Home Care In Brooklyn, IA

An Iowan captured in one of the country's most iconic wartime photographs will soon have a monument built in his honor.

The Brooklyn (Iowa) Community Foundation is leading the effort to construct a memorial as a tribute to the legacy of Harold "Pie" Keller, an Iowan who helped raise the flag at Iwo Jima in World War II. The life-sized bronze statue will be constructed in Brooklyn — Keller's hometown — at the east end of the town's large flag display located at 302 Jackson St.

For 74 years, Keller was misidentified as Rene A. Gagnon in the iconic photograph, "Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima," captured by Joe Rosenthal. The photograph, which shows six Marines hoisting the flag after a five-week battle for Iwo Jima, earned Rosenthal a Pulitzer Prize in 1945. In 2019, the correction was released to the public after an investigation initiated by Brent Westemeyer of Johnston.

The Foundation is about $17,000 away from its fundraising goal of $75,000 to pay for the monument.

Firearms manufacturer Henry Repeating Arms is selling 100 Golden Boy Pie Keller Memorial Edition rifles to help raise the rest of the money, according to a news release.

“[Keller] never came forward as one of the flag-raisers, not even to his kids, and I look forward to visiting the memorial to pay my respects to this incredible man in person," Anthony Imperato, president and owner of Henry Repeating Arms, said in the release.

Rusty Clayton, a Brooklyn Community Foundation member, said in the same news release, “This is going to solidify Pie’s name and legacy in our town forever."

'Pie Keller Memorial' rifle

The Pie Keller Memorial rifle is a .22 that features a walnut buttstock with an engraving of Keller at the summit of Mount Suribachi, along with Rosenthal's famous image, according to Henry Repeating Arms. The rifles will be sold for $699.999 at Brownells retail store in Grinnell and online at Brownells.com. Fifty dollars from each gun sold will go toward building the monument.

The first of the limited-edition guns, serial number HPKM001, is being auctioned online at Gunbroker.com. Bidding started Monday at $744 and had climbed to $1,125 by 10 a.m. The auction closes at 9 a.m. June 21.

BROOKLYN — The Brooklyn community will welcome another restored historic building this fall when the newly renovated First National Bank Building opens on lower Jackson Street.

The 115-year-old building is undergoing a complete transformation by the nonprofit group, Brooklyn Community Development.

Located adjacent to the Michael J. Manatt Community Center at the northeast corner of Jackson and Front Streets, the renovated spaces of the former bank will be used for small gatherings and events, including business meetings, family events, anniversary and birthday parties and class reunions.

Laura Manatt, general manager of the MJM Community Center, said the renovation project received a $100,000 Iowa Economic Authority Catalyst Grant to initiate the work, which is expected to cost around $500,000. Funding is still being collected to complete the project.

Brooklyn’s First National Bank was established in 1884 Charter members included William Manatt and T.J. Holmes.

The bank’s first building in this location was destroyed in the 1886 town fire. It was replaced by a brick building the following year.

The current building was constructed in 1908 at a cost of $16,000. Two large granite columns framed the front door entrance, and it was Brooklyn’s most distinguished and notable business building.

The First National Bank was the town’s premier bank, and by 1919, with resources over $1.5 million, it was Poweshiek County’s second largest bank.

All of that came crashing down during the Great Depression years. By 1924 many banks had closed nationwide, and on a November morning in 1925, the local board of directors closed First National and turned it over to a federal bank examiner.

On that day there was a run on the bank, as many Brooklynites lined up at the door to withdraw their savings, and 40 new accounts were opened across the street at the Poweshiek County Savings Bank.

In the ensuing 99 years, the building has housed a number of businesses, including the Rural Electric Association, insurance agencies run by Harley Burch, Ed Montgomery and Jack Hall, and a beauty shop operated by Rosemary Thompson.

PART II

The renovation of Brooklyn’s old First National Bank Building, to be opened this fall, will add another historic gem to the town’s active business district. Three years ago, the Brooklyn Community Development group completed a beautiful refurbishing of the old Brooklyn Opera House, and the current bank building project is a continuation of that venture.

The Opera House was built in 1911, and the bank building in 1908.

Laura Manatt, vice president of the Brooklyn Community Development organization, has directed the ambitious undertaking with the intention of retaining the vintage character of the bank building as much as possible.

The heavy doors into the bank’s large, walk-in vault have been kept intact. Some room partitions were removed to expand the first-floor room, and two arched doorways were constructed leading into the back hallway to reflect the original six arched windows that surround the entire main floor.

A new circular window over the back entry was designed to replicate the original round window over the front door.

The heavy wooden ceiling beams, door trim, and ceiling cove moldings have been cleaned and stained. A wooden panel casing on the north wall is being built and outfitted with teller window bars. A large, camouflaged television screen will be added for meeting use.

An original wall mural near the ceiling had been water-damaged beyond repair, as had the wooden flooring, which has been replaced with dark-stained white oak hardwood. A beverage bar will be installed, and a wine bar will be housed in the refurbished vault room.

