Boy looks inside the barrel of an old cannon - military history sites

Self-guided · metro area, Iowa

Military History Sites in Cedar Rapids, IA

Forts, armories, barracks, batteries and memorials from every war the country has fought, listed with what happened at each.

Open the Iowa map · All states

Photo: Phyllis Lilienthal on Unsplash

The Cedar Rapids, IA metro area has about 279,285 residents, ranking 183rd in the country. Military History Sites are spread across the country in places most people would not guess. The list below shows how close the nearest ones are to Cedar Rapids, IA.

Child sits on a cannon with others walking by - military history sites — Photo: Belov Sergey on Unsplash

A woman standing in front of a display of guns - military history sites — Photo: Felix Ngo on Unsplash

A group of men in uniform holding guns - military history sites — Photo: Rusty Watson on Unsplash

On the record near Cedar Rapids, IA

The 12 nearest

13 listed sites on the record match military history sites within 120 miles of Cedar Rapids, IA, out of 177 listed sites of every kind within 25 miles.

Black Hawk County Soldiers Memorial Hall50 miles from the center of Cedar Rapids · Building · Waterloo · listed 1988National Register of Historic Places
Fort Armstrong Hotel65 miles from the center of Cedar Rapids · Building · Rock Island · listed 1984National Register of Historic Places
Fort Armstrong Theatre65 miles from the center of Cedar Rapids · Building · Rock Island · listed 1980National Register of Historic Places
Administration Building, U.S. Naval Air Station Ottumwa72 miles from the center of Cedar Rapids · Building · Ottumwa · listed 2013National Register of Historic Places
Apple River Fort Site78 miles from the center of Cedar Rapids · Site · Elizabeth · listed 1997National Register of Historic Places
Fort Crawford Military Hospital78 miles from the center of Cedar Rapids · Site · Prairie du Chien · listed 1966National Register of Historic Places
Fort Atkinson Bridge82 miles from the center of Cedar Rapids · Structure · Fort Atkinson · listed 1998National Register of Historic Places
Boscobel Grand Army of the Republic Hall93 miles from the center of Cedar Rapids · Building · Boscobel · listed 2007National Register of Historic Places
Franklin County G. A. R. Soldiers' Memorial Hall95 miles from the center of Cedar Rapids · Building · Hampton · listed 1991National Register of Historic Places
Fort Madison Bridge96 miles from the center of Cedar Rapids · Structure · Fort Madison · listed 1999National Register of Historic Places
Hotel Fort Des Moines105 miles from the center of Cedar Rapids · Building · Des Moines · listed 1982National Register of Historic Places
Walnut Tire and Battery Co.--Globe Publishing Company Building105 miles from the center of Cedar Rapids · Building · Des Moines · listed 2017National Register of Historic Places

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

Military History in Cedar Rapids, step by step

1
Read the short history of the period for this area
2
Open the map filtered to the sites from that chapter
3
Visit the nearest site and read its full record
4
Ask what the marker leaves out and look for the rest
5
Add the site to a route that follows the period in order

What people in Cedar Rapids, IA ask first

How much does it cost to visit these sites in Cedar Rapids, 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 the hard parts of this history included?

Yes. The record is shown as published, and the stories behind the markers include what happened, who it happened to, and how it was remembered. Leaving the hard parts out would make the stop less worth the trip.

Why are there so many of these sites near Cedar Rapids, IA?

Most areas have more than people expect, because the registers list every surviving building and site tied to a period, not just the famous ones. The list on this page shows exactly what is on the record nearby.

How a visit works in Cedar Rapids

Step 1
Find the place
Every stop starts as a pin with real coordinates. In Cedar Rapids, 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.
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.
Step 3
Get there under your own power
Walk it, run it, hike it, ride it or drive it. Stops in Cedar Rapids, 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.
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.