Plum Grove is a

historic house A historic house generally meets several criteria before being listed by an official body as "historic." Generally the building is at least a certain age, depending on the rules for the individual list. A second factor is that the building be in ...

located in

Iowa City Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...

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 territorie ...

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

Eleanor Hoyt Brainerd Eleanor Hoyt Brainerd (January 31, 1868 – March 18, 1942) was an early 20th-century American author. She published at least 10 novels, mostly written for young women. Childhood Eleanor was born at Plum Grove Historic House in Iowa City, Iow ...

History

Built in 1844, Lucas lived there 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 Eleutherian College, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993 and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1997, was founded as Eleutherian Institute in 1848 by a group of local anti-slavery Baptists at Lancaster in ...

, and Plum Grove was the birthplace of

in 1868. The house was subsequently occupied by the family of Jacob Carroll Switzer, a

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same 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 ...

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 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 Cultural Affairs, serves as the official historical repository for the State of Iowa and also provides grants, public education, and outreach about Iowa history ...

. The house is open for tours Memorial Day through Labor Day on Wednesdays though 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 now late Dr. Thomas Charlton who was with the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply 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 org ...

'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 Robert Lucas family 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