The Leander Reeve House, also known as the Old Stone House, is an historic structure located near Geneva, Iowa

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Leander Reeve came to Franklin County from

Ashtabula County, Ohio Ashtabula County ( ) is the northeasternmost county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,574. The county seat is Jefferson. The county was created in 1808 and later organized in 1811. The name Ashtabula de ...

in 1853. He initially worked as a trapper until he acquired of land from Allison Phelps and began to farm. He built the stone house in 1854 and brought his family from Ohio the same year. It is the first permanent structure built in the county. His wife did not care for the pioneer lifestyle and they returned to Ohio three years later. Although some said she wanted to have her last child at her Ohio home, and she also didn't get along with her sister in law. Simeon Carter bought the house from the Reeves. His daughter and son-in-law, a lawyer named D. W. Dow, were the next people to live in the house. They were followed by 13 other families. The floor plan of the house has never been altered and it did not have electricity until the restoration committee had plug-ins installed. The house is still in excellent shape, and an Old Stone House Committee remains active through the Franklin County Historical Society. The house has been listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

since 1979.

References

External links

Franklin County Historical Society
Houses completed in 1854 Houses in Franklin County, Iowa Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Historic house museums in Iowa Museums in Franklin County, Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Franklin County, Iowa {{Iowa-museum-stub