Muscatine County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,235. The county seat is Muscatine. The southeastern border is formed by the Mississippi River.
The National Register of Historic Places in the United States is a register including buildings, sites, structures, districts, and objects. The Register automatically includes all National Historic Landmarks as well as all historic areas administered by the U.S. National Park Service. Since its introduction in 1966, more than 90,000 separate listings have been added to the register.
This is a list of properties and historic districts in Iowa that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are listings in all of Iowa's 99 counties, adding up to over 2,300 total.
The Downtown Commercial Historic District in Muscatine, Iowa is a historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. At that time, it included 93 contributing buildings, one other contributing object, and 18 non-contributing buildings. The city of Muscatine was established as Bloomington in 1836. The original town was built on land that is generally flat along the Mississippi River. Residential areas were located on the surrounding hills. Commercial and industrial interests developed on the flatter land near the river. Muscatine's commercial and industrial center had developed in a 12-block area along Front Street, now Mississippi Drive, and 2nd Street between Pine Street and Mulberry Street by 1874. This area, represented by the Downtown Commercial Historic District, is the city's original commercial area. Within its boundaries is a large number of 19th-century commercial buildings, many of which were modified in the first half of the 20th century.
The Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway (BCR&N) was a railroad that operated in the United States from 1876 to 1903. It was formed to take over the operations of the bankrupt Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Minnesota Railway, which was, in turn, the result of merging several predecessor lines, the construction of which began in 1869. The corporate headquarters were in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and it had operations in Iowa and in Minnesota. It was succeeded by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway.
U.S. Highway 61 (US 61) is a United States Highway that serves eastern Iowa. It enters the state from Missouri near Keokuk with US 136. North of Keokuk, it is overlapped by US 218 for a few miles. It the follows the course of the Mississippi River past Montrose and Fort Madison. It meets US 34 at Burlington. It passes through Wapello and bypasses Muscatine and Blue Grass on its way toward Davenport. There, it follows Interstate 280 (I-280) and I-80 around the Quad Cities. North of Davenport, it follows a freeway north toward DeWitt where it meets US 30. The highway continues north through Maquoketa and reaches the Dubuque area. There it is joined by US 151 and briefly by US 52. The two highways enter the downtown area on an expressway. Due to the proximity of the Mississippi River and railroad tracks that lie between, the routes have an indirect junction with US 20. The two highways leave the state and enter Wisconsin about one-half mile (800 m) north of the Illinois–Wisconsin state line.
Pine Creek Gristmill is a historic building located in Wildcat Den State Park in Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
The Pine Mill Bridge is an historic structure located in Wildcat Den State Park in rural Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. It was built in 1878 near the Pine Creek Gristmill, the only place in Iowa where a mill and bridge combination remains in place. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998 as a part of the Highway Bridges of Iowa MPS.
Big Slough Creek Bridge is an historic structure located near the town of Nichols in rural Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. The concrete rigid frame bridge was built in 1937. It was designed by Otto Wendling of the Iowa State Highway Commission. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998 as a part of the Highway Bridges of Iowa MPS.
The Muscatine County Fairgrounds are located in West Liberty, Iowa, United States. It hosts the annual Muscatine County Fair. The Muscatine County Historic Preservation Commission received a grant from the State of Iowa to study the fairgrounds in 2014. Most of it was listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places as the West Liberty Fairgrounds Historic District in 2015. At the time of its nomination it consisted of 42 resources, which included 16 contributing buildings, two contributing sites, two contributing structures, 16 non-contributing buildings, and six non-contributing structures. Historic tax credits will be used to rehabilitate the historic buildings on the fairgrounds.
The Lincoln Highway in Greene County, Iowa is a multiple property submission to the National Register of Historic Places, which was approved on March 29, 1993. It includes five individual listings and five historic districts located in Greene County, Iowa, United States. They encompass abandoned sections of dirt roads, paved sections that are now part of other highways, and various sites, objects, structures and pieces of infrastructure that were a part of the Lincoln Highway. The years of historical significance are 1912 to 1928.
The Beaver Creek Bridge was located northwest of Schleswig, Iowa, United States. It spanned Beaver Creek for 134 feet (41 m). Steel was in short supply during World War II as a part of the war effort. Many bridges built across the state were built in this era with timber, especially small-scale bridges. Heavy flooding washed out 27 bridges and culverts in Crawford County in May 1945. The county board of supervisors used emergency funds to build new bridges. They bought several steel superstructures from the Des Moines Steel Company to replace the wash-out spans. The bowstring arch-truss structures appear to have been designed by H. Gene McKeown, a civil engineer from Council Bluffs. This bridge was one of several similar structures built in the county. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998, and it was delisted in 2020.
