National Register of Historic Places

Old Main

Mount Pleasant, Henry County, Iowa
Listed
March 25, 1973
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
73000727

About this property

Old Main is a historic building located on the Iowa Wesleyan University campus in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, United States. Built in 1854, when James Harlan was the college's president, it is the second building constructed on the campus after Pioneer Hall. It is believed that Old Main was the first genuine collegiate building built in Iowa. The bricks for the building were manufactured locally by Benjamin Franklin Pearson of Keosauqua, Iowa, who also was responsible for some of the building's construction. The three-story building has modified classical features. It was designed to have classrooms on the first two floors and the library, natural history museum and chapel on the third floor. The building is capped with a hip roof with bracketed eaves, and a wooden cupola with a low dome painted gold. The International P.E.O. Sisterhood was founded in the building. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Location

Mount Pleasant, Henry County, Iowa
40.97530, -91.54294

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
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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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
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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
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Spotlight
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Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
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Nearby Historic Sites

Harlan-Lincoln House
Industrial
0.4 mi
Zuhn Building
Industrial
0.4 mi
Allen, G. W. S., House
Industrial
0.6 mi
Brazelton House
Industrial
0.6 mi
Ambler, Henry, House
Industrial
0.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was Old Main listed on the National Register?

Old Main was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 25, 1973.

What type of historic resource is Old Main?

Old Main is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Old Main?

The period of significance for Old Main is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Old Main?

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