‘Fun to look back’: Historic 1859 cabin in Iowa returns to original condition with help from the community
A historic cabin built in 1859 near Story City, Iowa, has been restored to its original condition, highlighting the lives of Irish and Norwegian immigrants and the community’s dedication to preserving its history.
“We love our history here, right? We love to tell a story, and Story City, and we can really just share that background information,” said Kate Feil, Director of Story City Museums.
The cabin, now sitting next to a historic one-room schoolhouse, originally housed a family of Irish immigrants and later Norwegian immigrants before Katie Hermanson took possession of it in 2022.
“It is amazing. As a historian, it’s like the best day ever you have. It’s not very often you have the science to also support your records and then the stories that are narratives that have been around in the community,” Hermanson said.
The restoration was made possible through local donations, and many of the tools displayed in the cabin were contributed by families in the area.
“It’s always fun to look back, but then also look forward, you know, like we can. What can we learn from this? Where can we go and just kind of keep that history in town?”
The newly restored cabin stands as a preservation of the places and people that shaped Story City, celebrating the community’s pride in its heritage.
