I enjoyed the travel notes, but I deplore the cheap shots taken at
a farm state by weeds from the east coast.  (not Ken)

A correction and an amplification.

Proudfoot, Bird, and Rawson are not "of Chicago."  They are
"of Des Moines."  See Withey's Dictionary of American Architects
Deceased.  There was a Charles Rawson in Chicago, did a couple of
nice houses in the 20s and 30s; yours is Harry Rawson.

There are Chillicothes all over the Midwest.  The oldest and
best known is in Ohio; there are also Chillicothes in Illinois,
Missouri, and I think other states too.  Spelling may vary.
I was curious so I looked in Vogel's Indian Place Names of Illinois
and learned that it's what the Shawnees called their villages,
no matter where.  Tecumseh's great-grandson said as far as he knew
it didn't have any other meaning than Shawnee village.  That
does a nice job of explaining why we find the name in several places.

To me the name is the place in Missouri where we drove one night
when I was 3 years old because my father had missed his plane at Midway.
Possibly my earliest memory.

> Date:    Wed, 19 Aug 1998 07:40:48 +0000
> From:    Ken Follett <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: 03 Ottumwa, Iowa
>
> ...  In 1916 was built the now restored six-story Renaissance Revival
> brick and terra cotta Ottumwa Hotel south of Central Park.  The
> architects were Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson of Chicago.  The most
> outstanding building today I think is ...
>
> Date:    Wed, 19 Aug 1998 07:41:09 +0000
> From:    Ken Follett <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: 02 Ottumwa, Iowa
>
> ... South of Eddyville in Chillicothe, which in a slight mythical
> muddle I confuse with an Ohio mound city, I stop with my son and we
> walk out on a bridge over the Des Moines to view the full moon
> reflected on the river. At ...