National Register of Historic Places

Swedesburg Historic Commercial District

Swedesburg, Henry County, Iowa
Listed
July 14, 1999
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
99000829

About this property

The Swedesburg Historic Commercial District, also known as the Swedish Heritage Museum, is a nationally recognized historic district in Swedesburg, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. At the time of its nomination it consisted of four resources, which included three contributing buildings and one non-contributing building. The three historic buildings housed commercial businesses beginning in an era when this unincorporated community was a settlement of Swedish immigrants. It is not known when the first retail establishment was built here, by the Berg Hardware Store, the frame building furthest to the west, was constructed in 1875. The Sam White General Store, the middle frame building, was completed in 1881. Both of these buildings were moved to their present location when the Farmers Union Exchange was built in 1928. This building type, a frame structure with the "boomtown" front, was typical of frontier towns and were replaced by brick buildings as the town grew. However, in many small towns in Iowa, this style continued to be the norm. The brick veneer and the aluminum siding above it were added to the front of the building in 1964. The Farmers Union Exchange had been formed after the Anderson and Nelson Store moved their business and their building north to Olds, Iowa. The White store building was joined to the new building for extra space, and the Berg building was used for storage. The store remained in operation until 1976. The complex was acquired by the Swedish Heritage Society for a museum in 1990, and opened the following year. The fourth, and non-contributing building, was built as a garage in 1928. It was converted into a stuga, a small Swedish cottage, by the museum so visitors could see what immigrants to this community left behind in the old country.

Location

107 IA 218
Swedesburg, Henry County, Iowa
41.10447, -91.54492

Categories

EUROPEANARCHITECTURE
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

Red Ball Garage
Industrial
0 mi
Hult, Charles E., House, Summer Kitchen and Wood Shed
Industrial
0 mi
Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church
Industrial
0.1 mi
Hultquist, John, House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Hulme, Samuel and Sarah, House
Industrial
5.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Swedesburg Historic Commercial District listed on the National Register?

Swedesburg Historic Commercial District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 14, 1999.

What type of historic resource is Swedesburg Historic Commercial District?

Swedesburg Historic Commercial District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Swedesburg Historic Commercial District?

The period of significance for Swedesburg Historic Commercial District is recorded as the listed era.

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