Story City Historical Society

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 Str

eet.

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.

Today, the Story City community gathered to honor and remember those who gave their lives in service to our country. Tha...
05/26/2026

Today, the Story City community gathered to honor and remember those who gave their lives in service to our country. Thank you to everyone who participated in the Memorial Day parade and cemetery service, helping continue this meaningful tradition of remembrance. 🇺🇸

We always enjoy our annual visit from the R-S 1st graders! The classes visited the Sheldall Schoolhouse Museum and the S...
05/21/2026

We always enjoy our annual visit from the R-S 1st graders! The classes visited the Sheldall Schoolhouse Museum and the Story City Museum. Students stepped back in time as they explored local history, learned about life in a one-room schoolhouse, and discovered artifacts from Story City’s past. Thank you to the students, teachers, and volunteers for a fun day at the museums!

Thank you to everyone who joined us yesterday for Where History Sings at the Bertha Bartlett Public Library! It was a wo...
05/19/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us yesterday for Where History Sings at the Bertha Bartlett Public Library! It was a wonderful afternoon celebrating Story City’s history through music and storytelling.

A special thank you to composer Jarod Hart, along with performers Milianna Carlson and Ethan Peter, for sharing their incredible talents with our community. We’re also grateful to our volunteers who helped with refreshments and setup, and to all who attended and supported the event.

It was exciting to hear the premiere of City of Stories and celebrate the 100th anniversary year of the Story City Song together.

Support for this event was provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Iowa Arts Council, which exists within the Iowa Economic Development Authority.

05/18/2026

Today we celebrated Story City’s rich heritage through music and storytelling with “Where History Sings.” This video clip features the “Town Fair” movement from City of Stories, an original song cycle composed by local musician and composer Jarod Hart, and captures the excitement of a Syttende Mai celebration in Story City.

Join us this Sunday for Where History Sings — an afternoon of Story City history and music at the Bertha Bartlett Public...
05/15/2026

Join us this Sunday for Where History Sings — an afternoon of Story City history and music at the Bertha Bartlett Public Library.

The program will feature the premiere of City of Stories, an original song cycle by Jarod Hart performed by Milianna Carlson and Ethan Peter, along with other historic musical works connected to Story City’s past.

Light refreshments will be served.

We hope you’ll join us for this special community event!

Event details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1953737768683159

Support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Iowa Arts Council, which exists within the Iowa Economic Development Authority.

05/12/2026

We’re so proud of Jarod Hart and all he has accomplished! From his time at Iowa State University to pursuing his master’s degree in composition at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Jarod continues to inspire through his creativity and passion for music.

We’re especially excited to share his talent with our community at our upcoming event, Where History Sings, in partnership with the Bertha Bartlett Public Library. Jarod’s original song cycle celebrating Story City’s history will be a truly special experience.

Join us for this unique evening of music and local history: https://facebook.com/events/s/where-history-sings/1953737768683159/

A big thank you to KCCI and reporter Olivia Tyler for visiting our 1859 log cabin restoration site yesterday and helping...
05/06/2026

A big thank you to KCCI and reporter Olivia Tyler for visiting our 1859 log cabin restoration site yesterday and helping share this important piece of Story City history with a wider audience. We’re grateful for the opportunity to highlight the incredible work being done by our volunteers, partners, and community supporters to preserve this historic cabin for future generations.

A historic log cabin in Story City, Iowa, dating back to 1859, is being rebuilt to serve as a public display honoring its legacy.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Purses with Personality program! 👜✨ It was a wonderful afternoon filled with...
05/05/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Purses with Personality program! 👜✨ It was a wonderful afternoon filled with history, style, and great conversation.

We’re so grateful to our volunteers who helped make the event possible—and a special thank you to Sylvia for an engaging and delightful presentation. We loved seeing the variety of vintage purses and bags that attendees brought along to share—each with its own story!

We’re excited to share a few photos of the beautiful purses brought by attendees—take a look!

Thank you for being part of another memorable event with us!

Check out our latest exhibit in the Art House! Roland-Story Middle School 7th and 8th graders created clay works during ...
05/02/2026

Check out our latest exhibit in the Art House! Roland-Story Middle School 7th and 8th graders created clay works during this last school year. 7th graders created an original comic character, then transformed their character from 2-dimensional to 3- dimensional. This creates some unique challenges they have to solve. 8th graders created functional clay mugs that demonstrate a theme. See if you can guess the theme!

👜✨ Happening this Sunday! ✨Join us for Purses with Personality with Sylvia Munsen—a fun and fascinating look at antique ...
04/30/2026

👜✨ Happening this Sunday! ✨

Join us for Purses with Personality with Sylvia Munsen—a fun and fascinating look at antique purses from the 1880s–1930s!

đź“… Sunday, May 3 at 2:00 p.m.
đź“Ť Bertha Bartlett Public Library

đź‘› Bring a vintage purse to share (optional!)
🍽️ Enjoy savory and sweet bites
🏡 Proceeds support the 1859 log cabin restoration

🎟️ Tickets still available: https://www.storycityhistory.org/events

Or purchase at the door!

We’d love to see you there! ✨

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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