), and Donald Storm's (Saturday's post) remind us that even in a small town like Macedonia, the sacrifices of war touched many families and friends and changed lives forever.

05/24/2026

This Memorial Day weekend, we remember and honor Sgt. Clarence Lamont “Monty” Storm of Macedonia, a young soldier whose courage carried him to the battlefields of North Africa during World War II.

Monty graduated from Macedonia High School in 1936 and married Theresa in 1941 shortly after enlisting in the Army. Friends and family knew him simply as “Monty,” a farm boy from the Macedonia area who answered his country’s call during a difficult time in history.

His bravery became legendary after he reportedly left a hospital against orders, still recovering from a bullet wound to the jaw, because he learned his company was moving back into combat and he wanted to be with his men.

On May 1, 1943, during fierce fighting in Tunisia, two German soldiers appeared to surrender under a white flag. As Monty stood to accept them as prisoners, gunfire suddenly erupted and he was killed instantly. He was just 26 years old.

In a heartbreaking twist, Monty’s wife received a telegram two weeks later informing her that he had left the hospital on April 30, one day before he was killed in action. His brother Charles was also serving overseas at the time, and many locals remember his sister, Diana Fender.

Today, Sgt. Storm rests in the Macedonia Cemetery.

05/23/2026

This Memorial Day weekend, we remember Lt. Donald Storm of Macedonia, a young man whose future was filled with promise before it was lost somewhere over the North Atlantic during World War II.

Donald graduated from Macedonia High School in 1941 alongside his twin sister, Darline Canoyer. In 1943, he entered the U.S. Army and trained as an aerial navigator, earning his commission as a second lieutenant. But on July 21, 1944, while en route to Europe for active duty, his aircraft disappeared between Greenland and Iceland. No trace of the plane was ever found.

For his family, friends, and hometown, the loss left many unanswered questions. Yet Donald’s story reminds us of the courage and sacrifice of an entire generation.

Today, memorial markers honoring Lt. Storm stand both in the Macedonia Cemetery and at the Cambridge American Cemetery in England.

05/18/2026

The long-awaited video of the Throwback Thursday program, From Ruins to Relics: Building the Pioneer Trail Museum, is now available to watch online. Presented last October by MHPS President Ruby Bentley, the program shares the fascinating story of how the Pioneer Trail Museum came to life, from neglected buildings to one of Macedonia’s most treasured historic spaces.

Whether you attended the program or missed it the first time, this is a great opportunity to hear the behind-the-scenes history of the museum’s creation. Watch here:

Throwback Thursday program - Ruby Bentley shares the impressive story - From Ruins to Relics: Building the Pioneer Trail Museum