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.
MAKE A DONATION
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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13
Sep
2019Holiday Open House
Visit the historic Jordan House Museum & Bennett School Museum Sunday, December 1 from 1-4pm and enjoy amazing decorations, tasty treats and family fun. Tickets are only $5 for adults, $3 for children (6-17). Tickets...
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29
Aug
2019Jordan Scholars Kicks off 5th Year!
The 5th year of the James Jordan Scholars Leadership Institute kicked off Wednesday, August 28 at West Des Moines City Hall. This year 18 Scholars from area high schools will learn from community leaders about the ups and...
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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WEST DES MOINES HISTORICAL SOCIETY - HISTORIC BUILDINGS
The Jordan House Museum
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 Museum
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.