Iowa's National Historic Landmarks
Iowa's rich history is preserved for visitors of the state's 24 National Historic Landmarks. Step back in time and discover Iowa's origins, as well as the role the state played in the history of our nation. Most of the landmarks are open to the public and easily accessible via major state and interstate highways.
Amana ColoniesOne of Iowa's most famous travel destinations, these seven authentic German villages were founded as a religious commune 150 years ago. The Amana Colonies preserve their crafts and culture while offering a variety of experiences.
622 46th Ave.
Amana
319.622.7622 or 800.579.2294
www.amanacolonies.com
E-mail: :info@amanacolonies.com
Dubuque County Jail
This 1857 example of Egyptian Revival architecture houses interesting artifacts from the Dubuque County Historical Society collection. See Dubuque's history through the eyes of a ghost when you watch "The Hanging of Patrick O'Connor" — an exciting light and sound show.
36 E. Eighth St.
Dubuque
563.557.9545
www.rivermuseum.com
E-mail: info@rivermuseum.com
Farm House
Built in the 1860s as the first building at Iowa State Agricultural College and model farm. Today more than 6,000 pieces of Victorian decorative art and antique furnishings are on display.
Iowa State University Campus
Ames
515.294.7426 or 515.294.3342
www.iastate.edu
E-mail: eostend@iastate.edu
Hitchcock HouseRestored station on the Underground Railroad, featuring special exhibits, country music events. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and recognized as a National Park Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom site.
One mile west of Lewis
Lewis
712.769.2323
www.hitchcockhouse.org
E-mail: sahafair@netins.net
Fort Des Moines Provisional Army Officer Training School
In 1917, 639 captains and lieutenants graduated from this facility, America's first officer training school for black soldiers. These brave men helped lead America into battle during World War I, and today they're honored at this historic site.
Adjacent to the Fort Des Moines Memorial Park and Educational Center
Army Post Rd. and Caffee Rd.
Des Moines
515.282.8060 or 888.828.3678
www.fortdesmoines.org
E-mail: smink@dwx.com
George M. Verity TowboatThe George M. Verity paddlewheel steamboat was built in 1927 and retired in 1960. View its original boiler, machinery, crew quarters and pilothouse.
Part of the George M. Verity Riverboat Museum
Victory Park
Keokuk
319.524.4765 or 800.383.1219
www.keokukiowatourism.org
E-mail: keokukia@interl.net
Herbert Hoover BirthplaceThe grounds of this presidential library and museum include President Hoover's birthplace cottage, a reconstructed blacksmith shop, one-room schoolhouse, 76-acre tall-grass prairie and visitor center administered by the National Park Service.
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library & Museum and Birthplace Cottage
210 Parkside Dr.
West Branch
319.643.5301 or 319.643.2541
www.hoover.archives.gov or www.nps.gov/heho
E-mail: hoover.library@nara.gov
Historic General Dodge HouseThis Victorian house-museum was built by Grenville and Mrs. Dodge in 1869-70. Dodge was a Civil War general, railroad builder, banker and politician. Annual holiday decorations include 25 Christmas trees adorned in a variety of styles.
605 Third St.
Council Bluffs
712.322.2406
www.dodgehouse.org
E-mail: generaldodgehouse@alltel.net
James B. Weaver House
Now a bed-and-breakfast inn and not open to the public, the Weaver House was the home of Bloomfield lawyer and Civil War General James B. Weaver. This striking, two-story, pink-brick structure was built in 1867 by the one-time United States representative.
Weaver Park Road
Bloomfield
Lone Star Steamboat
This tribute to legendary native "Buffalo Bill" Cody is also a memorial to American Indians, pioneers and steamboat days. View the "Lone Star Steamer," the last wooden-hull stern wheeler, and see the famous Green Tree, a Mississippi River landmark.
At the Buffalo Bill Museum
199 N. Front St.
Le Claire
563.289.5580 or 563.289.4603
www.buffalobillmuseumleclaire.com
Merchants National BankConstructed in 1914, this simple cubical-plan structure is one of the best examples of the "jewel box" banks designed by Louis Sullivan late in his career. Today the restored building houses a number of civic organizations.
