Roland Historical Society, 104 W Poplar, Roland, IA (2026)

09/01/2026

Roland's Historic Homes
117 South Main Street – The Thompson House
Built 1894

The land on which this house sits was originally owned by pioneer Jonas Duea who arrived in Howard Township in June 1856. Duea eventually sold off land for home lots in the developing community of Roland. In July 1894, three lots were purchased by Torres & Anna (Gronstad) Thompson. The Thompsons emigrated to the U.S. from Norway in 1870 and purchased a farm southeast of Roland where they and their five sons lived. In the fall of 1894, foundation work on their new Roland home began with the project completed the next year. After moving into Roland, the family organized a Thompson & Sons butcher shop on Roland’s Main Street. After five years, Thompson retired leaving the butcher business to his son Edward (E.K.).

In July 1904, a large fire broke out overnight in Roland’s Main Street business district. Before a city fire department was organized, Roland residents were expected to help fight fires but had to be notified of the emergency. Upon learning about the Main Street fire, Torres Thompson crossed South Main Street in the middle of the night and rang the Salem Lutheran Church bell continuously to wake residents and alert them to the need for assistance.

In 1905, two Thompson sons (J.E. and pharmacist brother Oscar) organized Etna Drugstore, a Main Street pharmacy that served Roland for over 40 years. Brother Edward (E.K.) joined the enterprise later bringing a jewelry expertise to the business. The store was named after the area (Etne) in southwestern Norway where their parents and many other Roland residents had lived before emigrating to the United States After the death of Oscar, brother O.M. Thompson took over as the store pharmacist. Another son Tollef became one of the first rural U.S. mail delivery men for Roland driving his horse drawn mail wagon throughout the surrounding countryside.

Torres Thompson died in 1913. His wife Anna and some of her sons continued to live in their Main Street home. The house stayed in the Thompson family until 1962 when it was purchased by Harold & Frances (Teig) Lage. Lage moved to Roland from Hubbard and initially worked for Ames In-Cross. Later he operated an animal feed business and sold tropical fish. He served as Roland’s mayor for six years in 1959-1960 and 1966-1970.

08/24/2026

This Month in Roland History – One Room Schoolhouse Era Teachers

The attached photo has hung on our schoolhouse museum wall for as long as we can remember. The description says, “Amanda Thompson Severson – Taught school in this building”. Some research found a story of a young woman and the era of one-room schoolhouses.

Amanda (Mandy) Thompson was born near Roland in October 1881 to Henry and Caroline (Erickson) Thompson. Her paternal grandparents, Paul and Enger Thompson, were early Howard Township settlers, arriving in 1857. They established a farm south of Roland that grew to more than 500 acres, making it one of the area’s largest operations. Caroline Thompson died in March 1894, leaving 12-year-old Amanda and her younger sister, Emma, without their mother. In 1896, their father, Henry, married Sarah Watney. Together they had five sons (Paul, Elliott, Cyrus, Milton, and Irven) who became Amanda and Emma’s half-siblings..

Amanda Thompson attended Roland area schools and graduated from high school in 1899 among a class of nine students. During her school years, she spoke at community events, including Roland’s Memorial Day program and graduation ceremonies held at the Roland Opera House. After graduating, Thompson went to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to begin “normal” school, or teacher training, at the institution that later became the University of Northern Iowa. The program typically lasted about 12 weeks after which students were considered prepared to teach. Teaching had once been dominated by men, but the shortage of available male workers during the American Civil War opened the profession to women, who became critical to children’s education.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, rural townships oversaw public education, with several one-room schoolhouses in each township. Howard Township operated nine. In April 1901, Thompson began her first teaching term at the Jondall School and went on to teach in area one-room schools for six years. Each school typically enrolled 15 to 25 students in grades 1 through 8, all taught together in one room. In Iowa, school attendance did not become mandatory until 1902, and then only through age 14. Students who continued beyond eighth grade could attend high school in Roland or nearby communities.

Teachers were expected to model good character by attending church regularly and living virtuously. Beyond teaching, they were also responsible for tasks such as chopping wood, carrying coal, and arriving early on winter mornings to start the stove and warm the room.

In 1906, Amanda Thompson married Albert Severson, a college-trained pharmacist from Jewell. Because married women were generally not permitted to keep teaching, the marriage brought Amanda’s education career to an end. The couple lived in Jewell and Story City, where Albert managed local drug stores, and raised three children. In 1920, the Seversons moved to California, where they operated pharmacies in Huntington Beach and Long Beach. Amanda died in 1976 at age 95, remembered among the women who helped educate Howard Township’s early children.

