Mary Adams

Mary Adams (1909-2005) was the granddaughter of Robert Nicholson, first Mayor of Carlisle. Mary’s mother was Grace Nicholson who married Clay Beymer. Clay had attended Simpson College and was in a class with George Washington Carver. His father, George Beymer, was one of Abraham Lincoln’s body guards during the Civil War. Clay owned and operated Beymer Company, an electrical business at Seventh and Mulberry, in Des Moines from 1909 to the 1940’s. The family lived at 1426 Tenth Street, Des Moines.
Mary had wonderful memories of visiting her grandparents Nicholson in Carlisle. It is thought that her grandmother, Mary Ann, was the one who instilled in her granddaughter a love for family history. Mary Beymer went to North High School and graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in Art. She was a substitute teacher in the Des Moines School District for a while. She worked in a photographer’s studio hand-tinting photographs before the days of color photography. She worked as a cashier and later as a secretary at the Des Moines Water Works business office.Mary knew many of the artists employed by the Public Works of Art Project during the Great Depression.
This group of artists included John and Isabel Bloom. That Art Project was part of the NEW DEAL, created by the Roosevelt administration.Mary was an artist, and a teacher who loved traveling. Her very wide interests included music, horseback riding, Bridge, and as a member of the Ames Women’s Club bowling team, she helped the group win several bowling championships.
In the meantime, her special suitor, Bert Adams, was building a futuristic-type home in Ames, which they would eventually call “Prairie Ark.” We know how special he was because Mary waited twenty-five years for Bert to ask her to marry him. Having such a rich family history, it was natural for Mary to keep and cherish family records, which were organized into many scrapbooks documenting the Garton, Nicholson, and Beymer family histories.In keeping with Mary Beymer Adams’ love for history and family, when she died, she left a legacy to Carlisle, to aid in remembrance of her grandfather. It was this legacy plus a bequest by Ewing Lanning, that helped the Carlisle Area Historical Society purchase the house at 245 Pennsylvania, and begin the restoration project.From notes by Dennis Wendell curator, Ames Historical Society. .