ARTWORK BY WENDELL MOHR
A
Self-Guided Virtual Tour of
Historic Bentonsport, Iowa
ARTWORK BY WENDELL MOHR
If you haven't yet experienced Bentonsport
. . . we hope you will come be our guests.
If you have already visited, please come again. We hope this "virtual
tour" of
our community will bring back great memories or help create new ones the
next
time you visit.
Click on the small photos for a larger view, then use your
browser's "back" button to return.
1 Mason House
Inn – Built in 1846 to serve steamboat passengers and other
travelers, the Ashland House was purchased by Lewis Mason in 1857 and
was renamed The Mason House Inn. It stayed in the Mason family for 99
years. Operated as a Bed and Breakfast, it is the oldest steamboat hotel
in continuous use along the Des Moines River. Eight beautifully
decorated bedrooms are furnished with authentic 19th century
antiques. The quiet charm of the Mason House affords the perfect setting
for honeymoons, anniversaries and for relaxing, secluded get-away
weekends or family reunions. Tours given. Open year round. For more
information call 319-592-3133. Add'l.
Info |
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2 Hotle House
– Currently under historic research. Believed to be one of the older
homes in Bentonsport. A private residence. |
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3 Log Home and
Town Hall – The
white building is the old Harrisburg Township Hall building. The old log
cabin is one of the original log homes in Iowa. Privately owned. They
are unstable. Please maintain a safe distance. |
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4 Indian
Artifacts Museum – This
native American Artifacts Museum is owned and operated by Tony Sanders.
He collected the artifacts himself and has over 4000 different items on
display. The cabin and the awesome wood interior of the cabin were hand
made by Tony. Open daily by chance or appointment.
Add'l.
Info |
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5 Samuel Paine
House – Located
at the top of the hill on J40, the Paine House was built in 1856.
Captain Paine fought with Company I, 19th Iowa Infantry in the Civil
War. His son, Albert Bigelow Paine, is best known as the biographer,
literary executor, and close friend of Mark Twain, whom he met in 1901.
It is a private residence. |
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6 Mormon House
– The
white stone building, originally a two-story house, was built by Mormon
artisans in 1846. It was used as a dormitory for the workmen who built
many of the brick buildings still in use today. Later the building was
used as a wagon factory, and a residence. It is privately owned by Chris
Bennett, a renowned sculpture artist. This structure is unstable and
dangerous. Please keep a safe distance. Add'l.
Info |
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7 Herman Greef
House – This
lovely home of Georgian style architecture was built in 1863. The
built-in shutters at the windows fold up into the butternut woodwork.
Herman Greef was the owner of the Greef General Store and also owned the
Bank of Bentonsport. Private residence. |