In 1857, amidst rising tensions between Native Americans and new settlers, 13-year-old Abbie Gardner’s family was killed by men of the Dakota Indian nation. This tragedy became known as the Spirit Lake Conflict.

Young Abbie was taken hostage by the Dakota band and released 84 days later. Decades after the massacre, in 1891, Abbie returned to Arnolds Park and purchased the cabin, operating it as one of Iowa’s earliest tourist attractions.

Visiting Information

Memorial Day – Labor Day

Tuesday – Sunday: Noon – 4:00 p.m.

Closed Monday

Labor Day – Memorial Day

Closed

Grant Wood’s painting American Gothic brought this 1880s house notice as the backdrop of the famous image of a Midwest farmer and his daughter. Hundreds of parodies and takeoffs have made it a popular cultural icon that is one of the most recognized in the world.

Take your own American Gothic photo in front of the 1930s exterior. Tour the adjacent visitor’s center to learn about Grant Wood’s life and the history of the house. Props provided at the visitor’s center will allow you to create your own American Gothic portrait.

Free admission to the grounds, which are open sunrise to sunset. Group tours welcome. Please schedule group tours in advance with the American Gothic Visitor Center at 641-652-3352 or by email.

Imagine this site as it once was—a large village and ceremonial site of the ancestors of the Omaha, Ponca, Iowa and Oto-Missouria tribes, participants in the Oneota traditions. These people were attracted to the site by the Big Sioux River, abundant game, fertile soil and access to pipestone. The land was inhabited from 900 A.D. to 1720 A.D. and was a major trading site from about 1500 to 1700.

Take a self-guided walking tour along mowed trails to view protected burial mounds, village sites and other features of cultural interest.

Grounds open sunrise to sunset.

A skilled blacksmith and inventor, German immigrant Matthew Edel owned this shop from 1883 until his death in 1940. In 1884, Edel was one of 2,100 blacksmiths in Iowa.

Today it’s rare to find such a complete and original shop open to visitors, kept just as he left it the day he died. See his tools, inventions, and hear stories about blacksmithing in the age before tractors and automobiles.

Visiting Information

Memorial Day – Labor Day

Sunday – Saturday

12:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Labor Day – Memorial Day

Closed

Admission & Tours

Free Admission.

Group tours welcome. Please schedule in advance with Historical Society of Marshall County

at 641-752-6664 or Email.

William Larrabee served as the 12th Governor of Iowa from 1886 to 1890 and was a long-time Iowa Senator, Larrabee worked to make the government more responsive to the needs of its citizens. His historic mansion, now known as the Montauk Historic Site, was built on his estate just north of Clermont overlooking the Turkey River Valley in 1874. It was named by Mrs. Larrabee after a lighthouse on Long Island, New York, that guided her sea-captain father home. The 14-room historic mansion retains its charm, as well as the furnishings and character that showcase how the Larrabee family lived from 1874 to 1965. It was constructed out of locally produced brick and the grounds are surrounded by gardens, pine trees planted by the family and statues of Civil War heroes. Larrabee also constructed "The Ideal School House" in Clermont, Iowa with innovations that were before their time and the building stands and is in use by the city to this day

Visiting Information

Memorial Day Weekend – Labor Day

Daily: Noon – 4:00 p.m.

Labor Day – October 31

Friday – Sunday: Noon – 4:00 p.m.

Admission & Tours

Free Admission. The Accessibility & Site Visit Information provides detailed information to help prepare for your visit.

Experience early Iowa history at the home of Iowa’s first territorial governor, Robert Lucas. He built this seven-room Greek Revival house in 1844 using local materials. 

Though it was once part of an 80-acre farm, it is now nestled in an Iowa City neighborhood and furnished by the National Society of Colonial Dames of America with authentic period artifacts common in 1844–1853.

Visiting Information

Memorial Day – June 30

By Appointment

July 1 – Labor Day

Wednesday – Sunday: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Closed on July 4

Labor Day – October 31

Saturday – Sunday: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Admission & Tours

Free Admission.

Group tours welcome. Please schedule in advance with Johnson County Historical Society at 319-569-4502.

Travel the grounds of these burial mounds dating from 200 B.C. to 300 A.D. They include some of the best-preserved and accessible remnants of Iowa’s Hopewell culture, a Middle Woodland people who hunted, gathered and gardened.

Explore the prairie demonstration plot and the visitor center exhibits of this National Historic Landmark and State Archeological Preserve.

Visiting Information

Grounds Open sunrise to sunset.

Visitor Center Hours

Memorial Day – Labor Day

Wednesday – Sunday: 12:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Labor Day – October 31

Saturday 12:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Admission & Tours

Free Admission. Group tours welcome. Please schedule in advance with Louisa County Conservation Board at (319) 523-8381 or by Email.

The State Historical Museum of Iowa is in the State Historical Building of Iowa, just west of the State Capitol in Des Moines. The building also houses one of two State Historical Society of Iowa Research Centers, the State Historical Library and Archives.

At the museum, you’ll discover Iowa’s rich heritage through a variety of exhibitions, collections, tours, student field trips, and unique programs throughout the year.

• Learn about life in Iowa before it became a state and the many changes that took place when settlers arrived.

• Explore Iowa’s rich natural resources and the balance between using and preserving them.

• See how Iowans have impacted government, policies, issues and procedures over the years.

• Discover what inspired more than 76,000 Iowans to fight for the Union during the Civil War and the role they played in the bloodiest chapter of U.S. history.

• Explore Iowa’s legacy on the silver screen from the early 1900s to today.

• Discover Iowa’s bicycling history, including the colorful story of RAGBRAI, the Des Moines Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.

Stop by the information desk on the first floor for a map, children’s activities and further details about exhibits and programs.

Admission

Admission to the museum and research center is free.

Accessibility

The Accessibility & Pre-Visit Information provides detailed information to help prepare for your visit to the State Historical Building.