08/14/2026

This Month in Roland History (August 8, 1896) – 130 Years Ago
On a hot Saturday evening in August, three Roland men went swimming in a clay pit made by a nearby tile factory. The site was southwest of Roland near Bear Creek and today’s wastewater treatment facility. Lewis Shafland and George Holland entered the water first, followed by George Nockling, who soon disappeared. Shafland and Holland searched desperately but could not find him. Two young boys ran for help, and others soon joined the rescue effort. After an extensive search, Nockling’s body was recovered. Roland’s Dr. Rice was present, but the 25-year-old could not be saved.

George Nockling was born in 1871 on Bømlo Island in southwestern Norway. In February 1891, at age 19, he immigrated to the United States and settled in Chicago, where he learned photography. In October 1893, he moved to Roland to join his older brother, Paul, who had arrived earlier. Paul owned a construction business and built many of the early concrete bridges in Story and Hamilton counties, some of which are still in use today.

By December 1894, George Nockling had opened a successful photography studio on Roland’s Main Street. Customers came for portraits and family group photographs, and Nockling also traveled through the countryside to photograph homes, farms, and events. Well regarded in Roland, Nockling produced some of the earliest images of the town and its residents. In 1896, he created perhaps his best-known photograph by climbing a grain elevator to capture an iconic overhead view of Roland’s busy, growing Main Street.

Nockling’s funeral was held at Salem Lutheran Church, whose sanctuary had been moved into town six years earlier. One of the largest crowds in early Roland history attended, and many stood outside when seats ran out. The service was conducted in both English and Norwegian. A severe thunderstorm interrupted the service, sending everyone into the church until it passed. Nockling was buried in Roland Cemetery, with the graveside service concluding just before another round of storms arrived. His brother Paul continued living and working in Roland until 1915, when he returned to his native Norway.

The Roland Historical Society does not have a photograph of George Nockling, We do have several examples of his work, which offers a glimpse of early Roland and its people. After his death, his assistant Dora Storaker took over the photography business—a story for another time.

08/02/2026

Roland’s Historic Homes
118 South Linn Street – The Boyd House
Built 1914

The land on which this house sits was owned by the I.J. Grindem family who sold it for building lots beginning in the 1890’s. In 1913, Otis & Olive Boyd purchased the lot from Christ Hall and made plans to build a house there. Construction on the house began in the spring of 1914 with local builders Jondall & Mehus overseeing the job. The Boyd family moved into the house in November 1914.

Otis S. Boyd was born on a farm near Roland in 1873. His mother (Julia Duea) was the oldest daughter of Jonas and Martha Duea who were among the first group of settlers arriving in Howard Township in June 1856. Boyd graduated from Roland High School and Iowa State College with a bachelor’s degree in science. He returned to Roland where he spent his entire life. In 1900 he married Mattie Gaard, but she died two years later. In 1905 he married Olive Hegland and the couple had six children.

Throughout his career, Boyd held positions of public trust including principal and superintendent of the Roland school system from 1901-1903. He was a cashier and bookkeeper at the Farmers Savings Bank for twenty-four years. Boyd later organized an accounting and insurance business working out of a Main Street building. The business eventually included Boyd’s son Don as a partner. Boyd’s grandson Bill Boyd continues to operate the business.

O.S. Boyd served on the Roland school board and was the first president of the Story City Old People’s home which later became Bethany Manor. He and his wife were talented musicians and performed at hundreds of local social gatherings and religious events. They served as choir directors for Salem Lutheran Church for twenty-five years. Their son Don took over after his parents retired and served for an additional 40 years.

In 1933, the Boyds sold the house to C.A. and Jullath (Hoversten) Fagerland. Fagerland served in World War I and after returning from Europe became a Roland barber who cut hair for 60 years before retiring at age 88. He was also known for his extensive collection of pencils (approximately 10,000) which he displayed in the basement of his barber shop. Fagerland was also a former Roland mayor and a Story County Deputy Sheriff. The Linn Street house stayed with the Fagerland family until 1990.

07/29/2026

Visit our Roland Days booth in Erickson Park on Saturday, August 1st! See our history display and buy some Roland merch!

07/20/2026

This Month in Roland History (July 18,1981) – 45 Years Ago

A large crowd gathered at the north end of Roland’s Erickson Park to dedicate the new Praeri Rail Trail. Built on an abandoned railbed, the 10.5-mile public walking and biking trail runs east/west and connects Roland, McCallsburg, and Zearing. Following several speakers, attendees had the one-time opportunity to drive along part of the trail for a closer look at the new linear county park.

