As long as humans have been around, storytellers have also been present. There are millions of stories to be told. Every single person has their own unique story. Communities, large and small, also have unique stories and histories to be told. The Iowa City community is lucky enough to have Marty Boller to tell its many stories.
Marty is on the board of the Johnson County Historical Society. He attributes his love for Iowa City, Johnson County, and the University of Iowa to his father. Now that Marty is retired, he loves to write. Much of what Marty writes is the history of Johnson County, as well as his own family’s history. Marty loves writing so much that he has over 600 stories on his personal site.
Myths and legends are a large part of storytelling. Marty says that these two things can sometimes drive historians crazy. These legends and myths often skew the true story, which is common regarding the true story of the Black Angel.
The Black Angel, which is located in Oakland Cemetery in Iowa City, has many different myths surrounding it. Many involve death or the origin of how the angel became black. The truth is that the angel was made cheaply, ruining its bronze tint. While the statue was put in place 112 years ago, the story of the Feldevert family’s statue is still being told today.
One thing Marty believes in is that each person has two deaths. The first is physical, and the second is when people stop talking about you. When the last person has spoken of you, your story ends, and you die the second death. Luckily for the Feldevert family, the myths surrounding their burial site will delay their second death for decades to come.
