Historical Markers
People gathered on the porch of a white colonial house - historic homes

Self-guided · metro area, Iowa

Historic Homes in Des Moines, IA

Houses on the National Register and state programs near you, from mansions to mill cottages, with the family and the year on the record.

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Photo: Xnm Wu on Unsplash

The Des Moines–West Des Moines, IA metro area has about 758,539 residents, ranking 82nd in the country. The list below comes straight from the published records, with the distance from the center of Des Moines, IA and the source for each site.

Young couple walks through a sunny garden path towards a large mansion - historic homes
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Victorian-style house with intricate details and two people walking in winter light - historic homes
Photo: Oktay Koseoglu on Pexels
Three friends curiously peek through a vintage building window, exploring outdoors - historic homes
Photo: Rachel Claire on Pexels

On the record near Des Moines, IA

The 12 nearest

91 listed sites on the record match historic homes within 30 miles of Des Moines, IA, out of 190 listed sites of every kind within 25 miles.

  1. Gabriel, Rees, Houseunder a mile from the center of Des Moines · Building · Des Moines · listed 1978National Register of Historic Places
  2. Home of Marshall's Horseradishunder a mile from the center of Des Moines · Building · Des Moines · listed 1998National Register of Historic Places
  3. Hayes, William B., Houseunder a mile from the center of Des Moines · Building · Des Moines · listed 1996National Register of Historic Places
  4. Weitz, Charles H. and Lena May, Houseunder a mile from the center of Des Moines · Building · Des Moines · listed 1998National Register of Historic Places
  5. Des Moines Western Railway Freight Houseunder a mile from the center of Des Moines · Building · Des Moines · listed 2008National Register of Historic Places
  6. Beeson, Byron A., Houseunder a mile from the center of Des Moines · Building · Des Moines · listed 1996National Register of Historic Places
  7. Bartlett, Walter M., Double Houseunder a mile from the center of Des Moines · Building · Des Moines · listed 1998National Register of Historic Places
  8. Haley, F.E., Double Houseunder a mile from the center of Des Moines · Building · Des Moines · listed 1998National Register of Historic Places
  9. Ainsworth, William W. and Elizabeth J., Houseunder a mile from the center of Des Moines · Building · Des Moines · listed 1998National Register of Historic Places
  10. Baker, C. H., Double House1.0 miles from the center of Des Moines · Building · Des Moines · listed 1996National Register of Historic Places
  11. Turner, Susie P., Double House1.0 miles from the center of Des Moines · Building · Des Moines · listed 1998National Register of Historic Places
  12. Homestead Building1.1 miles from the center of Des Moines · Building · Des Moines · listed 1982National Register of Historic Places

Distances are straight-line from the center of Des Moines, IA. Many sites are private property or working buildings - view them from the public way. See them on the map.

Historic Homes in Des Moines, step by step

  1. 1

    See every listed site of this kind in the area

  2. 2

    Sort by distance and pick the closest few

  3. 3

    Read the record for the year, the builder and the use

  4. 4

    View from the public way and note what has changed

  5. 5

    Collect the set and move on to the next county

What people in Des Moines, IA ask first

How much does it cost to visit these sites in Des Moines, IA?

Most listed sites can be seen from a public road or sidewalk at no cost, and the app is free to use. Some sites are private homes, working churches or museums with their own hours and fees. The record for each one says what it is, so you know before you go.

Where does the information on these sites come from?

From published records: the National Register of Historic Places, the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark program, and the Georgia Historical Society and Georgia Department of Natural Resources marker program. Every site on the page names its source.

Are these buildings open to the public?

Some are, many are not. Churches, courthouses and libraries usually keep regular hours. Houses, barns and mills are often private and best seen from the road. The record for each site tells you which kind it is.

What does it mean when a site is on the National Register?

It means the property was documented and accepted as historically significant. Listing honors the site, it does not open it to visitors or stop an owner from using it.

How a visit works in Des Moines

  1. Step 1

    Find the place

    Every stop starts as a pin with real coordinates. In Des Moines, IA the map shows what is listed around you and how far each one is, so the first decision is where to go, and it takes a few seconds.

  2. Step 2

    Read the story

    The record behind each marker is kept whole: what happened there, when, who was involved, and why it was worth a sign. You read it standing where it happened, which is the part a textbook cannot give you.

  3. Step 3

    Get there under your own power

    Walk it, run it, hike it, ride it or drive it. Stops in Des Moines, IA are chained into routes that fit the way you move, so a lunch break, a long run or a Saturday drive can all pass through history.

  4. Step 4

    Collect it and come back

    Each stop you reach counts toward a badge, and a photo or a correction you send makes the record better for the next person. The map remembers where you have been, so the next trip starts where the last one ended.

The rules that make it work

The record comes first

Every site on these pages comes from a published register or marker program, with its source named. Nothing is listed that is not on the record.

Read the whole story

A marker is a few lines on a post. The story behind it is longer, and it includes the hard parts. Both are worth the stop.

Movement makes it stick

People remember the places they walked to. A route through five markers teaches more than fifty marker pages read on a couch.

Local beats famous

The marker two streets over usually has a better story than the one in the guidebook, and nobody else is standing in front of it.

Respect the ground

Many sites are private homes, working churches or cemeteries. View from the public way, follow posted hours, and leave it as you found it.

Every visitor can improve it

Markers go missing, get moved, or carry mistakes. A photo or a location fix from the person standing there is how the record stays right.

More ways in around Des Moines, IA

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