Iowa's Historic Sites
Iowa is home to a rich array of historic sites that reflect its diverse cultural heritage and significant historical events. Among these is the Blood Run Site, an archaeological complex notable for its conical burial mounds linked to the Oneota culture, which has connections to many Native American groups. The Sergeant Floyd Monument in Sioux City commemorates the only fatality from the Lewis and Clark Expedition, highlighting the era of Western expansion. In Des Moines, the Fort Des Moines Provisional Army Officer Training School played a crucial role during World War I, where African American soldiers trained and were later recognized for their valor in combat.
The Hoover Birthplace in West Branch offers a glimpse into the early life of Herbert Hoover, the 31st President of the United States, while the Hepburn House in Clarinda is significant for its connections to political regulation, particularly the Hepburn Act. Additionally, the Toolesboro Mound Group stands as the best-preserved site of the Hopewell culture, showcasing ancient mortuary practices. Lastly, the Weaver House in Bloomfield represents the political activism of the Populist movement in the late 19th century. Together, these sites present a multifaceted view of Iowa's historical narrative, encompassing themes of indigenous heritage, military history, and political evolution.
Iowa's Historic Sites
Blood Run Site
Location: Sioux Falls, Lyon County
Relevant issues: American Indian history
Statement of significance: Blood Run Site is the only known mound group attributable to the Oneota culture, which is ancestral to many midwestern Native American groups. The archaeological complex consists of the remains of a village that once included more than 158 visible conical burial mounds and an effigy earthwork. Limited archaeological data indicate Native American occupation of this site in the early 1700s extending back perhaps as far as 1300 C.E.
Floyd Monument
Location: Sioux City, Woodbury County
Relevant issues: Western expansion
Statement of significance: This 100-foot obelisk commemorates the burial of Sergeant Floyd, the only member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition to lose his life during the expedition.
Fort Des Moines Provisional Army Officer Training School
Location: Des Moines, Polk County
Relevant issues: African American history, military history, World War I
Statement of significance: Here, on June 17, 1917, one thousand Black college men and two hundred non-commissioned officers from the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Infantry and the Ninth and Tenth Cavalry Regiments were sworn into the Provisional Army Officer Training School; on October 15, 639 men graduated from the course and received their commissions. Black units led by the officers trained here were assembled in France as the Ninety-second Division; this gallant division, composed entirely of African American troops, received many citations and awards for meritorious and distinguished conduct in combat against the Imperial German Army on the approaches to Metz in the Lorraine.
Hepburn House
Location: Clarinda, Page County
Relevant issues: Political history
Statement of significance: From about 1867 to 1916, this was the residence of William P. Hepburn (1833-1916), the congressman who introduced the Hepburn Act (1906), giving the federal government the power to set railroad rates, a precedent in federal regulation of private industry.
Hoover Birthplace
Location: West Branch, Cedar County
Relevant issues: Political history
Statement of significance: This was the birthplace of Herbert Hoover (1874-1964), the thirty-first president of the United States (1929-1933). This two-room frame cottage in West Branch was his home in 1884.
Toolesboro Mound Group
Location: Toolesboro, Louisa County
Relevant issues: American Indian history
Statement of significance: First excavated in 1875, this is the best-preserved Hopewell site in Iowa, representing an extension of the “classic” Hopewellian mortuary practices of the Illinois River Valley.
Weaver House
Location: Bloomfield, Davis County
Relevant issues: Political history
Statement of significance: From about 1865 to 1890, this was the home of James B. Weaver (1833-1912), Populist candidate for president and anti-monopolist. Weaver was a proponent of the graduated income tax and principal sponsor of free coinage of silver.
Brennan, Paul. "Four Historic Sites Illuminate Iowa's Role in the Underground Railroad." Little Village, 20 June 2023, littlevillagemag.com/four-historic-sites-illuminate-iowas-role-in-the-underground-railroad/. Accessed 29 May 2024.
Schulein, Thomas. Iowa City. Arcadia Publishing, 2024.
Whye, Mike. Detour Iowa: Historic Destinations. History Press Library, 2020.