Birthplace of TV’s Superman

Woolstock, Iowa (+42.5664, -93.8427)

For many Baby Boomers, Superman was in the comic books. But for those fortunate enough to have television, the show “Adventures of Superman” was simply fantastic because it showed the Man of Steel in live action. Who could forget the rousing music and thrilling words? “Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound…” The show ran from 1952 through 1958, but continued in syndication for years afterward,

The starring actor in the series was George Reeves. He was born in Woolstock, Iowa, but moved away at a young age. He died at age 45, possibly from suicide, shortly after the show ended. Woolstock is very small (reminiscent of Clark Kent’s hometown: Smallville, Kansas), with a population of 144 in the 2020 census. Much of the town looks rundown, and we did not see anyone in the town at 11:30 a.m, which seemed somewhat ghostly. It felt like a sad reminder of its most famous son who died too young. However, there are still pleasant rural areas around the town, such as a train trestle and grazing cows.

When I visited Woolstock, there are very few indications of the George Reeves connection. There is a sign on the north side of town with George’s picture on it, and the local telephone company has a business graphic at its office that reminds one of Superman’s logo. The most direct allusion is a telephone booth on the southeast corner of Percival Street and Herman Street. There is no indication that the phone booth is a memorial, but inside the booth is a mannequin wearing a suit, the front open to reveal the Superman costume underneath.

I wouldn’t go far out of my way to go to Woolstock, but it is an interesting footnote along the 43^rd parallel.

TV show intro from Youtube: