Johnson, William M

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The Palimpsest

The USS Iowa Silver Service Comes Home

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Volume 73 | Number 4 Article 6
10-1-1992
The USS Iowa Silver Service Comes Home
William M. Johnson
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Johnson, William M. "The USS Iowa Silver Service Comes Home." The Palimpsest 73 (1992), 161-169.
Available at: https://ir.uiowa.edu/palimpsest/vol73/iss4/6
The
USS Iowa Silver Service
Comes Home
by William M. Johnson
A GLEAMING, heavily ornamented silver service now on display at the State Historical Building can he seen as a symbol of Iowa’s stature in the late 1890s. Just as Iowa motifs were woven 
into the designs on the silver, the midwestern 
state oflowa played a continuing and important 
role in national events.
In 1896 Iowa could look back with pride on 
fifty years of statehood. Prairies and wetlands 
were now family farms and thriving cities. 
Iowa’s soldiers and officers had fought during a 
trying civil war, and Iowan Annie Witten- 
myer s relief work for soldiers and orphans had 
I been a national example of compassion. Iowans 
had stirred the nation s conscience through 
their leadership in the suffrage and tem­
perance movements. Iowa had provided two 
secretaries of war, two secretaries of the inte­
rior, as well as a postmaster general — and 
would provide the secretary’ of agriculture in 
1897 and the Speaker of the House in 1899. 
Senator William Boyd Allison from DubuqueÎheld substantial power in Congress. And now, the name of the nation s first seagoing bat­tleship would be the USS Iowa.In the decades following the Civil War, naval 
confrontations with the British in the Hawaiian 
Islands and the Bering Sea, and with Germany 
over the Samoan Islands and in Chilean ports, 
had underscored the need for a stronger U.S.
fleet. By 1896 the navy had commissioned sev­
eral battleships— the USS Texas, Maine, Indi­
ana, Massachusetts, and Oregon. Although 
these floating fortresses protected our shores, 
the USS Iowa, commissioned in 1896, would 
be the first seagoing battleship because of an 
additional forward deck. This deck provided 
more coal storage (which meant the ship could 
travel farther without refueling), and raised the 
forward set of twelve-inch guns above storm 
waves. The deck also added space to the crew 
quarters.
The 26th Iowa General Assembly responded 
to the naming of the ship by authorizing the 
Executive Council to provide a proper recog­
nition of the battleship Iowa and appropriat­
ing $5,000 for that purpose. The Philadelphia 
firm J. E. Caldwell & Co. was contracted to 
provide a service of silver.
The custom of presenting silver to officers 
and ships stretched back to the American Rev­
olution, when the city of Boston gave a tea 
serv ice to the builder of the USS Boston and 
USS Constitution. By the 1890s the tradition 
included the navy’s new armored cruisers and 
battleships. States and cities that were honored 
by battleships and cruisers bearing their names 
responded with gifts ranging from an indi­
vidual decorative tray to a massive dinner ser­
vice of more than two hundred pieces. Iowa’s 
approach — to give an elaborate silver service
WINTER 1992 161
— was similar to those of Pennsylvania, 
Nebraska, and Minneapolis.
The design of Iowa’s silver service combines 
traditional images of the sea — dolphins, 
waves, seashells, and the seal of the Navy 
Department — with symbols of Iowa — ears of 
corn, the wild rose, and the Great Seal of the 
State of Iowa. (In fact, use of the wild rose in 
the design led to a joint resolution by the Iowa 
General Assembly in 1897 to designate the 
wild rose as the state flower.) Fashioned out of 
2,100 ounces of sterling silver, the sen ice com­
prises forty pieces.
When the USS Iowa was commissioned in
July 1897, the silver sen ice was ceremonioush 
presented to the Navy Department, which 
lolds title to it. It is used for official dinners and 
presentations, but is not kept on board during 
combat. The silver has “served’ on four differ­
ent ships. Whenever its ship has been decom­
missioned, the sen ice has returned to the state 
of Iowa on loan.
Today, the USS Iowa silver sen ice com­
mands visitors’ attention in the atrium of the 
State Historical Building in Des Moines. On 
these pages, enjoy a close-up look at some ol 
the pieces of the silver sen ice — an elegant 
and official portrayal of Iowa in the 1890s.
On the punch bowl, the national symbol of the bald eagle spreads its wings among ears of corn and over the Great Seal of 
