?/ , V, • i Form 10-300 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF TH! INTERIOR (Dec. 1968) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Iowa COUNTY: NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES _____Van INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER (Type all entries — complete applicable sections) APR z JLJ9J2 Bentonsport AND/OR HISTORIC: Bentonsport liiiliiiiilit|......... .....,.;.-.•. ................. STREET AND NUMBER: _________Washington Township, rural route, Keosauqua, Iowa CITY OR TOWN: Keosauqua Iowa 52565 14 Van Buren 177 liiiiiiliiiiilliNi CATEGORY ACCESSIBLE IS) OWNERSHIP STATUS (Check One) TO THE PUBLIC District | | Bui Iding D Public Public Acquisition: Occupied CD Yes: Site (Xl Structure D Private In Process [ | Unoccupied Restricted Q Both Being Considered Preservation work Unrestricted 3 Object Q in progress No: D U PRESENT USE (Check One or More as Appropriate) ID Agricultural | | Government | | Park Transportation ___O^_^ Comments Commercial d) Industrial Q Private Residence Other rSM$T^r;\ U.Q //_———— /-vO'- - ~ *:>/ Educational (x) Military Q Religious Entertainment fc) Museum {£] Scientific OWNERS NAME: Van Buren County Conservation Board UJ STREET AND NUMBER: UJ Courthouse, Van Buren County Cl TY OR TOWN: Keosauqua Iowa COURTHOUSE, REGISTRY OF DEEDS. ETC: Van Buren County Courthouse STREET AND NUMBER: __________City of Keosauqua Cl TY OR TOWN: Keosauqua Iowa 14 APPROXIMATE ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY: 35 TITLE OF SURVEY: County Outdoor Recreation Plan...Master restoration plan by Bill Wagner DATE OF SURVEY: 2/11/69 Federal f~| State County Local DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS: County Courthouse of Van Buren County STREET AND NUMBER: CITY OR TOWN: Keosauqua Iowa 52565 14 (Check One) CONDITION Excellent | | Good Q3 Fair E Deteriorated Q] Ruins a Unexposed a (Check One) (Check One) INTEGRITY Altered | | Unaltered (x] Moved G Original Site g] DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (if known) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE The remaining store buildings in Bentonsport appear today much as they did originally. The buildings reflect a mid-nineteenth century village style which might be described as "Federalist" or colonial type. Remaining buildings consist of a bank, blacksmith shop and two store buildings. what were once a dry goods and general store. A building to the west, apart from the main complex, is of "steamboat go^hic" architecture, frame construction, and badly deteriorated. Two blocks to the west on the south side of the street stands the Odd Fellows Hall, the oldest in Iowa, which is in a fair state of repair. To the north, the Hancock house is privately owned, but in bad repair but worthy of restoration. It boasts a unique Turkish type mosque^on the back T of the house, with a bell which was taken from a steamboat. The CO plans of this home are said to be in the National Archives in Washington, m D. 'C. , and the staircase contains some 12 varieties of wood, a very attrac­ tive open staircase. rn To the north and across the road from the Hancock house stands the Presbyterian church, which is beautifully framed by tall evergreen trees co at the entrance. The church is in bad need of repair, but the Bentonsport Improvement Association is now embarked upon a restoration program for the H building. The only alterations to this building has been the closing of 70 the balcony, but this could still be restored. C= n To the west of the Presbyterian church is the Bentonsport Academy, H worthy of restorative effort. The buildings, all of them are in need of tuck pointing, exterior and roof fe'pair. O A restoration project in the amount of $5000. is now underway on the z exterior of the Presbyterian church. This work is being done by the CO Bentonsport Improvement Association. PERIOD (Check One or More as Appropriate) Pre-Columbian Q 16th Century Q 18th Century 20th Century 15th Century Q 17th Century Q 19th Century SPECIFIC DATE(S) (If Applicable and Known) AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE (Check One or More as Appropriate) Abor iginal Education Political Urban Planning Prehistoric , , | | Engjnee.ring Q • , Re|igipn/Phi r Other (Specify) D Historic ["5ft Industry losophy Agriculture | | Invention Science Outstanding Art Q Landscape Sculpture example of mid 19th Commerce | | Architecture Social/Human­ century Midwest_ Communications | | Literature itarian a rural village. Conservation [X1 Military D Theater a Music D Transportation a STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE (Include Personages, Dates, Events, Etc.) The village of Bentonsport was platted in 1832^-by John Bending in association with Charles 0. &anford and H. P. Graves and claimed at one time more than 1000 residents. The village boasts pretentious