Grinnell
641.236.6555 or 800.700.1723
www.grinnellchamber.org
E-mail: gcrec@grinnellchamber.org
Mines of Spain Recreation Area / Julien Dubuque's Mines
This landmark includes hundreds of archaeological sites, providing a rich history of American Indian settlement, lead mining, fur trading, lumbering and farm life. Site includes 14 miles of trails, river overlooks, prairie and an interpretive center.
8991 Bellevue Heights
Dubuque
563.556.0620
www.minesofspain.org
E-mail: mines_of_spain@dnr.state.ia.us
Old CapitolNow undergoing restoration and set to open in the summer of 2006, the Old Capitol served as the last capitol of the Iowa Territory (1842-1846) and as Iowa's first state capitol (1846-1857). Guided tours and a video presentation are available.
24 Old Capitol, The University of Iowa Pentacrest
Iowa City
319.335.0548
www.uiowa.edu/~oldcap
E-mail: ann.smothers@uiowa.edu
Sergeant Floyd MonumentThis 100-foot tall white stone obelisk was the first registered national historic landmark in the United States. Overlooking the Missouri River Valley, it marks the burial place of Sergeant Charles Floyd, the only fatality of the 1804 Lewis & Clark Expedition.
2601 S. Lewis Blvd.
Sioux City
712.279.0198
www.sioux-city.org/museum
E-mail: scpm@sioux-city.org
Sergeant Floyd Towboat
This diesel inspection ship plied the inland waterways for 50 years as the flagship of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers construction fleet. See the history of Missouri River transportation through rare photos, artifacts and dioramas. Large display of scale-model keel boats and steamboats.
Houses the Sergeant Floyd River Museum and Welcome Center
1000 Larsen Park Rd.
Sioux City
712.279.0198
www.sioux-city.org/museum
E-mail: scpm@sioux-city.org
Terrace HillThis opulent 1869 Victorian mansion was built by Iowa's first millionaire, Benjamin F. Allen, and currently serves as Iowa's governor's residence. Terrace Hill overlooks downtown Des Moines and is situated on eight acres with a Victorian formal garden.
2300 Grand Ave.
Des Moines
515.281.3604
www.terracehill.org
Toolesboro Mound Group
Group of seven Woodland culture burial mounds and visitor center/museum with Oneota culture artifacts.
6568 Toolesboro Rd.
Wapello
319.523.8381
www.lccb.org
E-mail: lccb@lccb.org
Van Allen and Company Department Store
This building, designed by renowned architect Louis Sullivan, is a four-story, steel-frame skeleton, faced with brick, and has exuberant terra-cotta ornamentation at the attic level. A small museum and ground-floor business are open to the public.
200 Fifth Ave. S.
Clinton
William M. Black Dredge
This working 1934 dredge boat once roamed the Missouri River. Today tour the engine room and pilothouse, and experience an overnight in a stateroom to see what life was like on a working steamboat.
On the grounds of the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium
350 E. Third St.
Dubuque
563.557.9545 or 800.226.3369
www.rivermuseum.com
E-mail: info@rivermuseum.com
William P. Hepburn House
Colonel Hepburn was a U.S. congressman who, as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, negotiated the Panama Canal agreement. Hepburn hosted President Theodore Roosevelt in Clarinda in 1903. Today the Hepburn House is closed to the public.
319 W. Lincoln
Clarinda
Woodbury County Courthouse
This brick, Prairie Style building was designed by William LaBarthe Steele and built in 1918. The structure is adorned with thousands of colorful tiles depicting panoramic scenes on the first two interior floors and topped by a stained-glass dome.
620 Douglas St.
Sioux City
www.woodbury-ia.com/photos.asp
Other Sites
Iowa also has three protected archaeological sites that are included on the registry of National Historic Landmarks but are not open to the public:
- Blood Run Site
- Indian Village Site (Wittrock Area)
- Phipps Site
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