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Harrison
County Historical Village Background
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The
Harrison County Historical Village beginnings can be traced to 1920 when
Preston A. Niles came to Harrison County to purchase the old Duer
Orchard. From 1921 to 1937, Preston worked the land and began his
collection of western Iowa artifacts.
In 1937, Preston arranged for an original log cabin built in 1953 by
Presley Craig, and located along the Skunk River in Story County to be
moved and rebuilt along Highway 30 adjacent to his apple orchard. A year
later it was opened as a museum, displaying three showcases of artifacts,
a rope bed and an ancient cultivator used to break the prairie sod.
As years past, more buildings were built, or in the case of school, moved
to the facility and hundreds of artifacts were collected, purchased and
traded. Unique
to the village are paintings by Mr. Niles displayed with almost every
collection. Painted in the primitive style of Grandma Moses, they show how
the artifacts were used. For 30 years, Preston operated his Niles Museum. |
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Due to the failing health of his wife, Myrtle,
Preston was forced to sell his museum in 1968. The museum was purchased
by the Harrison County Conservation Board for $18,000 and has been
operated as a public museum since that time. The name was changed to the
Harrison County Historical Village and later that year the Harrison County
Historical Society was formed. Additional buildings were built in 1971
and 1975 to provide space for additional relics and displays.
The need for additional
museum display area became acute again in the early 1980’s. In 1986,
plans were initiated to construct a new display building at the museum. A
private contribution of $5,000 helped kick off this proposal, and with the
assistance of the Harrison County Historical Society, a private
fundraising campaign was begun to help fund the project.
In 1987, the Iowa Legislature appropriated two
million dollars to the Iowa Department of Economic Development for the
purpose of developing new welcome centers across the state. Ten centers
were to be funded on a matching grant basis and were to be located along
interstates, major highways and in rural areas. Promotion of Harrison
County and the surrounding area had always been a priority with museum
personnel so the Harrison County Conservation Board decided that the
inclusion of an Iowa Welcome Center in the museum complex would be a
“natural”.
A total of 46 applicants applied for funding,
and the Harrison County Conservation Board was awarded a $20,000 grant.
The Harrison County Welcome Center was then added to the already
progressing plans for expansion and construction at the museum.
Construction began in June
of 1988 and was completed in February of 1989. Developments included the
remodeling of an existing building, attachment of a new 50’ x 60’
two-story museum display building and construction of a new 900 square
foot Iowa welcome center. The museum/welcome center facility opened to
the public on May 1, 1989.
The contracted costs of the new facility
amounted to just over $197,000. Funding for the project included private
donations, 50%; grants, 10%; federal revenue sharing, 24%; and local
property taxes, 16%. |
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The next major physical change to the facility
occurred on Sunday, May 16, 1999, when the village/welcome center was
struck by a tornado. All nine of the village’s buildings suffered damage
ranging from roofs, shingles and glass to total destruction. Permanent
repairs to the facilities main building housing the Iowa Welcome Center
were begun immediately as the balance of the building became a storage
area for artifacts from the other damaged buildings. The Iowa Welcome
Center remained open to the public and the village was closed. |
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Lengthy discussion was held by the Harrison
County Conservation Board on the historical significance of the other
buildings in comparison to the cost of repair and the ability to retain
the integrity of the building after repair. It was decided to repair the
general store where Mr. Niles first sold his cherry cider, the original
one-room school, and the original log cabin. Five other buildings were
determined to have no historical significance and were so severely damaged
that they were removed.
Plans began immediately to replace the one
larger display building at the south end of the facility. During the
balance of 1999 and the first half of 2000, a new display building was
built, permanent repairs were completed to all other buildings, and
artifacts were placed. The village was re-opened to the public on
Memorial Day weekend in 2000, approximately one-year after the tornado.
The last major addition to the village/welcome
center complex occurred in December of 2000. With the assistance of the
Harrison County Board of Supervisors, the Harrison County Conservation
Board acquired 14 acres of land, including a rental house and detached
garage, west of the village for $165,000. The property had previously
been identified in the Harrison County Conservation Board’s comprehensive
plan as being important to the long-term viability and preservation of the
village/welcome center. Currently the property includes a walking trail
and picnic tables, and is also used for special programs. |
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