National Register of Historic Places

Manatt, William, House

Brooklyn, Poweshiek County, Iowa
Listed
October 30, 1997
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
97001288

About this property

The William Manatt House, also known as the Brooklyn Historical Museum, is a historic dwelling located in Brooklyn, Iowa, United States. It is associated with the settlement of the town. Manatt and his father Robert moved from Holmes County, Ohio and settled in Poweshiek County in 1848. The farmstead they developed eventually became the city of Brooklyn. His father laid out most of the town in 1855. William sold property to the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad for a $1, and it reached Brooklyn in 1862. He granted land to the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad in 1869. Manatt owned several businesses in town, which were run by various family members, and he owned an estate that grew to 1,500 acres (610 ha) of land. He had this house built in 1869 on property that included a large barn, carriage house and pasture land. Manatt died in the house in 1906. His widow Roxann and two of his daughters, Thursia and Nellie, lived here until they died or moved out late in life. His youngest son Coe bought the house in the mid-1950s when Nellie moved out, and donated it to the city of Brooklyn before he died in 1962. It housed the Brooklyn Public Library until the Spring of 1999, and since then the Brooklyn Historical Museum. The two-story frame structure features Italianate elements, especially the tall, segmentally arched windows and hooded crowns. Dental molding is found on the cornice. The porch that encircles half of the house is not original. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

Location

304 Jackson St.
Brooklyn, Poweshiek County, Iowa
41.73062, -92.44584

Categories

EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT
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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Native Heritage
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Nearby Historic Sites

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5.9 mi
Des Moines Fire Department Headquarters-Fire Station No. 1 and Shop Building
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Questions about this property

When was Manatt, William, House listed on the National Register?

Manatt, William, House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 30, 1997.

What type of historic resource is Manatt, William, House?

Manatt, William, House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Manatt, William, House?

The period of significance for Manatt, William, House is recorded as the industrial era.

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