Reave REA Plant Receives Silos & Smokestacks Award

The Reeve REA Power Generating Plant received the Alan Hutchings Outstanding Visionary Award on Thursday, November 6 at the Silos and Smokestacks annual training event held at the Waterloo Convention Center.  

Accepting the award presented by Silos and Smokestacks Board of Trustees Chair Kevin Blanshan were Franklin County Historical Society representatives Rick Whalen, Darwin Meyer, and Jim Davies.

The Golden Silo Award for Alan Hutchings Outstanding Visionary honors an individual, organization, business, agency or local government who has shown sustained support for the Heritage Area for more than five years, created a legacy in heritage development that has made all the difference, and provided leadership in the heritage development movement.  

The Reeve REA Power Generating Plant recently gained National Historic Landmark status, becoming one of 29 National Historic Landmarks in the state of Iowa.   Other notable Iowa sites are the Amana Colonies, Herbert Hoover Birthplace in West Branch, Old Capitol in Iowa City,  Terrace Hill in Des Moines, and the Surf Ballroom and Museum in Clear Lake.

Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area is a federally designated region in 37 counties of Northeast Iowa that preserves and tells the story of American agriculture. It includes over 100 historic sites, farms, and attractions that showcase the history of farm life, agribusiness, and rural communities, such as Living History Farms and the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum.  

Franklin County Silos and Smokestacks sites are the Franklin County Historical Museum, Harriman-Nielsen Historic Farm, the REA Power Plant Museum, and the Franklin County Fair & Grandpa’s Farm.