Guthrie County Historical Village and Museum

09/03/2026

09/02/2026

Currently on Exhibit: The "Button Dress" from the 1951 Guthrie County Centennial.

Mary E. "Mamie" Cobean Purviance's "Button Dress" is currently on display at the Historical Village. It will only be on display for a limited time this season due to its fragility.

Mrs. Purviance made the dress using the buttons she had collected for over 10 years. She decorated a dress, hat, and wrap and entered it in the costumes portion of the 1951 Guthrie County Centennial Parade in Panora. Mamie was 71-years-old and walked the entire 2-mile parade route in her 8-pound dress. For her efforts, she won "Best Lady's Costume" and was awarded $10.

Mamie estimated she had over 10,000 buttons in her collection. She passed away in 1970. Don't miss out on this unique, one-of-a-kind piece of our local history. The Village closes for the season on October 15th.

08/29/2026

08/26/2026

Check out the line-up for this Saturday’s market! Fantastic!

We have another Great Line-Up in store for you this Saturday and a Special Musical Guest too! Only 3 Markets remain of our Season! It will be over before you know it. Don't let it pass you by!😊
9AM to Noon at the Guthrie County Historical Village and Museum🐓

08/23/2026

🎶 New musician coming to the Village on Saturday morning during the market. Please join us; bring a lawn chair and enjoy the music in a beautiful setting.

Happy to Announce a Special Musical Guest joining us for our next Market. Singer, Songwriter, Acoustic Musician, Drew Peer will be performing on the Front Porch of the General Store. If you ever needed another reason to visit, this is it! Shop the Market, Tour the Village and Take-In some Great Live Music❤️🐓

08/20/2026

📕 The children’s Little Free Library, located between the church and school at the Village, is fully-stocked with a wonderful selection of books, many hand-picked by our curator. You will find a wide-variety of books, including multi-cultural, historical, and silly. We can’t have a LFL without some Dr. Seuss!

Everything in the LFL is always a gift; never for sale. Take a book, or leave a book. The LFL is available 24/7 for the community’s children to enjoy. Come take a look at what we have and grab a book for a friend, too. 📖

#📖

08/20/2026

Did I mention that on Market days, during Market hours, the Guthrie County Historical Village and Museum is open to tour and free for visitors?! We hope you'll take advantage of all the beauty and history that the Village has to offer! Although no admission is charged, free will donations are welcome and encouraged. (We do ask that small children be accompanied by an adult through the exhibits.) Bring the family and make a morning of it! We'll see you back in the Village on the 29th❤🐓

08/11/2026

On Friday, July 31, we hosted an Open House and Fundraiser for the 175-year-old Log Cabin located at the Village. A hay ride provided a fun way to get to the Village from the Panorama Days' festivities taking place on the town square. The Village was open for touring and free root beer floats, complete with whip cream and a cherry, made the cloudy weather less dreary. Thankfully the rain held off and we had a very nice crowd.

Thanks to our many friends and visitors, the GCHV Foundation raised $3,654 for the cabin roof that needs replaced. The total for the project supplies is $7,500 so we are getting there and Schafer Roofing from Adair, Iowa, has offered to supply the labor to replace the roof. Our hope is to complete our fundraising goal in order to get a new roof on the cabin before the upcoming winter.

According to the 1876 Guthrie County History book by Ms. Sadie Maxwell, this cabin is believed to be the first permanent structure in Panora. This is quite a treasure that our community has. A new roof is needed to preserve this historical gem for future generations.

If you would like to donate to this project, you can visit our website for more information about our nonprofit organization and ways you can donate: https://www.thegchv.com/donate

You can also mail a check to:
GCHV Foundation
206 W South Street
Panora, Iowa 50216

You can stop by anytime we are open to drop off a donation. Our hours are T-F 10-4:30 and Sat 1-4:30.

All donations of any size are appreciated. A donation receipt for tax purposes will be provided. All of us at the GCHV Foundation Board thank you for your continued support of our Historical Village. We really do believe we are the "hidden gem of Guthrie County." If you haven't visited for a while, we encourage you to do so. We have many new displays and exhibits. We guarantee you will enjoy your time here.