The existing bathroom has been enlarged and refitted.

Modern glass blocks were removed, and old brick was matched when patching was needed. The original doors have been restored for use wherever possible, and the original door hardware has been salvaged.

A handicapped-accessible exterior back entry ramp was created; it also provides access to the Community Center kitchen for catered events.

On the lower level, a new wider staircase was built to replace the original steep and narrow steps. Ceiling joists were raised and pipes were moved to provide more head space. A guest bathroom was installed.

Nick Doyle, the project superintendent, and Matt Brown, head carpenter, were both involved with the Brooklyn Opera House renovation in 2020; they welcomed the opportunity to return to Brooklyn for the bank project. Brown ranked the high reward and fulfillment from this work on the same level as the work he completed in a 2022 restoration project at the Iowa State Capitol building.

Doyle and Brown are employed by Neumann Bros. in Des Moines and have been commuting to Brooklyn since embarking on the bank building project in December of 2022.

To donate to this restoration, make checks payable to Brooklyn Community Development, P. O. Box 328, Brooklyn, IA 50112 or drop off donations at First State Bank, Brooklyn.

A new community child care center is coming to Brooklyn in 2023.

Brooklyn Community Estate is excited to announce that they have been awarded the State of Iowa Future Ready Childcare Grant in the amount of $426,225. The 50-50 matching grant was awarded on Sept. 13.

The new child care center will be named Bear Creek Kids Campus. It will be located north of the high school and south of the Ruritan’s building on the south half of the circle drive entering the BGM baseball and softball complex.

A groundbreaking is slated for this fall with construction expected to be completed in the fall of 2023.

Cathy Essick, marketing director with Brooklyn Community Estate, said owner Shane Sissel had a goal and was looking for a way to provide child care for his employees when he learned of the State of Iowa Future Ready Childcare Grant.

“As we got into it and researched, we realized that there was a great need for child care in the Brooklyn Community,” said Essick. “The slots in Brooklyn only cover about 50 percent of the community need.”

The State of Iowa Future Ready Childcare Grant is directed toward employees of Iowa businesses for child care needs to expand the number of slots in the state.

A business applying for the grant is required to have 70 full-time employees on staff.

With Brooklyn Community Estate being home to around 38 full-time employees, Essick said a non-monetary consortium was formed with BGM Community Schools, Manatts and the New Brooklyn Development organization to apply for the grant. The remaining funds to construct the child care center will be privately funded.

“Right now we are working with a builder and an architect on the project,” noted Essick.

The day care center will be owned and operated by Brooklyn Community Estate. The new child care center will be licensed for up to 70 children, ages 6 weeks and over, and will be open from 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

“There will also be a before and after school program and a summer program for school-age children,” said Essick.

A Bear Creek Kids Campus Facebook page has been created and a website is in the works. For more information on the grant, visit futureready.org.

“We are excited to assist our employees and our community with more access to child care,” noted Shane Sissel, owner of Brooklyn Community Estate.

BROOKLYN — From the pews of St. Patrick’s Church in Brooklyn to a park on the University of Iowa campus, hundreds cried, hugged, prayed and remembered Mollie Tibbetts, trying to make sense of a tragedy that made no sense.

“I don’t know what words to say,” the Rev. Corey Close said during a prayer service Wednesday at St. Patrick’s. “We see tragedies happen all around the world … and when they do, we say a prayer and we feel sorry. But then we move on as if it didn’t affect us, and we always think that it never will. But right now we are in the midst of tragedy and it very clearly affects us.”

At nearly the same time, mourners gathered in a park outside the Iowa Memorial Union in Iowa City, cupping candles against the wind and trying to find solace in the words of Jake Tibbetts, Mollie’s brother.

“Remember this as the time a country came together for one girl,” he said. “One girl who loved everyone. One girl who loved everything and wanted the best for everyone.”

The nearly simultaneous services in two cities for the slain University of Iowa student — one where Tibbetts lived and one where she had gone to college — capped an emotional day.

Father Close, who led the Mass in Brooklyn, said now is the time to hold tight to faith.

“I’m sure many of us would in a heartbeat give our lives for Mollie’s, and the fact that we’ll all never see her again — we’ll never see her smile again or know her friendship. … But this is when we turn to the Lord and let him carry us through the pain,” he said.

And he preached forgiveness, asking the congregation to turn away from hate and ask God for the ability to forgive.

In Iowa City, Jake Tibbetts exhorted a crowd of hundreds to remember the his sister for all the good she exuded during her short 20 years.

“Don’t associate this with one bad thing,” Jake Tibbetts said. “This should be remembered by all the countless good acts that happened following it,” he said, thanking volunteers who posted fliers and strangers who reached out from across the country to express condolences. “The town of Brooklyn waking up at 5 a.m. to search cornfields, creeks and ditches.”