In 1881, the Iowa Central Railroad built a 35-mile branch line west from the main line in Marshalltown to Story City. Multiple daily trains transported grain, produce, coal, lumber, and passengers to and from northern Story and Marshall Counties. The railroad transported area produced cattle, hogs, chickens, butter, and eggs to the Chicago market. The railroad stimulated Roland’s growth and the town’s business district shifted to newly built Main and Ash Streets near the tracks. Later owned by the Minneapolis & St. Louis and Chicago/Northwestern railroads, the rail line served the area for more than 90 years. The section between Story City and Roland was abandoned in 1952, followed by the line into Roland in 1975.

In 1978, the Chicago/Northwestern Company announced plans to sell the abandoned railroad bed property. Under a recently enacted federal law, local governments had priority in purchasing abandoned rail lines. After a long series of meetings and discussions, the Story County Board of Supervisors and Story County Conservation Board each purchased portions of the line between Roland and Zearing. The action proved contentious as some landowners adjacent to the line wanted to purchase the railbed for their own use. A Story County Supervision’s vote in January 1979 finalized the property acquisition with the intention to create a public park, trail, and wildlife refuge. A portion of the acquired property was later used to straighten County Road E18 between Roland and McCallsburg.

Most of the work preparing the trail took place in 1980, when rail ties and other materials were removed from the railbed. The trail was leveled and covered with cinders to create a usable surface. Bridges were built over East Indian and Minerva Creeks. A public trail naming contest initially selected “Hook and Eye” as the trail name, using the nickname for the Iowa Central Railroad who built the original line, but county officials later changed it to “Praeri Rail Trail,” using the Norwegian word for prairie to pay respect to the area’s early Norwegian settlers. The trail is still in use and offers walking or biking opportunities to area residents while keeping a reminder of the importance of railroads to early Roland intact.

07/10/2026

Roland's Historic Home of the Month
122 South Cottonwood Street – Rebecca Johnson House
Built 1898

This house was built in Roland’s Grindem Addition, a housing development established in the 1890s. Rebecca and Nick Johnson bought lots 11 and 14 from M.N. Groves in 1896 for $325. By September 1898, construction was completed on a new house on this property located east of the recently closed Boardman Creamery. In 1912, the house’s foundation was raised two feet and a large, inviting porch was added. The house was wired for electricity in October 1914.

Rebecca Johnson was the daughter of John and Sarah Nelson who were among the first group of Norwegian settlers who arrived in the area in June 1856. John spent two years fighting for the Union in the American Civil War before returning home. Rebecca was born in 1859 and grew up on the family farm west of Roland. She moved to Marshalltown and married Nicholas (Nick) Johnson in 1880. Johnson had emigrated to the U.S. from Denmark. In 1890 the Johnson’s moved back to Roland where Nick was employed as a butter maker at Roland’s Boardman Creamery. He later developed tuberculosis and his health declined despite spending time in Texas where it was hoped a milder climate would improve his condition. Johnson died in late 1897 leaving wife Rebecca as a single parent to raise nine children, including one born just two weeks prior to his death. The local newspaper reported Rebecca received payments ($3,000 total) from two life insurance policies purchased by her husband to support his family after his death.

Rebecca Johnson was active in several civic and church organizations including the Roland Cemetery Association where she participated in projects to maintain and improve the local cemetery. Johnson’s house was filled with family, including her mother and sister who moved in after her father’s death. Johnson listed her occupation as “boarder” on U.S. Census forms making it likely she rented out rooms as well.

Rebecca Johnson passed away in April 1931 due to injuries sustained when she was hit by a car while crossing Roland’s Main Street during a heavy rainstorm. The house was sold at auction in 1937 and purchased by John M. Christian for $1,000. Christian initially rented the house to tenants, and the property stayed in the family for another 40 years.

07/01/2026

This Month in Roland History (1976) – 50 Years Ago!

As we prepare to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of our country, here’s a look back to see how Roland residents celebrated the nation’s bicentennial 50 years ago! The city got an early start and celebrated over Memorial Day weekend.

06/30/2026

Our schoolhouse/museum is getting a much-needed paint job this week! Through your continued support we are able to keep our museum complex in good condition for future generations! Photos compliments of Jan Stole.

06/18/2026

Ames In-Cross Presentation by Brian Anderson on June 7, 2026

Roland Historical Society

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07/29/2026

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