The C.F. and Mary Singmaster House, also known as Maplehurst Ranch, or more simply Maplehurst, is located near

Keota, Iowa Keota is a city in Keokuk and Washington counties, Iowa, United States. The population was 897 at the time of the 2020 census. History Keota is derived from an Indian name meaning "gone to visit" or "the fire is gone out". 2010 fire A lar ...

, United States. C.F. Singmaster, a Pennsylvania native, moved to Keokuk County with his parents in 1843 and settled near Talleyrand, south of Keota. His father Samuel established the home farm, Singmaster Ranch. The family became known for the importation and breeding of draft horses. They also had large land holdings in Iowa and Nebraska where they also raised hogs and beef cattle, and were involved in local banks as well. Samuel Singmaster bought the Maplehurst property in 1864 to expand the family's operation. At one time Maplehurst Ranch included three mansions, several horse barns, out buildings, stables, and cottages for workers. There was also a boarding house for visitors and clients to stay. C.F. Singmaster had this 2½ story

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...

house built in 1893 on the site of an existing house. It was designed by

Oskaloosa, Iowa Oskaloosa is a List of cities in Iowa, city in, and the county seat of, Mahaska County, Iowa. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, Oskaloosa was a national center of bituminous coal mining. The population was 11,558 in the 2020 U ...

architect Frank E. Wetherell. The residence follows an irregular plan. It is capped by a cross

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

d roof that features two gabled

dormer A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a Roof pitch, pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window. Dormers are commonly used to increase the ...

s with

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

s on the south elevation. It remained in the family until 1968 when it was sold to Dr. R.A. Carmichael who established the first bovine embryo transfer facility in the United States on the property. The house was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1998.

References

Houses completed in 1893 Houses in Keokuk County, Iowa Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Keokuk County, Iowa Colonial Revival architecture in Iowa {{KeokukCountyIA-NRHP-stub