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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20
Sep
2018Tours Friday and Sunday
Learn about history in the place it happened! One hour guided tours of the Jordan House are offered every Friday and Sunday, beginning at 11am and 1pm. Cost: $5 for adults, $3 for youth Read More →
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17
Jul
2018The Iowa Files
The West Des Moines Historical Society, in partnership with the West Des Moines Public Library, present “The Iowa Files,” a new lecture series focusing on the people, places and events that make Iowa so interesting!...
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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.