The West Des Moines Historical Society has taken possession of the historic Nolte/Lynn log cabin from the State Historical Society of Iowa. SHSI deaccessioned this cabin and offered it to qualified Iowa museums, and the WDMHS was chosen to be the next caretaker of this piece of Iowa history.

The James Nolte Log Cabin was originally located one mile west, then mile north from Melcher-Dallas, Iowa. It was built by William Nolte,  in 1888-1889 (although there are some opinions that it is was built earlier, as the Noltes married in August of 1871 & they would have most likely built the cabin soon after that.) It is a 16′ by 20′, story and a half cabin which housed the Noltes and their twelve children.

West Des Moines residents Marjorie and Ralph Lynn purchased the cabin in 1974 and reconstructed it in 1976 on their three-acre property at 3408 Woodland, West Des Moines. Their intent was to complete a museum complex showing the life lived by early Euro-American settlers. The Lynn’s museum never came to fruition, and in 1985 they donated the log cabin to the State of Iowa, where it has been disassembled and waiting in storage for its next chance to educate and share! The transfer of the cabin to WDMHS will allow for it to be reconstructed and interpreted.

The West Des Moines Historical Society will be working with the City of West Des Moines to rebuild this cabin as part of the new Historic Campus portion of the Legacy Woods project. Our goal is to raise $100,000, pour a cement slab and rebuild this historic home.

Your support will make this project a success.

You can be part of this project by adopting a log! Your $100 “adoption fee” includes a frameable certificate of adoption that would be a wonderful gift for the history buff. If you purchase 5 logs, you receive the certificates and your name or a name of your choosing will be included on a permanent plaque which will be part of the recognition of supporters of the Historic Campus.

I’d like to donate $500 or more to the Log Cabin project!