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.
View Calendar
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
-
19
Apr
2019No Tours Easter Sunday
The Jordan House Museum will not be offering Open House tours Sunday, April 21 so staff and volunteers can spend time with family. T Read More →
Read more -
08
Apr
2019White Glove Wednesday
Wednesday, April 17 6pm-7:30pm Jordan House Look, but don’t touch is usually the rule at a museum. But tonight we’ll hand you gloves and you’ll get to more closely examine selected artifacts! Due...
Read more
UPCOMING EVENTS
View Calendar
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.