Kossuth County Historical Society

Some of the best history isn't just told - it's still standing. The Kossuth County Historical Society Museum is housed in a building that has quietly witnessed over 150 years of Algona's story, built in 1867 as the very first school constructed within the city limits. In 1887, the building was purchased by the Grand Army of the Republic and moved to its current location, where it served as the G.A.R. Hall for Civil War veterans. That legacy was formally recognized in 2014, when the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a G.A.R. Memorial Hall. Today, it stands as one of only fourteen two-story wooden schoolhouses remaining in Iowa - and the only one still in use. Guided by its mission to preserve the past, document the present, and enrich the future, the Kossuth County Historical Society Museum offers visitors a rare chance to step into a piece of living Iowa history.