State Historical Society of Iowa
Encyclopedia
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
and also provides grants, public education, and outreach about Iowa history and archaeology
Iowa archaeology
The archaeology of Iowa is the study of the buried remains of human culture within the state of Iowa from the earliest prehistoric through the late historic periods. When the American Indians first arrived in what is now Iowa more than 13,000 years ago, they were hunters and gatherers living in a...
. The SHSI maintains a museum, library, archives, and research center in Des Moines and a research library in Iowa City, as well as several historic sites in Iowa. It was founded in 1857 in Iowa City, where it was first affiliated with the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
. As the organization grew in size and collections, it became a separate state agency headquartered near the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines.
SHSI publications
The SHSI currently publishes Iowa Heritage Illustrated (formerly the Palimpsest) and the Annals of Iowa. In the past it published the Goldfinch, the Iowa Journal of History and Politics, and the Iowa Historical Record. It also currently produces an e-newsletter, the Historian.
Subscriptions and back issues are available.
State and federal regulation
The SHSI is part of the Iowa Department of Cultural affairs, both organizations coordinate the State Historic Preservation Office of Iowa, Iowa's designated SHPO, which reviews state and federally-mandated laws and regulations relating to historic and archaeological work.SHSI historic sites
SHSI Historic Sites Overview and Links- Montauk Historic Governor's HomeWilliam Larrabee (Iowa)William Larrabee was a Republican politician from Iowa. He served as the 13th Governor of Iowa from 1886 until 1890.-Early life:Larrabee was born in Ledyard, Connecticut, into a family of French Huguenot extraction...
in Clermont, IowaClermont, IowaClermont is a city in Fayette County, Iowa, United States. The population was 716 at the 2000 census. Clermont is home to Montauk, the mansion of former Iowa governor William Larrabee, along with much historic architecture... - Plum Grove Historic HousePlum Grove Historic HousePlum Grove is a historic house located in Iowa City, United States. Plum Grove was the retirement home of Gov. Robert Lucas and the childhood home of the author Eleanor Hoyt Brainerd. Built in 1844, Lucas lived there with his wife, Friendly, and several children and grandchildren...
in Iowa City - Abbie Gardner Sharp CabinSpirit Lake MassacreThe Spirit Lake Massacre was an attack by a Wahpetuke band of Santee Sioux on scattered Iowa frontier settlements during a severe winter. Suffering a shortage of food, the renegade chief Inkpaduta led 14 Sioux against the settlements near Okoboji and Spirit lakes in the northwestern territory of...
in Arnolds Park, IowaArnolds Park, IowaArnolds Park is a city in Dickinson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,126 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 1,162 population in the 2000 census.-Geography:Arnolds Park is located at .... - American Gothic HouseAmerican Gothic HouseThe American Gothic House, also known as the Dibble House, is an iconic Carpenter Gothic house in Eldon, Iowa. It was the backdrop of the 1930 painting American Gothic by Grant Wood...
in Eldon, IowaEldon, IowaEldon is a city in Wapello County, Iowa, United States. The population was 998 at the 2000 census. Eldon is the site of the small Carpenter Gothic style house that has come to be known as the American Gothic House because Grant Wood used it for the background in his famous 1930 painting American... - Matthew Edel Blacksmith Shop in Haverhill, IowaHaverhill, IowaHaverhill is a city in Marshall County, Iowa, United States. The population was 170 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Haverhill is located at...
- Toolesboro Mound GroupToolesboro Mound GroupThe Toolesboro Mound Group, a National Historic Landmark, is a group of Havana Hopewell culture earthworks on the north bank of the Iowa River near its discharge into the Mississippi. The mounds are owned and displayed to the public by the State Historical Society of Iowa...
in Louisa County, IowaLouisa County, Iowa-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 11,387 in the county, with a population density of . There were 5,002 housing units, of which 4,346 were occupied.-2000 census:... - Blood Run SiteBlood Run SiteThe Blood Run Site is an archaeological site on the border of the US states of Iowa and South Dakota. The site was essentially populated for 8,500 years, within which earthworks structures were built by the Oneota Culture and occupied descendant tribes such as the Ioway, Otoe, Missouri, and shared...
in Lyon County, IowaLyon County, Iowa-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 11,581 in the county, with a population density of . There were 4,848 housing units, of which 4,442 were occupied.-2000 census:... - Western Historic Trails Center in Council Bluffs, IowaCouncil Bluffs, IowaCouncil Bluffs, known until 1852 as Kanesville, Iowathe historic starting point of the Mormon Trail and eventual northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trailsis a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States and is on the east bank of the Missouri River across...
See also
- History of IowaHistory of IowaAlthough Native Americans have occupied what is now Iowa for 13,000 years, the written history of Iowa begins with the protohistoric accounts of Native Americans by explorers such as Marquette and Joliet in the 1680s. Until the early 19th century Iowa was occupied exclusively by Indians and a few...
- Iowa archaeologyIowa archaeologyThe archaeology of Iowa is the study of the buried remains of human culture within the state of Iowa from the earliest prehistoric through the late historic periods. When the American Indians first arrived in what is now Iowa more than 13,000 years ago, they were hunters and gatherers living in a...
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Iowa
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Iowa
- Iowa Archeological Society
- Preservation Iowa