CEDAR FALLS HISTORICAL SOCIETY'S FIVE MUSEUM POINTS-OF-PRIDE
You
can visit five very different Cedar Falls Historical
Society sites, they are within easy walking distance of one another
and are all staffed by the Historical Society.
The
oldest of the five, opened to the public in May 1968, is the Victorian
Home and Carriage House Museum located at 308 West Third Street.
The Carriage House Museum was constructed in 1991 as an addition
to the Victorian Home, originally built in 1863. This unique
building houses the Society's archives, vintage clothing and memorabilia
documenting the early history of a community that, in 1845, was the
first permanent settlement in Black Hawk County. This Museum complex is
open Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday
1 :00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
One
short block to the west, at 303 Franklin Street, is the George
Wyth House and Viking Pump Museum, once the family home of George
Wyth, a founder of the Viking Pump Company. The dwelling was constructed
in 1907 and was purchased by the Wyth family in 1925. The house was
bequeathed to the Cedar Falls Historical Society in 1979 by Dorothy G.
Wyth, daughter of George and Alice Wyth. Two floors have been decorated
in the Art Deco style with many distinguished pieces of furniture from
this period, 1925 to 1935. The third floor contains a small museum that
tells the story of theViking Pump Company. The Wyth House Museum
is open on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday, 2:00 p.m. to 4:30p.m., May through
October.
Three blocks to the north, the intersection of Iowa Highway 57 and Franklin Street, stands the Ice House Museum, a circular structure one hundred feet in diameter that once housed the flourishing Cedar Falls ice business. Each year 6,000 to 8,000 tons of ice, cut from the Cedar River (in the very early days known as the Red Cedar River), were stored within its hollow tile walls. In the late 1970's, thanks to a group of community-minded caring citizens, that space became a museum that tells the story of ice making. There is a realistic exhibit of antique ice harvesting equipment, with scenes depicting the entire operation from harvesting to selling. In May 2000, the new "Main Street Cedar Falls" exhibits were unveiled, allowing visitors to walk through the Diamond Bros. General Store, Casey's Blacksmith Shop and visit Dr. Thierman's office. There are ten early businesses recreated within the Ice House Museum. The building is listed on the National Register of Historical Places and was featured in the April 1995 Smithsonian Magazine. Entrance is at First and Clay Streets. This museum is open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. from May 1st through October 31st. The Little Red School House, originally the Bennington Township School House #5, is located at First and Clay Streets. Built in 1909, the building is furnished with items from this era and may be used by school groups and others to experience those early school days. The Little Red School House is open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. from May 1st through October 31st. The latest addition to the Historical Society's structures is the Behrens-Rapp Service Station also located at the First and Clay Street site. The building was originally built as the Behrens Brothers Sinclair Service Station at 1403 Waterloo Road. It was the second gasoline station built in the City of Cedar Falls. In 1943 John Rapp went to work at the station, eventually he and his wife, Beverly, purchased the business in 1960 and it became the Rapp Service Station. Located in the path of the new highway system in Cedar Falls, the station was purchased by the Cedar Falls Tourism and Visitors Bureau, given to the Historical Society and with much community support, moved to its present site. The building now serves as an Information Center and is a unique addition to our Cedar Falls Historical Society's points-of-pride. The Board of Directors unanimously accepted the Lenoir Train Collection in June of 1995. The collection consisted of hand-built, brass steam locomotives, gas-electric cars, passenger cars, freight cars (from most railroads in the U.S.), railroad structures, and a large track layout. All items were built by Bill Lenoir to the scale of 1/4 inch to the foot (known as O-gauge scale). Mr. Lenoir was one of the pioneers and all-time greats in model railroad history. It is housed in The Carriage House Museum. |
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Address and |
Map of area: |
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Victorian Home Museum |
 Larger map available by clicking image |
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Carriage House
Museum |
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Lenoir Model Train Museum |
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Ice House Museum
Franklin St. at West 1st Street |
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Wyth
Home & Viking Pump Museum |
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 Behrens - Rapp Station |
Behrens - Rapp Station |
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Cedar Falls Historical Society ã
2002
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