Story City Historical Society

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Story City Historical Society Bringing history to life in Story City, Iowa. The Story City Historical Society consists of four museum buildings that share the community's unique history.

1.

The Story City Brick Museum, formerly the waterworks plant, features displays of agricultural and wood working tools in addition to a recreated harness shop and newspaper office. The community's historic four person city jail cell has been moved into this building and visitors can step into its cramped quarters for photo opportunities. The museum is located on the corner of Hillcrest and Broad Street.

2. The 1860 Sheldall Country School was built by newly immigrated Norwegian farmers. Shortly after being built it was used as a polling place by area pioneers in the historic Lincoln-Douglas election of 1860. Soon after the vote, Story City men including the school's teacher, would enlist to preserve the Union as the southern states seceeded during the Civil War. It was moved to its current location in 1990 by the Story City Historical Society and the restored building shows how education was conducted from 1860 - 1888. The school is located at Hillcrest and Story Street.

3. The Bartlett Museum is a Queen Anne style home built in 1903 for Henry Torkel Henryson and his family. The home was purchased in 1996 by the Story City Historical Society with a generous gift from Dr. Frances Bartlett Kinne. It has been restored and furnished from the 1903 - 1920 era. The museum is dedicated to Dr. Kinne's parents, Charles M. and Bertha Bartlett and her brother Charles. The home was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005 and is located at 619 Grand Avenue.

4. The Carriage House Museum, reflects a utility building of the early 1900's. The facility provides exhibit, storage, office and research space for major collections. It is located at the rear (west) side of the Bartlett Museum.

10/19/2026

A big thank you to the Story City Antique Carousel for helping us host the Iowa Museum Association's welcome reception! We had a wonderful evening visiting with museum professionals from all across the state, sharing stories, and celebrating our love of history and museums. We're so glad we could welcome everyone to Story City!

10/07/2026

We threw the librarians in our jail cell yesterday. Stop by the Bertha Bartlett Public Library to bust a banned book out of the library! 😆❤️📖

We were saddened to hear of the passing of Eloise Thorson, a longtime friend and supporter of our organization.Eloise ha...
09/23/2026

We were saddened to hear of the passing of Eloise Thorson, a longtime friend and supporter of our organization.

Eloise had a true love for Story City and its history. She served on our board for many years and played an important role in helping acquire, restore, and furnish our museums. We are so grateful for the time, care, and dedication she gave to preserving our community’s stories through her work at the Story City Herald.

Eloise leaves a lasting legacy in Story City, and we extend our heartfelt sympathies to her family and all who knew her. ❤️

https://www.adamssoderstrum.com/obituaries/Eloise-Thorson?obId=49446571 #/obituaryInfo

Story City honors Eloise Thorson, the longtime Herald publisher who preserved its stories and shaped its voice for decades. See link below ⬇️

📸 Provided by the Thorson family

09/22/2026

What a wonderful way to officially celebrate the opening of the 1859 Log Cabin! 🎉🪵

Thank you to the Story City Greater Chamber Connection for yesterday’s ribbon cutting, and to everyone who came out to celebrate this milestone with us.

After so much planning, fundraising, research, and hard work, it was incredibly special to see the cabin officially open and ready to welcome visitors. We’re so grateful to everyone who helped make this project possible and helped preserve this piece of local history for generations to come. ❤️

We can’t wait to share the 1859 Log Cabin and its stories with our community and visitors for many years to come!

What an incredible evening for the 1859 Log Cabin! ❤️We were thrilled to have KCCI join us tonight during our donor rece...
09/21/2026

What an incredible evening for the 1859 Log Cabin! ❤️

We were thrilled to have KCCI join us tonight during our donor reception and help share the story of this remarkable piece of local history—and the community effort that made its preservation possible.

This project has been years in the making and has involved so many donors, volunteers, businesses, organizations, researchers, and community members. Seeing the cabin restored and filled with visitors tonight was a pretty special moment!

Thank you to KCCI for helping us share the story of the 1859 Log Cabin and its connection to the Irish and Norwegian immigrants who called this area home.

And most importantly, thank you to everyone who helped save the 1859 Log Cabin! We truly could not have done this without you. ❤️

We’re excited to continue the celebration tomorrow with our ribbon cutting at 4:30 p.m.! 🎉✂️

A historic cabin built in 1859 has been restored in Story City, showcasing the lives of Irish and Norwegian immigrants and the community's commitment to preserving its heritage. FULL STORY⬇️

We loved welcoming the 2026–2027 Roland-Story Homecoming Court for a special visit to the newly rebuilt 1859 Log Cabin a...
09/17/2026

We loved welcoming the 2026–2027 Roland-Story Homecoming Court for a special visit to the newly rebuilt 1859 Log Cabin and historic Sheldall Schoolhouse! 👑🏠

Congratulations to all of this year’s Homecoming Court, and have a wonderful Homecoming week! ❤️🖤

09/14/2026

Join us on Monday, September 21 at 4:30 for a ribbon cutting at the 1859 Log Cabin. We're excited to to open our brand new museum! 🎀✂️ Always a pleasure to chat with Shanon!

08/20/2026

Thanks to everyone who attended our ice cream social and candle making last week!

Thanks to everyone who attended our ice cream social and candle making last week. We had a great time learning how to ma...
08/20/2026

Thanks to everyone who attended our ice cream social and candle making last week. We had a great time learning how to make candles the old fashioned way. Thanks to our volunteers who helped make this event possible!

Address

619 Grand Avenue
Story City, IA
50248

Opening Hours

Wednesday 12pm - 5pm
Thursday 12pm - 5pm
Friday 12pm - 5pm

Telephone

+15154601749

Website

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