Van Meter, Iowa : Hometown of the "Fireball Pitcher"
- Makio Mukai
- Nov 28
- 4 min read
In the summer of 2010, while on a road trip around the United States, I stopped in Madison County, Iowa, to see Roseman Bridge, the covered bridge made famous by the novel "The Bridges of Madison County " by Robert James Waller. This is an internationally bestselling novel about the love story between a photographer who comes to Madison County to photograph covered bridges and a local married woman.
The 1995 film of the same name based on this novel was also a huge hit, starring Clint Eastwood as the photographer
So, then. As I entered Madison County, Iowa, and drove toward Roseman Bridge, I passed a place packed with tourists. It was John Wayne's birthplace. Even though it had been more than 30 years since John Wayne's death, he was still incredibly popular. I like John Wayne too, but seeing Roseman Bridge was more important to me than seeing his birthplace, so I just passed it by.
When I arrived at Roseman Bridge, I took a lot of photos, feeling like Clint Eastwood in the movie. In the movie, Clint Eastwood uses a Nikon, the kind of camera a professional photographer would use, while I use a small digital camera, but that's a minor difference to me. While I was taking photos, a steady stream of American tourists arrived. It seemed that the popularity of the movie hadn't waned even though it had been 15 years since its release.
After finishing filming, I returned to my car and stared blankly at a map of Iowa, wondering where I should drive next. Then, I noticed something surprising. Just north of Madison County is Dallas County, and at the southern tip of Dallas County, right on the border with Madison County, is a small city called Van Meter! I immediately decided to go to Van Meter.
Van Meter is the hometown of Bob Feller, one of the greatest pitchers in Major League Baseball history. ...In Japan, Bob Feller's nickname is "Fireball Pitcher" because of his incredibly hard fastball.
As I headed to Van Meter, I wondered if Bob Feller would be surprised that a bridge in Madison County near his hometown had become famous around the world, and whether Bob Feller had ever seen Roseman Bridge. He probably had, since it was so close.
When I arrived at Van Meter, I found a museum honoring Bob Feller. It was not a large building, but it was very beautiful. A giant baseball placed near the entrance was autographed by Bob Feller.
Entering the building, there was a souvenir display corner right by the entrance, and the person working there as a receptionist was a middle-aged Caucasian woman. When I told her I was an avid Major League Baseball fan from Japan, she exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my!" When I asked her how much admission was, she replied, "It's free." I didn't ask if she was offering free admission to me because I had come all the way from Japan, or if it was free for everyone.
Going further inside, I began to look around the exhibits. There were various kinds of items and photographs on display. For example, there were uniforms and baseballs related to Bob Feller, a photo of him at age 17 when he became the youngest regular starting pitcher in Major League Baseball history, photos related to Ted Williams, the only Major Leaguer I ever fell in love with (both Bob Feller and Ted Williams were born in 1918), and footage related to Babe Ruth. But the real highlight was the corner with photos and plaques commemorating his three no-hitter games, one of which was the only no-hitter game in Major League Baseball history to be recorded in an Opening Day game. That Opening Day game was played at Comiskey Park on April 16, 1940, when Bob Feller, pitcher for the Cleveland Indians (now the Guardians), took the mound against the Chicago White Sox, and the Cleveland Indians won 1-0.
After looking around all the exhibits, I returned to the souvenir display corner. There, I found not only Bob Feller-related items such as autographed photos of him, but also panel photos, autographed balls and autographed bats of other Major Leaguers. I bought three autographed photos of Bob Feller for $20 each. One for myself, and two for my two Japanese friends, avid Major League Baseball fans.
I spent about an hour inside the museum, and during that time, not a single other visitor came in. What a difference from Roseman Bridge. As an avid MLB fan, it is shame that a great pitcher in MLB seems no match for a love story, or John Wayne.
In December 2010, a few months after my visit to Van Meter, Bob Feller passed away from leukemia at the age of 92.
The museum closed in 2014.
The building of the museum was donated to the City of Van Meter in 2015, and today, it serves as the City Hall. In the City Hall, some of the museum’s exhibits are still on display.
( If I’ve made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I’ll try to make corrections or additions.)