The East Soldier River Bridge was located southwest of Charter Oak, Iowa, United States. It carried traffic on 120th Street over the East Soldier River. Steel was in short supply during World War II as a part of the war effort. Many bridges built across the state were built in this era with timber, especially small-scale bridges. Heavy flooding washed out 27 bridges and culverts in Crawford County in May 1945. The county board of supervisors used emergency funds to build new bridges. They bought several steel superstructures from the Des Moines Steel Company to replace the wash-out spans. The bowstring arch-truss structures appear to have been designed by H. Gene McKeown, a civil engineer from Council Bluffs. This bridge is one of several similar structures built in the county. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998, and it was delisted in 2020.
The Beers and St. John Company Coach Inn is a historic building located west of West Liberty, Iowa, United States. The company was granted the U.S. Mail delivery contract between Iowa City and Muscatine in 1839 and began service in 1841. Beers and St. John and Egbert T. Smith built this two-story frame structure the following year. At the time, Iowa was still a territory and Iowa City was the capital. It was a swing station where horses and drivers were switched, and it was a crossroads where the Muscatine-Iowa City route crossed with the Davenport-Iowa City route. Smith's wife died in 1854 and is buried on the property, as is a family who died while staying here. The inn closed in 1855 with the arrival of the railroad, and the building was converted into a house.
The Garnavillo Township Culvert is a historic structure located west of Garnavillo, Iowa, United States. It spans an unnamed stream for 14 feet (4.3 m). On April 4, 1899, C.G. Stickfort and others petitioned the county for a bridge at this location. The Clayton County Board of Supervisors contracted with Josef Vogt of Guttenberg, Iowa to build this single stone arch culvert of native limestone. It is no longer in use, but remains in place west of Iris Avenue. The culvert was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
The Monona Township Culvert was a historic structure located southwest of Luana, Iowa, United States. It spanned an unnamed stream for 14 feet (4.3 m). Clayton County built a number bridges over rivers, streams and ditches around the turn of the 20th-century. They contracted with Frank Boyle to build this single stone arch culvert of native limestone in 1899. The culvert was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. It has subsequently been replaced.
The Read Township Culvert is a historic structure located southeast of Elkader, Iowa, United States. It spans an unnamed stream for 14 feet (4.3 m). Clayton County built a number of bridges over rivers, streams and ditches around the turn of the 20th-century. They contracted with local contractors Stoops and Williamson to build this single stone arch culvert of native limestone for $814.25. The culvert was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
The Third Street Bridge, also known as the Brookwood Park Bridge and the Harmon Street Bridge, is a historic structure located in Waverly, Iowa, United States. It spans the Cedar River for 363 feet (111 m). This Riveted Pratt through truss was designed by the Iowa State Highway Commission and constructed by the Illinois Steel Bridge Company of Jacksonville, Illinois in 1917. It is composed of three spans. The truss' were painted green in 1962, and the bridge received major renovations in 1983. It was closed to traffic in February 2015 "after a certified inspector examining the bridge Friday for an annual inspection found the trusses connecting bearings, sidewalk support brackets, and two stringers in the south bridge span have severely corroded." It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. The Third Street Bridge is one of three bridges installed by the Illinois Steel Bridge Company that is still standing in Iowa.
The Muscatine County Home Dairy Barn, also known as the Old Barn, is a historic building on the west side of Muscatine, Iowa, United States. The barn was built in 90 days on the county home property in 1926. It replaced other barns that had been struck by lightning and were destroyed by the resulting fire. The home was an early form of welfare system known as the poor farm. It housed indigent, homeless, or disabled people who in turn worked on the farm to cover their costs of care and food. The barn was nearly torn down in 2006 when a group of volunteers called the Friends of the Old Barn acquired and restored it. It was also in danger of being torn down in 2017 because of its lack of utilities when a nearby building which provided them to the barn was slated to be torn down. The barn is now a museum located near the Muscatine Arboretum and the Muscatine County Environmental Learning Center. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.
The Ijem Avenue Commercial Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Nichols, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. It is composed of 12 one and two-story commercial buildings that date from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. It also includes one modern infill building. Nichols is a small town in western Muscatine County and was an important railroad shipping point and market town from about 1885 to about 1920. It was located along the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway, which came to town in 1871, and the Muscatine and Western Railroad, which arrived two years later. The two railroads intersected on the west side of the central business district, and both were incorporated into the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad in the 1880s. The brick commercial buildings in the historic district were built during this period of time. They are attached one and two-story brick structures. The oldest buildings reflect the Italianate style with their arched windows, while the later buildings reflect the Neolassical and Commercial styles.