With television cameras propped in front of a podium and students passing fire from white candle to white candle, UI Student Government and Dance Marathon leaders welcomed hundreds of students who gathered to remember Mollie Tibbetts, who disappeared July 18 and was found dead this week — as well as others the UI community has lost.

Jake Tibbetts challenged the crowd to upend the evil intended in his sister’s death.

“Make a new friend” to honor his sister’s outgoing nature, he said.

The crowd took him up on that immediately. With hands cupped in protection of flickering candles, students in backpacks and workout clothes greeted mothers, faculty, freshmen and graduate school veterans, asking questions and listening to the answers.

Mollie Tibbetts’ name became widely known over the past month in and outside Iowa as law enforcement scoured the state for her whereabouts. Many in Wednesday’s crowd, though, didn’t know her personally.

“But to be honest, what made her so special was she was like anyone standing here,” her brother said. “She loved to run. She loved Harry Potter. She loved the Hawks. She loved her family. She loved her friends. She was goofy. She was clumsy. She made mistakes. She owned up to them. She fought with her siblings — a lot.

“That’s what we’re going to miss the most — her just being her normal self and us being our normal selves around her,” he said. “We’ll never have that sense of normalcy again.”

One close friend who spoke, freshman Breck Goodman, said she was terrified coming from a small high school to the sprawling UI campus. But Mollie Tibbetts assured her she’d be welcome. She’d find community. She’d have fun.

“I was ecstatic to start here with Mollie,” she said. “So this last month having to think about not seeing her on campus was devastating. ... But from this day on, Mollie will always be with me. She will always be with us. It’s our duty and it’s our job to spread Mollie around and make sure she stays on this campus and in the state. To keep her spirit alive.”

In maybe its biggest mishap ever, the Iowa athletic department misunderstood the location of the Hawkeyes' NCAA Tournament first- and second-round games scheduled for Friday and Sunday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and sent the team to Brooklyn, Iowa. "Yeah, we really screwed this one up," said athletic director Gary Barta.

Until just days ago, Iowa was considered a shoo-in for a spot in the Des Moines tournament venue, and Iowa had begun planning accordingly. "We rented a bus. A really nice bus, actually, one with a bathroom and those seats that recline and everything," said Barta. "We were all ready to take the Hawkeyes to Des Moines."

But a late-season swoon dropped Iowa out of the top 16 seeds and eliminated any chance of the Hawkeyes playing their first weekend within driving distance. "Or so we thought," said Iowa sports information director Steve Roe. "But then we saw on CBS that we were selected for Brooklyn, and everyone here immediately believed that Greg Gumbel was talking about the Community of Flags."

"We hadn't heard anything about Brooklyn hosting the Tournament, but if it ever did, it would make sense that Iowa would play there," he added.

It's easy to understand the confusion: Brooklyn, Iowa is just 45 miles from Iowa City, an easy trip down Interstate 80. Brooklyn, New York is 1,000 miles in the opposite direction. But the proximity to Iowa City is the smaller Brooklyn's only real upside for the Hawkeyes and their fans. Brooklyn, New York's Barclays Center holds 18,000 ticketholders and sits in a metropolis that can support those fans. Brooklyn, Iowa has a high school gymnasium and more flags than people.

"When you put it that way, we probably should have caught the mistake," said Barta.

Unfortunately, nobody realized the error until the team's bus had continued past the I-380 interchange and made an unscheduled stop at the Williamsburg Arby's, at the urging of center Adam Woodbury. "They have the meats!" exclaimed Woodbury upon arriving at the roast beef sandwich outpost. The team then spent two hours at the nearby outlet mall, though all members avoided the Under Armour store for fear of feeling even heavier than the Arby's had made them.

Coach Fran McCaffery and his team held a lightly-attended press conference at the high school auditorium Tuesday afternoon, as the extent of Iowa's travel folly was unfolding. The only reporter in attendance, The Gazette's Scott Dochterman, asked McCaffery why the Hawkeyes were still in Iowa and not traveling to New York. "That's none of your business," McCaffery fired back before storming out of the auditorium, misidentifying the locker room, and accidentally interrupting a shop class.

Iowa is still trying to get the team to New York. "The fees for keeping the bus in Brooklyn were insane, so we sent the driver home," said Barta. Finding a new bus has been problematic, as has been locating a charter plane and hotel in New York City at the last minute. Barta reached out to Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, who referred him to the conference's top expert on traveling. "Yogi Ferrell was too busy getting ready for Indiana's game to help, though," said Barta. The athletic department has said that Iowa's 85-member crew team stands ready to row the team to New York City if it can find nine more boats and a nautical route to Brooklyn in time for Thursday's game.

This is hardly the first time that an Iowa university has traveled to the wrong destination for a tournament game. In fact, Iowa State accidentally sent its basketball team to Denver, Iowa earlier in the week. Fortunately, the Cyclones were able to fit every relevant member of their team into a borrowed hatchback and make it to Colorado with time to spare.