National Register of Historic Places

Nishnabotna Ferry House

Lewis, Cass County, Iowa
Listed
January 26, 2001
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
00001676

About this property

The Nishnabotna Ferry House is an historic building located in Lewis, Iowa, United States. The 1½ story, frame, Greek Revival structure was the home of Samuel Harlow Tefft who operated the cable ferry across the East Nishnabotna River from 1857 to 1859. The road that the ferry served was originally an Indian trail that became a primary route used by western bound emigrants, a stage coach and mail route, the Underground Railroad, a later Mormon Trail, and the Mormon handcart companies. The first ferry at this location was operated by Wm. S. Townsend in 1850. A toll bridge was built here 1853 or 1854. It became unstable by 1856. Tefft bought the property in 1857 in order to operate the ferry, and it is assumed that the house had already been built by that time. A new bridge was built by Cass County in 1859. Tefft and his wife remained in the community and are buried in Oakwood Cemetery at Lewis. Several different families lived in the house until the mid-1970s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

Location

Lewis, Cass County, Iowa
41.30834, -95.09415

Categories

TRANSPORTATION
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

Hitchcock, Rev. George B., House
Industrial
0.6 mi
Griswold National Bank
Industrial
5.7 mi
Chase, Charles F. and and Ruth, House
Industrial
7.7 mi
Cass County Court House
Industrial
7.7 mi
Atlantic High School
Industrial
7.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Nishnabotna Ferry House listed on the National Register?

Nishnabotna Ferry House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 26, 2001.

What type of historic resource is Nishnabotna Ferry House?

Nishnabotna Ferry House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Nishnabotna Ferry House?

The period of significance for Nishnabotna Ferry House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Nishnabotna Ferry House?

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