MELODY MILL

Illustration by Norman Zepeski.

MELODY MILL. Located along Highway 3/52 about one mile north of Dubuque, Melody Mill once featured the most popular big bands in the United States. The area had been swampland until being transformed in 1895 into NUTWOOD PARK. (1) In 1928 the site became Dubuque's first airport which was moved to CITY ISLAND in July of 1934.

A crowded night at Melody Mill. Photo courtesy: Bob Reding

Photo courtesy: Bob Reding

Opened to the public on August 8, 1934, the Mill became a center of entertainment. Melody Mill's ballroom floor had its own unique story. Designed for UNION PARK, the floor was advertised as Iowa's largest when the park's ballroom opened on June 26, 1923. When the park closed, the ballroom was dismantled in 1931 by Everett AKINS and moved piece-by-piece to its new location. The dancing pavilion at Melody Mill measured 100 by 132 feet. The stage was 32 by 16 feet. Under the cabaret was a 32 by 48 foot kitchen. (2)

Transportation to Melody Mill was available by INTERSTATE POWER COMPANY buses. All Main Street buses carried passengers directly to Melody Mill every twelve minutes until 10:30 p.m. After the dances, special buses brought passengers back to 8th and Main. (3)

The leading bands and orchestras in the United States were booked through the Music Corporation of America. Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Guy Lombardo, and Wayne King were favorites. During an appearance of Eddie Howard in 1936, all the women were given little silver bracelets as souvenirs. From 1936 to 1940 the Dubuque Amusement Company contracted with radio station WKBB (later WDBQ) to broadcast big band music from Melody Mill. Political rallies, organization dinners, public service affairs and wrestling and boxing matches arranged by Ken FENELON drew huge crowds.

In 1947, Vincent and Vi Schulting purchased the landmark. The Schultings booked the best of the big name entertainment as Andy Williams, Count Basie, Lawrence Welk and Louis Armstrong to please their hundreds of fans.

Melody Mill advertisement announcing a concert that never happened (The Day the Music Died). Following a performance in Mason City, Iowa, the plane carrying Buddy Holly; Richie Valens; and J. P. Richardson, "The Big Bopper" crashed on February 3, 1959 killing the pilot and all three musicians. The appearance of the Winter Dance Party scheduled for Dubuque on February 10, 1959 featured replacement stars including Frankie Avalon and Jimmy Clanton. Photo courtesy: https://nortonsafe.search.ask.com/web?q=You+Know+You%27re+From+Dubuque&o=APN11957&l=dis&prt=NIM&chn=RETAIL&geo=US&ver=5&locale=EN&gct=kwd&qsrc=2869

With the growth of rock 'n roll music, the couple made the decision to continue the format of bringing the bands people were demanding to see. Musicians appearing at Melody Mill included the Beach Boys, Brenda Lee, Frankie Avalon, the Everly Brothers, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Gillmer and the Fireballs, Bobbie Vee, Conway Twitty, Johnny & the Hurricanes, Freddy Cannon, Bobby Rydell, and the Ventures. They also booked country entertainers such as Johnny Cash, Wanda Jackson and Web Pearce.

Opening bands were needed for these national acts so the Melody Mill provided many Iowa ‘garage bands’ the opportunity to play. Friday and Saturday nights were country or big band nights; Sunday was reserved for rock and roll.

Melody Mill being torn down. Photo courtesy: Bob Reding

Vincent Schulting who sold the property to INTERSTATE POWER COMPANY. In 1964 the building was auctioned for $1,040 to be torn down for salvage. The structure had been deeded to the Dubuque County Fair Board by Interstate Power that planned to use the land for industrial sites.

Well-known bands and orchestras made Melody Mill a popular ballroom.

Photo courtesy: Bob Reding

An often repeated--but incorrect--story was that the flooring was reused in the Dubuque County Fairgrounds Ballroom. This story was discounted on July 19, 2009, when Gerald B. Hingtgen, the person who purchased the Mill, wrote an editorial in the TELEGRAPH HERALD.

Hingtgen recalled that materials were sold to many buyers from throughout eastern Iowa. The floor, however, was worn so badly-nearly down to the tongue and groove--that it was never reused at the fairgrounds. Some people purchased enough to floor a room in their homes and a Petersburg, Iowa, farmer bought a lot to line his grain bins. Wood for the fairground's ballroom came from the former PETER J. SEIPPEL LUMBER COMPANY.

In 2009 Melody Mill was inducted into the Iowa Rock'n Roll Music Association's Hall of Fame.

Photo courtesy: Cathy's Treasures, 156 Main, Dubuque

Photo courtesy: Jim Massey

Photo courtesy: Bob Reding

Table Reservation Ticket from Melody Mill.Photo Courtesy: Bob Reding

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Source:

1. "Huge Dance Palace and Cabaret Will Blaze with Lights and Music," Telegraph Herald, Aug. 5, 1934, p. 6. Online: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Rc5BAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2akMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3055,4522125&dq=everett+akins+dubuque&hl=en

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid.

Kruse, Len. "Remembering Melody Mill," My Old Dubuque. Center for Dubuque History, Loras College, 2000, p. 326-327

Melody Mill Ballroom: http://www.iowarocknroll.com/inductee-details.php?id=217

Telegraph Herald, July 19, 2009