brick homes, once the finest in Van Buren county and other points of interest. Thejfeson House, a two and one half story b ck hotel of modified Colonial architecture, was built in the 184QJLs . It became famous up and down the Des Moines River as the stopover for steamboat captains and rail­ road men. Privately owned, it is in a good state of repair and is open u for public tours by admission. The two story brick academy in the western part of town was built in^851 and little changed with the exception of th eg cupola. The Presbyterian and Methodist churches are still in use. The Presbyterian church, built in 1866, houses a steamboat beJJ. noted for its clarity of tone. Bentonsport was the site of the first^paper mill in Iowa and the first lins'eed oil mill in southern Iowa. The first flatboat loaded with produce out qf t,he Des Mpi.nes riyer .started from Bentonsport. Bentonsport is the site of the first dam frith locks in the state of Iowa. Bentonsport was the home of Thomas. McBride, president of the State LU University of Iowa for many years. The river bridge still stands, adding to the aesthetic atmosphere, built in 1885. CO Bentonsport was the home of these noted people: ^ Secretary of War under President Hayes, Hon. George W McCrary William E. Masori-fu. S. Senator from Illinois—1880 f s Robert R. MasotfCClerk U.S. district court 1865-1905 William A. Clarlc, U.S. Senator from Montana 1901 Martha Burtorf, journalist Gideon Bailey^JJ.S. Marshall, state senate Albert Bigelow Paine, humorist, poet, biographer As one of the few remaining unchanged villages in America, Bentonsport has a unique history and many buildings which have stood the test of time. Once a major Iowa steamboAr port, the little village attracts thousands of visitors annually from over the country in spite of the deteriorated con­ dition of many of the buildings. This is one of Iowa's most scenic areas, wirth recreational potential as well as historical and educative values, irvl^the plan of the Van Buren Conservation Board to seek Federal funding \\Luto matVh local funds now available to restore this unique village to its ^ghtf&fcL place as one of America's few remaining examples of village life of th£-iiid 18th century. We deem this location to have national signi- these reasons. THE IOWAN MAGAZINE, 1955 HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY AMERICAN GUIDE SERIES, 1940 "BENTONSPORT , IOWA" 1 : • :. o ;• -."(• ~- ". , : O '• '• LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES r. LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES DEFINING A RECTANGLE LOCATING THE PROPERTY ' DEFINING THE CENTER POINT OF A PROPERTY ... .-., . • --• .->.-. , .- J > " .• 'OF LESS. THAN ONE ACRE CORNER LATITUDE LONGITUDE LATITUDE LONGITUDE /JO Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds NW 40° 38' 32" 91 ° 52 ' 8" 0 . o ' » NE 40° 38' 24" 91 I 51 ' 38 " SE 40° 38* 10 " 91 ° 51 ' 46 " ..-•:-' 'i',' y \ sw 40" 38' 18' 91 ° 52 ' 16" • -'.\ iff/ /\ LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATtXiR1 COUN -fV BOUNDARIES -£V. _ s v-~.» \ STATE: CODE COUNTY "• prp(F\\jM\ X'X\ CODE m m ,— -' ^ lQ7f\ 'j'-\ STATE: CODE COUN-FV: , <iO W^ V— \ CODE : (J *^' ' V. ——— z STATE: CODE COUNt-tY;\') Hiv; -' 01[ '9:^ ' "" ' _/cy'-<^ CODE STATE: CODE COUNTY:',-1' -t"^ ^r/ CODE H ' "''•-^41 / "••-, i "s9/>, •• \ x / C NAME AND TITLE: Carroll L. Caudle, Executive Director O ORGANIZATION DATE H Van Buren Development Association Inc. 8/15/71 STREET AND NUMBER: O 4038 33rd Street ' : f '" ' c i • Z CITY OR TOWN: STATE CODE fiiii^MiiPii^iii^iMiPiM^iBii^^^^^^Des Moines JpV^r? 5f)^Jf) , 14 As the designated State Liaison Officer for the Na­ I hereby certify that this property is included in the tional Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion National Register. in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service. The recommended Chief, Office of Archeology and HistoticPreseTvation level of significance of this nomination is: National Q State Eg Local Q Date / '-.-.' Name ^^L^L>—— i D - ^^\»^^t^ ATTEST: _ T-*I cf f ) ,v , ~ rt£T' ^ , •*** Title !>T/-^vJ-tL f^)fai5fM LS'Tlrt<-*~1 4?m<y^^^ Bate 3 FtL. n?A Date APR 2 5 1Q7f a ^ ff 'k< -7V f-UJ I'l /• ^y-.U'H'Mu£'/-FijfH'-" !• " ^mn^wi&rri? ^t> ^ifa.'f'wi-'^n^i'^ / ,. - . •^SEJSiMi/'/'^ Cfe>,\ lkm^ H,/v ,>(; fl'.i:>«/.».:* , -v « f »•. .? j 1' *> * BE:.;TONSPORT^VERNON > Latitude & Long. LOCATED IN HENRV at WASHINGTON TOWNSHIPS Sf.tt.le 30O ff«,t to on* Inch'. * 91° 52' 8" 91" 5l' 38" 40* 3&' 24" 91" 51' 46 " Latitude Longitude 32 ' 52' 4(T 38 91 8" 4(5* 38' 24" 91" 51' 38" <4-|ft ^ 38' 10" 91" 51' 46* /i Q 38' 18" 91" 52' 16" .1B97 . c o . NFS Form 10-900-a OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number ——— Page ——— Bentonsport Van Buren County, Iowa ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION APPROVAL NPS Form 10-900-a 0MB Approval No.