This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Iowa City homes preserve black history through rental housing
The Tate Arms built in 1938 and the Iowa Federation Home housed black students from 1919 into the mid-20th century. Elizabeth Tate and husband Junious Tate ran Tate Arms with up to 20 black men students, while the Federation Home provided a dormitory for black women. Today both sites are privately owned rentals with educational signage, highlighting civil rights history and ongoing conversations about equality.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Iowa City
Tate Arms
Elizabeth
Bettye” Tate
Junious
Bud” Tate
Tates
Bettye Tate
Ku Klux Klan
Kappa Alpha Psi
Iowa Federation
Iowa Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs
IFCWC
Fraternity
Federation
Carlson
Jessica Bristow
Bethel Ame
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity
James B. Mortis Jr
University of Iowa