Drake Community Library is excited to announce a new digital archive project focused on sharing the story of the Longhorn Restaurant. The new page includes photos and stories covering the span of time the restaurant was open from 1961-1997, located at 1011 Main Street. The page can be seen on the library local history website at https://grinnell.lib.ia.us/longhorn
For several decades the Longhorn was a popular spot that brought together people from the community and campus. Michael Butler, son of longtime owners Tom & Mary Parmley, had a large collection of photos and documents related to the business. He contacted the library about having them included in the Poweshiek History Preservation Project. Because of the quantity of materials we were able to go far beyond what we usually can do with such items. We also had a wonderful Digital Archives Collection Intern for the summer, Grinnell College student Melena Johnson. Melena was able to focus a significant portion of her time on organizing and digitizing the materials. The digital materials were then compiled into the webpage as a sort of “virtual exhibit” of the Longhorn.
Whether you ever visited the ‘Horn or not, we hope that you will enjoy this virtual walk down memory lane.
