National Register of Historic Places

First Johnson County Asylum

Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa
Listed
August 30, 1978
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
78001226

About this property

The First Johnson County Asylum is a historic building located on the far west side of Iowa City, Iowa, United States. The first facility Johnson County built to care for paupers and the mentally ill was a four-room cabin in 1855. Two wings were added to the original building six years later. All that remains of this structure is this wing that housed the mentally ill. The single-story wood-frame structure with a gable roof was used by the county for this purpose until 1886 when a new facility was completed. It was initially thought that it was built in 1859, but later research revealed that it was built in 1861 and that it was moved a short distance to this location in 1888. This building served for many years as a hog building on the Johnson County Poor Farm. It is now part of an education-based farm program called Grow:Johnson County. The building was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. In 2014 it was included as a contributing property in the Johnson County Poor Farm and Asylum Historic District.

Location

Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa
41.65615, -91.60523

Categories

SOCIAL HISTORY
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.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Coralville Public School
Industrial
2.2 mi
Coralville Union Ecclesiastical Church
Civil War
2.3 mi
Billingsley-Hills House
Industrial
2.9 mi
First Welsh Congregational Church
Industrial
3 mi
Ashton, Ned, House
Industrial
3 mi

Questions about this property

When was First Johnson County Asylum listed on the National Register?

First Johnson County Asylum was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 30, 1978.

What type of historic resource is First Johnson County Asylum?

First Johnson County Asylum is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for First Johnson County Asylum?

The period of significance for First Johnson County Asylum is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near First Johnson County Asylum?

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