Story City Historical Society

Story City Historical Society Bringing history to life in Story City, Iowa. The Story City Historical Society consists of four museum buildings that share the community's unique history.

1.

The Story City Brick Museum, formerly the waterworks plant, features displays of agricultural and wood working tools in addition to a recreated harness shop and newspaper office. The community's historic four person city jail cell has been moved into this building and visitors can step into its cramped quarters for photo opportunities. The museum is located on the corner of Hillcrest and Broad Str

eet.

2. The 1860 Sheldall Country School was built by newly immigrated Norwegian farmers. Shortly after being built it was used as a polling place by area pioneers in the historic Lincoln-Douglas election of 1860. Soon after the vote, Story City men including the school's teacher, would enlist to preserve the Union as the southern states seceeded during the Civil War. It was moved to its current location in 1990 by the Story City Historical Society and the restored building shows how education was conducted from 1860 - 1888. The school is located at Hillcrest and Story Street.

3. The Bartlett Museum is a Queen Anne style home built in 1903 for Henry Torkel Henryson and his family. The home was purchased in 1996 by the Story City Historical Society with a generous gift from Dr. Frances Bartlett Kinne. It has been restored and furnished from the 1903 - 1920 era. The museum is dedicated to Dr. Kinne's parents, Charles M. and Bertha Bartlett and her brother Charles. The home was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005 and is located at 619 Grand Avenue.

4. The Carriage House Museum, reflects a utility building of the early 1900's. The facility provides exhibit, storage, office and research space for major collections. It is located at the rear (west) side of the Bartlett Museum.

08/20/2026

Thanks to everyone who attended our ice cream social and candle making last week!

Thanks to everyone who attended our ice cream social and candle making last week. We had a great time learning how to ma...
08/20/2026

Thanks to everyone who attended our ice cream social and candle making last week. We had a great time learning how to make candles the old fashioned way. Thanks to our volunteers who helped make this event possible!

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of longtime Story City Historical Society leader and volunteer Cheryl...
08/05/2026

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of longtime Story City Historical Society leader and volunteer Cheryl Eddy.

Cheryl devoted more than 20 years to our organization, including 10 years as president. As one of the founding members of the original Carousel Historical Society, she helped lead the fundraising efforts for the Story City Antique Carousel in 1980s. She later played a key role in establishing the Story City Museum, preserving the Sheldall Schoolhouse, and restoring the Bartlett Museum. Her dedication helped shape the Historical Society into what it is today.

Beyond her volunteer service, Cheryl called Story City home for more than 70 years, spent more than 40 years helping families as a real estate agent, sang in the choir at St. Petri Lutheran Church, and cherished time with her family, especially her three grandchildren.

We extend our deepest sympathy to Cheryl's family and friends. Her legacy of preserving Story City's history will continue to inspire generations to come.

Visitation will be held Wednesday, August 5 from 4:00–6:00 p.m. at the Story City Community Center.

It was a pleasure showing Lauren and her family around the museum this afternoon! 🇳🇴🇺🇸
08/03/2026

It was a pleasure showing Lauren and her family around the museum this afternoon! 🇳🇴🇺🇸

Lauren Egli, a representative of the partnership with our sister city, Kvinnherad, Norway, presents a book with Story City history to Mayor Mike Jensen at City Hall. The book documents immigrants from Norway to the U.S. Kate Feil, with the Story City Historical Society will have the book on display after the City Council meeting on Tuesday, August 4, 2026.🇳🇴 🇺🇸

The museums will be opening later this afternoon as we are hanging out with our Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Ar...
07/23/2026

The museums will be opening later this afternoon as we are hanging out with our Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area friends at the John Deere Tractor Museum in Waterloo this morning.

As we're getting closer to completion on the 1859 Log Cabin, we'd like to thank those who we've received grant funding t...
07/22/2026

As we're getting closer to completion on the 1859 Log Cabin, we'd like to thank those who we've received grant funding through. The Story County Community Foundation helped support the cost of the cabin roof. We also received grant funding through Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area for interpretative signage and indoor lighting. Thank you for your continued support!

The Story City Historical Society recently discovered a pioneer cabin entombed in an old house in rural Story County. They received a community grant to assist with the recovery and rebuild of the cabin, which they hope to place in Story City next to the one-room schoolhouse.

Congratulations!

Magnus had a very busy couple of weeks visiting New England! What road trip wouldn't be complete without a stop at Crack...
07/15/2026

Magnus had a very busy couple of weeks visiting New England!
What road trip wouldn't be complete without a stop at Cracker Barrel.
🇮🇪He wandered around Notre Dame's campus and fought some Irish.
🥾Hiked the Ledges at Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
🏠Visited Falling Water, Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous designed home.
🚴‍♂️Took a bike ride on the Great Allegheny Passage Trail and swam in the Allegheny River.
🎇Celebrated the 4th of July in Watkins Glen and hiked the Gorge Trail at Watkins Glen State Park.
🔥Visited the Corning Museum of Glass.
🏛Stopped by the Bennington Battle Monument, the tallest man-made building in Vermont.
🥾Saw the world's largest duck boot at the L.L. Bean headquarters.
🚴‍♂️Biked on the Carriage Trails in Acadia National Park and had popovers at the Jordan Pond House.
🦞Lobster dinner!
⛰️Went up Cadillac Mountain for the sunset at Acadia.
🪨Visited Plymouth Rock.
🐋Learned about whaling at the Cape Cod National Seashore. William Wier, Story City's first mayor, was a whaler in New England before moving to Iowa.
🦀Magnus saw hermit crabs and seals while in Cape Cod.

Phew 😮 that was a lot! Also, the museums will be open our regular hours starting tomorrow.

Magnus is celebrating America's 250th birthday at Seneca Lake in Watkins Glen, New York! 🇺🇸 Today we celebrate 250 years...
07/05/2026

Magnus is celebrating America's 250th birthday at Seneca Lake in Watkins Glen, New York! 🇺🇸 Today we celebrate 250 years of our nation's history and the stories that connect communities across America. Wishing everyone a happy and safe Independence Day! ❤️🤍💙🎆

We're taking a break! The museums will be closed July 1st-14th. We will resume regular hours on July 15th.
06/30/2026

We're taking a break! The museums will be closed July 1st-14th. We will resume regular hours on July 15th.

Address

619 Grand Avenue
Story City, IA
50248

Opening Hours

Wednesday 12pm - 5pm
Thursday 12pm - 5pm
Friday 12pm - 5pm

Telephone

+15154601749

Website

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