PLAN YOUR VISIT
Experience The Jordan House, a stately Victorian home of Italianate Gothic design and Bennett School, one of the last one-room schoolhouses built in Iowa.
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BECOME A MEMBER
West Des Moines Historical Society is dedicated to the mission of historic preservation and to educate public about our historic sites in Central Iowa.
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Your tax-deductible contribution supports community enrichment through education, preservation, and celebration of the history of the greater WDM area.
RECENT NEWS
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29
May
2018No Guided Tour Friday, June 1
Due to a private event at the Jordan House, we will be unable to offer Guided Tours Friday, June 1. Private tours will be held Saturday June 2 and Sunday, June 3, at 11am and 1pm. Read More →
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19
May
2018Discover Decoration Day May 20
We hope you will join us at the Jordan House Sunday, May 20 as we Celebrate Decoration Day with the West Des Moines Parks and Rec Department and West Des Moines Community Band, from 1-3pm. Due to preparing for this event,...
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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WEST DES MOINES HISTORICAL SOCIETY - HISTORIC BUILDINGS
The Jordan House
The Jordan House, a stately Victorian home of Italianate Gothic design, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a member of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program....
The Bennett School
Built in 1926 or ’27 the Bennett School was one of the last one room schools to be built in West Des Moines and was in use until at least 1941. It was originally located on an acre of ground donated...
Jordan House and The Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was a loosely organized system for helping escaped slaves from the southern states reach freedom in the North or Canada in the years before the Civil War.
To learn more about the Underground Railroad, click here.