Plum Grove is a historic house located in

Iowa City Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's fifth-most populous city. The Iowa City metropolitan area, which enc ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Plum Grove was the retirement home of Gov. Robert Lucas and the childhood home of the author Eleanor Hoyt Brainerd.

History

Built in 1844, Robert Lucas lived in the house with his wife, Friendly, and several children and grandchildren. Lucas died at Plum Grove in 1853, and his family moved out by 1866. Subsequent owners include the Hoyt family, who were associated with the Eleutherian College, and Plum Grove was the birthplace of Eleanor Hoyt Brainerd in 1868. The house was subsequently occupied by the family of Jacob Carroll Switzer, a

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

hero, and then by a number of immigrant and impoverished families. It was bought by the state of Iowa in 1943 and refurbished as a monument to Lucas. The house is currently maintained by the Johnson County Historical Society, but owned by the

State Historical Society of Iowa The State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI), a division of the Iowa Department of Administrative Affairs, serves as the official historical repository for the State of Iowa and also provides grants, public education, and outreach about Iowa his ...

. The house is open for tours Memorial Day through Labor Day on Wednesdays through Sundays, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Between Labor Day and October 31 it is open Saturday and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and by group appointment.

Archaeology

The grounds have been the focus of archaeological research since 1974, documenting Iowa frontier history and changes in farming from 1844 until 1943. Most of this work was led by the late Dr. Thomas Charlton who was with the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

's Department of Anthropology. Previous excavations have uncovered house additions, outbuildings, and a large trench full of butchered animal bones.Charlton et al. 1988, Whittaker 1999

References

*Charlton, Thomas H., Cynthia L. Otis Charlton, Stephen C. Lensink, and James A. Sartain (1988) Historical Archaeology at Plum Grove. ''Journal of the Iowa Archaeological Society'' 35:40-69. *Parish, John C. (1948) Iowa in the Days of Lucas. ''Palimpsest'' 29:13-18. *Swisher, Jacob A. (1948) Plum Grove. ''Palimpsest'' 29:19-32. *Whittaker, William E. (1999) Production of Animal Commodities at Plum Grove, Iowa City. ''Historical Archaeology'' 33(4):44-57.

External links

Johnson County Historical Society: Plum Grove Historic HomePlum Grove Historic Site
- State Historical Society of Iowa {{NRHP in Iowa City, Iowa Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Archaeological sites in Iowa Historic house museums in Iowa Family of Robert Lucas (governor) Museums in Iowa City, Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Iowa City, Iowa State Historical Society of Iowa National Society of the Colonial Dames of America Houses in Iowa City, Iowa