Fair Oaks Historic District
National Register of Historic Places

Fair Oaks Historic District

Muscatine, Muscatine County, Iowa
Listed
February 24, 2020
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
100004983

About this property

The Fair Oaks Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Muscatine, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. At the time it was studied for the Muscatine Historic Preservation Commission it contained 231 resources, which included 176 contributing buildings and 55 non-contributing buildings. Dr. James Weed was an early settler in Muscatine. He married Mary Swift in 1847, and the couple settled a farm on the northeast side of town where they built a Gothic Revival house from 1852 to 1854 (a contributing building). The couple donated 63 acres (25 ha) of wooded land on the east side of their property along the Mississippi River for a community park. Along the southern and western edges of their property, they plated subdivisions and eight houses had been built by the time of Mary's death in 1908. The rest of their property was opened up for development at that time and it was given the name Fair Oaks in a city-wide contest. It was divided into 101 lots. There were 57 houses in the subdivision by 1919, and 25 houses and a grocery store were built in the 1920s. Between 1930 and 1944 another 15 houses were built, 11 houses between 1945 and 1954, 13 houses between 1955 and 1965, and four houses since 1965. Fair Oaks consists of 134 houses, some with an attached garage, 94 detached garages and other outbuildings, and three commercial buildings. Six houses do not have a garage of any kind. Most of the houses are either bungalows or modest two-story houses. Twenty-four houses are brick or brick veneer with the remaining houses being wood-frame. The exteriors of 12 houses were finished with stucco. A variety of architectural styles are found in the neighborhood that reflects the time period they were built.

Location

Muscatine, Muscatine County, Iowa

Categories

ARCHITECTURECOMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
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.

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Everything a full report reveals about Fair Oaks Historic District

This page lists Fair Oaks Historic District. 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.
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Questions about this property

When was Fair Oaks Historic District listed on the National Register?

Fair Oaks Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 24, 2020.

What type of historic resource is Fair Oaks Historic District?

Fair Oaks Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Fair Oaks Historic District?

The period of significance for Fair Oaks Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Fair Oaks Historic District?

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 Fair Oaks Historic District will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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