National Register of Historic Places

Bruce Goldfish Fisheries

Thornburg, Keokuk County, Iowa
Listed
September 19, 1982
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
82002626

About this property

Bruce Goldfish Fisheries is located in rural Keokuk County, Iowa, United States east of the village of Thornburg. The fishery was founded in 1877 and ended operations in the 1940s. It became listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It was established in 1877 by Elgin K. Bruce, who had started raising goldfish in Pittsburgh in 1845. His son, E.K. Bruce, Jr., took over the business in 1900 and he had the 1½-story, frame, Queen Anne-Neoclassical style house completed in 1910. At one time, the Bruce Goldfish Fisheries consisted of twenty-four ponds, nine windmills, two fish houses, a storage house, barn, garage and two cement tanks sunk in the ground. The tanks were used to display the fish for public tours, and to sort them before they were shipped. The heyday of the business was in the 1920s, shipping goldfish across the United States and around the world. Tariff protections were removed in 1933 and the American market was opened to less expensive Japanese fish. The effects of the Great Depression also led to the rapid decline of the business. E.K. Bruce, Jr. died in 1936 and the family tried to continue the operation, but it came to an end in the early 1940s. The Bruce family remained on the property until 1978. The house and some of the ponds remain on the property. The farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Location

Thornburg, Keokuk County, Iowa
41.45483, -92.31278

Categories

COMMERCEAGRICULTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Bruce Goldfish Fisheries

This page lists Bruce Goldfish Fisheries. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Bruce Goldfish Fisheries report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Masonic Opera House
Industrial
4.3 mi
Des Moines Fire Department Headquarters-Fire Station No. 1 and Shop Building
Industrial
9.5 mi
Sigourney Public Library
Industrial
10 mi
Public Square Historic District
Industrial
10.1 mi
Keokuk County Courthouse
Industrial
10.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Bruce Goldfish Fisheries listed on the National Register?

Bruce Goldfish Fisheries was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 19, 1982.

What type of historic resource is Bruce Goldfish Fisheries?

Bruce Goldfish Fisheries is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Bruce Goldfish Fisheries?

The period of significance for Bruce Goldfish Fisheries is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Bruce Goldfish Fisheries?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Bruce Goldfish Fisheries will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Keokuk County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Keokuk County.

Explore KeokukCounty ›

More historic places in Iowa

Browse all historic places in Iowa.

View Iowahistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Iowa history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Iowahistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Bruce Goldfish Fisheries will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report