The Ross Grain Elevator is a historic building located in

Ross, Iowa Ross is an unincorporated community in Audubon County, Iowa, in the United States. History Ross was platted in July 1882, in Leroy Township's Section 4. It was named in honor of a local farmer. Among the establishments in the community of Ross ...

, United States. It was built in 1881 by Charles Stuart, 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 ...

veteran who was a forwarding agent for the

Chicago and Northwestern Railroad The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...

. The wooden structure rests on a

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

foundation. By the early 20th century the elevator was sheathed in corrigated steel to guard against the sparks that came off of the

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...

s at the nearby depot, no longer extant. The elevator is made up of three interconnected buildings that include the elevator itself, an annex, and the brick scale-engine house. At one time the property contained two grain elevators, a depot, stock yards, cob houses, town dump, coal shed and other related structures. The railroad discontinued operations here in the 1940s, and the other buildings were removed over the years. The elevator itself was used on a farm into the 1970s. It has not been used since then, but its internal mechanisms are still extant. The elevator was 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 v ...

in 2018.

References

Agricultural buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Audubon County, Iowa Buildings and structures in Audubon County, Iowa Grain elevators in the United States {{AudubonCountyIA-NRHP-stub