April 17, 2016: Sparks Garage in Beaver.
A Lincoln Highway landmark in central Iowa has entered its death throes. The Sparks Garage in Beaver, established in 1912 but abandoned for decades, deteriorated significantly in the past year. The cinder blocks above and to the right of the main garage door have collapsed inward. (The cinder-block construction means this building likely only dates to mid-century, but the garage itself was considered part of the historic scenery.)
Beaver was a busy town in the Lincoln Highway days, as seen in this clip from the 1918 Iowa State Gazetteer and Business Directory (later known as a Polk City Directory). Sparks Garage is listed second from bottom. Today, the only businesses are the post office and elevator.
The collapse of the front (the roof was gone long ago) was encountered during the Lincoln Highway Association bus tour last week. Also damaged recently was a unique “L” bridge on gravel 210th Street just west of the Boone/Greene County line; a chunk of concrete was chipped out on the northwest corner (barely missing the engraved “L”).
I and many others have pictures of the Sparks Garage as it existed at the beginning of the 21st century and the Lincoln Highway’s centennial, but time marches on.