Boone County Historical Society Iowa

09/02/2026

What would fall be in Boone County without a trip to the amazing Ledges! Take a drive through the Ledges and then come visit us at the Boone County Historical Society and see our 2nd floor exhibit on the history of the Ledges. You want even more driving? Sure, why not! Check out our Lincoln Highway exhibit and pick up a map showing the routes through Boone County. We're open Thursday-Saturday from 10 to 2. Admission only $5 per person (free for members). Hope to see you on your travels!

🍂 Ledges State Park is OPEN!

Just in time for fall road trips, Ledges State Park near Boone has reopened following a month-long road and parking improvement project.

The August work included resurfacing roads and parking areas, adding a new 14-space parking area, installing new trail signage, replacing a bridge along the Prairie Trails, erosion work and several other improvements throughout the park.

And there’s more happening this weekend: a ribbon cutting is scheduled for Saturday, September 5 at noon at the Canyon Entrance to celebrate the completed improvements.

If you’ve never explored Ledges, fall is one of my favorite times to visit. The sandstone cliffs, winding canyon road, creek crossings and changing leaves make this one of Iowa’s classic fall road trips. 🍁

Who’s ready for a trip back to Ledges?

📍 Ledges State Park | Boone, Iowa
📸 Brian Abeling / Iowa Road Trip

09/01/2026

Thanks for including us in your video!

08/28/2026

Did you know that Pufferbilly Days is celebrating its 50th anniversary? Stop by and see our 2nd floor temporary exhibit of Pufferbilly Days memorabilia! The temporary exhibit runs from now until the end of October.

The extended month for the tornadoes exhibit will be coming to a close at 1pm this Saturday, August 29th. We appreciate everyone who has come in and visited the exhibit and the other exhibits in our building. We appreciate all the stories, photos and comments we've received on the exhibit.

08/08/2026

The Tornadoes exhibit has been extended until the end of August. If you haven't been in, stop in soon!

08/04/2026

Did you know that today, August 4th is National Chocolate Chip Day? Did you also know that the Boone County Historical Society has a small (but growing) collection of Boone County cookbooks? Church cookbooks, school cookbooks, civic organization cookbooks?

Who made your favorite chocolate chip cookie? Or was it chocolate chip bars?

07/25/2026

Looking forward to Crazy Daze today! Tables full of books, albums, old Mason jars and more. Grab breakfast across the street, then stop by and then wander through Downtown to grab great deals! 9 am to 2pm. Stop by and see us!

07/22/2026

Thanks Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway - A National Scenic Byway! Stop by and see us! We're open Thursday-Saturday 10 am to 2 pm & admission is only $5!

Stop #202 on America 250 Stops in 250 Days along the Iowa Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway is the Boone County Historical Center in Boone, IA.

Housed in the 1907 Champlin Memorial Masonic Temple, the Boone County Historical Society operates a museum that houses collections and exhibits that interpret the history of the region, including Kate Shelley, the Dragoon soldiers, and natural history. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. Outside, you can find a 1928 "Boy Scout" Lincoln Highway marker and a new interpretive sign about the Lincoln Highway (not ours).

See you on the byway! 🛺

America250 Visit Boone County, IA Boone County Historical Society Iowa

07/22/2026

Crazy Daze Sale at the Boone County History Museum. Weather permitting, we will be out front of our building from 9 to 2 on Saturday, July 25th.

What will be selling? Glad you asked! We are carefully going through our collection and have not just found duplicates or triplicates or quadruplicates or quintuplicates, but even more copies of the same items. (City Directories, Community Magazine reprints, etc). So, while we'll be keeping at least three copies of items, once we have a stack, we want to share that with you. We also have books that don't fit in our collection so will be offering items for sale.

This is a great way to add to your collection (as long as you don't mention to the writer's family that she may be adding to her private collection)! 😀

Hope to see you Saturday!

07/20/2026

Welcome Ragbrai! We will be open on Tuesday, July 21 from 9 am to 3pm to share Boone County's great history with all our visitors to Boone. Don't worry, we're open to the public, so all of us locals can visit also. Members are free, admission is only $5 per person to the public. Stop in, see all the great exhibits. Learn about the Jordan Tornado, Kate Shelley, Fareway, and more.

07/17/2026

It's going to be another hot day, you know what sounds good? Ice Cream. Did you know that July 17th is "National Peach Ice Cream Day"? That sounds amazing. The author of this post has visited The Stone Path ice cream store in Boone (it was excellent) and in high school worked at Boyd's Dairy (south side). So, on this hot day, what's YOUR favorite ice cream flavor? What are your memories of Boyd's Dairy?