Iowa is home to 24 National Historic Landmarks, each preserved to allow visitors to step back into time and gain an understanding of the role the sites – and our state – played in the development of the country. Most of the landmarks are open to the public.
Amana Colonies
Seven authentic Iowa villages founded by a religious sect 150 years ago. The Amana Colonies, in many ways, serve as a living history village where visitors can experience life as the early colonists knew it. Attractions include several artisan craft shops, authentic restaurants, and demonstrations of life in the Amanas.
Call: (319) 622-7622 or (800) 579-2294
Dubuque County Jail
This beautiful building, constructed in 1857, provides an example of Egyptian Revival architecture. Inside, see a display of items from the Dubuque County Historical Society and a compelling light and sound show entitled "The Hanging of Patrick O'Connor”.
36 E. Eighth St.
Dubuque
Call: (563) 557-9545
Farm House
This 1860 building was the first structure constructed at the Iowa State Agricultural College and model farm. The Farm House includes an impressive display of more than 6,000 pieces of Victorian decorative art and antique furnishings.
Iowa State University Campus
Ames
Call: (515) 294-7426 or (515) 294-3342
Hitchcock House
Iowa played a key role of the Underground Railroad, which helped transfer slaves from the south to Canada, where they lived as free men and women. The Hitchcock House, one mile west of Lewis, features exhibits and a variety of events.
Lewis
Call: (712) 769-2323
Fort Des Moines Provisional Army Officer Training School
The country’s first officer training school for African-American soldiers, Fort Des Moines graduated more than 600 captains and lieutenants in 1939. A Memorial Park and Education Center memoralizes these men, who fought in WWI.
Army Post Rd. and Caffee Rd.
Des Moines
Call: (515) 282-8060 or (888) 828-3678
George M. Verity Towboat
The George M. Verity paddlewheel steamboat was built in 1927 and retired in 1960. View its original boiler, machinery, crew quarters and pilothouse.
George M. Verity Riverboat Museum
Victory Park
Keokuk
Call: (319) 524-4765 or (800) 383-1219
Herbert Hoover Birthplace
Iowa’s only native-born president, Herbert Hoover was born in West Branch and is the location of the excellent birthplace, a reconstructed blacksmith shop, a one-room schoolhouse, and the excellent Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum.
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library & Museum and Birthplace Cottage
West Branch
Call: (319) 643-5301 or (319) 643-2541
Historic General Dodge House
Grenville Dodge played a key role in making the transcontinental railroad a reality. A successful businessman, he built a stunning Victorian house in 1869-70.
605 Third St.
Council Bluffs
(712) 322-2406
James B. Weaver House
Weaver was a Civil War general who lived in Bloomfield and built this house, now a bed and breakfast, in 1867. Weaver later served as a U.S. Representative for the state.
Weaver Park Road
Bloomfield
Lone Star Steamboat
The last wooden-hull stern wheeler steamboat in the country, located at the Buffalo Bill Museum in LeClaire. Also available for viewing is the Green Tree, a Mississippi landmark for two centuries.
Buffalo Bill Museum
199 N. Front St.
Le Claire
Call: (563) 289-5580 or (563) 289-4603
www.buffalobillmuseumleclaire.com
Merchants National Bank
In the waning years of his career, Louis Sullivan spent his time designing a series of bank buildings across the United States. The Merchants National Bank was constructed in 1914 and is now home to the Grinnell Chamber of Commerce. It is one of his most heralded works.
Downtown Grinnell
Call: (641) 236-6555 or (800) 700-1723
Mines of Spain Recreation Area
The park features scores of archaeological site which provide a glimpse into the history of American Indians, lead mining, fur trading, lumbering and farm life.
8991 Bellevue Heights
Dubuque
Call: (563) 556-0620
Old Capitol
The Old Capitol served as the last capitol of the Iowa Territory (1842-1846) and as Iowa's first state capitol (1846-1857). The building has undergone extension renovations since a fire in 2001.
24 Old Capitol, The University of Iowa Pentacrest
Iowa City
Call: (319) 335-0548
Sergeant Floyd Monument
The first registered national historic landmark in the United States, the Floyd Monument marks the spot where a soldier on the Lewis and Clark Expedition died from an appendicitis attack in 1804. The 100-foot tall white stone obelisk overlooks the Missouri River Valley.
2601 S. Lewis Blvd.
Sioux City
Call: (712) 279.0198
Sergeant Floyd Towboat
One of several boats designated as historic landmarks in the state, the Sergeant Floyd Towboat served as a diesel inspection for 50 years as the flagship of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers construction fleet.
The Sergeant Floyd River Museum and Welcome Center
1000 Larsen Park Rd.
Sioux City
Call: (712) 279-0198
Terrace Hill
The home of Iowa’s governor , Terrace Hill was built by Iowa’s first millionaire, Benjamin F. Allen. Terrace Hill is situated on eight acres.
2300 Grand Ave.
Des Moines
Call: (515) 281-3604
Toolesboro Mound Group
A group of seven Woodland culture burial mounds and visitor center/museum with Oneota culture artifacts.
6568 Toolesboro Rd.
Wapello
(319) 523-8381
Van Allen and Company Department Store
One of five buildings in the state designed by renowned architect Louis Sullivan, this four-story, steel-frame building was a shopping destination in Clinton for years. 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. Visitors to the excellent National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium can tour the engine room and pilothouse. Overnight stays are available.
National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium
350 E. Third St.
Dubuque
Call: (563) 557.9545 or (800) 226-3369
William P. Hepburn House
Hepburn, as a U.S. congressman, served as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and negotiated the Panama Canal agreement. 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
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Iowa's National Historic Landmarks
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