History of Farm House Museum
Across campus, the Farm House was evolving into another University museum. Built in 1860, the Farm House was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965 as the Knapp-Wilson House, as it was the home of Seaman A. Knapp, author of the federal Hatch Act of 1887 which provided money for agricultural experiment stations, and James F. “Tama Jim” Wilson, who left his position as the first Dean of Agriculture at Iowa State to become U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, serving Presidents McKinley, Roosevelt and Taft over sixteen consecutive years. Despite its status as a National Historic Landmark, the Farm House was considered for demolition in 1970 to make room for new academic buildings because of its prime real estate location on central campus. However, in anticipation of the Bicentennial, a trend toward historic preservation was sweeping the nation. The University recognized the intrinsic value of the Farm House, so a campus committee was formed in 1971 to preserve and restore the house to its prime. The restoration process lasted from April 1971 to June 1976 and involved the stabilization of the exterior and restoration and reconstruction of the interior.
Building a collection for a museum that had housed seventeen families and more than 115 residents proved to be a formidable task. Documentation of objects original to the house was extremely rare. Therefore, it was decided to furnish the house with objects from 1860 to 1910, reflecting the time period covered in the National Historic Landmark designation. Alumni and friends of Iowa State that had been following the restoration process through University publications offered their possessions for the new collection. On July 4, 1976, the Farm House Museum opened as Iowa State’s contribution to the nation’s Bicentennial celebration, completing its transformation from college farm to campus museum.
