National Register of Historic Places

Harlan-Lincoln House

Mount Pleasant, Henry County, Iowa
Listed
May 24, 1973
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
73000726

About this property

The Harlan–Lincoln House is a historic structure located on the Iowa Wesleyan College campus in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, United States. It is now a museum that houses memorabilia from the families of Senator James Harlan and President Abraham Lincoln, who are associated with the house. Built in 1854, the house was built for James Harlan who served as the college's president from 1853 to 1855 and again from 1869 to 1870. Harlan was president when the school's name was changed from Mt. Pleasant Collegiate Institute to Iowa Wesleyan University. He maintained his home here after he resigned as college president to become one of the U.S. senators from Iowa and then Secretary of the Interior during the administration of Andrew Johnson. Harlan retired to the house in 1876 and lived there until his death in 1899. The house passed to his daughter Mary Harlan Lincoln, who had married Robert Todd Lincoln, son of Abraham Lincoln. She donated the house to Iowa Wesleyan in 1907. It has served as the president's house, and administrative building and it housed the art department. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The Harlan–Lincoln House now serves as a museum that contains memorabilia from both the Harlan and Lincoln families. Mary Todd Lincoln’s mourning veil, a collar fragment believed to be from the coat President Lincoln wore when was assassinated, a desk used by Senator Harlan and a rock collection from Abraham Lincoln II are all part of the collection. Harlan–Lincoln House Archived February 2, 2016, at the Wayback Machine – Iowa Wesleyan College

Location

101 W. Broad St.
Mount Pleasant, Henry County, Iowa
40.97169, -91.54934

Categories

POLITICS/GOVERNMENTSOCIAL 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

Allen, G. W. S., House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Brazelton House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Zuhn Building
Industrial
0.3 mi
Ambler, Henry, House
Industrial
0.3 mi
Masonic Temple Theater
Industrial
0.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Harlan-Lincoln House listed on the National Register?

Harlan-Lincoln House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 24, 1973.

What type of historic resource is Harlan-Lincoln House?

Harlan-Lincoln House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Harlan-Lincoln House?

The period of significance for Harlan-Lincoln House is recorded as the industrial era.

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