the State of Iowa. Below the large scallop shell is the punch bowl’s base, edged by tinier seashells. The two pieces weigh 
I63/< pounds.
162 THE PALIMPSEST
Three figures from territorial Iowa are etched on the water pitcher. A man 
in buckskin, his son, and a Native American replicate the pioneer statuary 
erected about the same time on the west end of the capitol grounds in Des 
Moines. (The pitcher’s handle is not visible here.)
WINTER 1992
;
164 THF PALIMPSEST
A graceful coffee server also bears the Great Seal of Iowa. The complete silver service has forty pieces, including the 
punch bowl and base; the centerpiece; soup tureen and ladle; a fish dish and carvers; dishes for meat, entrées, salad, and 
vegetables; gravy boats; salad servers; salver; bread trays; butter dishes; compotes; water pitcher; coffee pots; sugar 
bowls; creamers; and bon bon dishes.
A wild rose blossom, buds, and leaves grace the ends of each 
serving utensil, and ears of corn form the stem. On the reverse 
side (see fork), the back of the wild rose, and the cornstalk and 
tassels are visible. Hoots trail down to the tines of the fork and the 
blade of the fish knife.
WINTER 1992 165
The most ornate component of the silver service is the centerpiece. As these close-up pho­
tographs show, four etchings on the centerpiece’s shallow fruit bowl depict (clockwise from top 
right) the USS Iowa battleship; the Iowa capitol in Des Moines; a covered w'agon pulled by 
oxen; and Fort Madison. 1808-1812. Note the surrounding motifs in relief: a wild rose above 
the fort, an eagle on the end, and a pair of dolphins forming the legs of the shallow bowl. For a 
complete view of the centerpiece, turn the page.
166 THE PALIMPSEST
NOTE ON SOURCES
The author acknowledges the special assistance of J. E. 
Caldwell and Company (Philadelphia, PA); Gorham Man­
ufacturing Company (Providence, RI); and Gwendalynn 
Kelso of The Rampart Lion (Washington, DC). For more 
on the USS Iowa, see the Iowa Historical Record (nos. 3, 
4, 1898); The Annals of Iowa (no. 9, 1901; no. 2, 1926); 
The Palimpsest (April 1923, March 1952, Mav/Iune 1983); 
and The Iowan (no. 1, 1947). A complete bibliography is 
available from the Palimpsest office.
WINTER 1992 167
II
168 THE PALIMPSEST
The massive centerpiece dominates the silver service in size and design. Weighing 40 pounds, it measures 31 inches 
wide and 18 inches high, and comprises three parts: a flower vase, a shallow fruit howl, and candelabra. On the flower 
vase, the engraved words "Presented to the Battle-Ship Iowa hy the State of Iowa July 19th 1897" are bordered by ears 
of corn. (See close-up on front cover). Details of the fruit howl appear on the previous page. Side candelabra are topped 
with silver filigree shades over red frilled cloth. Liners of isinglass (mica) protect the cloth from the flames. The ivory- 
colored celluloid candle holders are replacements (about 1902). The holders are “self-feeding : a spring device inside 
the cylinder pushes the candle upward as it burns away.
4
t
Photos by Chuck Greiner
A Brief History 
of the USS Iowa
1897: The USS Iowa is commissioned as the 
nation’s first seagoing Battleship. The contractor 
wins a $200,000 prize because the ship’s speed is 
seventeen knots, a full knot above specifications. 
During the Spanish-American War the Iowa 
helps destroy the Spanish fleet at Santiago de 
Cuba and rescue Spanish sailors and officers.
World War I: The USS Iowa is overshadowed 
by larger and more powerful ships, and is rele­
gated to training and coastal defense.
1922: Construction begins on a modern replace­
ment, but under the 1923 Washington Con­
ference for Limitation of Naval Armament, 
construction is halted and the completed keel is 
sold for scrap.
1923: The original USS Iowa sinks after being 
used as a target ship.
1938: Congress approves construction of a fast 
class of battleships known as the “Iowa Class.”
1943: Begun in 1940, the new USS Iowa is com­
missioned. Maneuverability and speed (over 
thirty knots) are its strong points. It holds 3,000 
sailors and officers. It transports President Roo­
sevelt to North Africa to Allied meetings, and 
supports shore bombardments and anti-aircraft 
gunnery' in the Pacific Theater.
1953: Decommissioned in 1949, the ship is 
recalled to support United Nations troops in 
Korea and remains in serv ice until 1958, when it 
is mothballed.
1984: The USS Iowa is reactivated.
1990: After an explosion in 1989, the USS Iowa 
is decommissioned.
WINTER 1992 169
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