Henry County Historical Highlights: Harlan-Lincoln House

Often discussions regarding historical artifacts focus on delicate, hand-held, family heirlooms, ornately carved furniture, or vibrant art pieces. But, for structures like the Harlan-Lincoln House, the building itself and its architectural features are historic artifacts, which have to be carefully cared for. While the entire structure of Sen. James Harlan's 1876 residence is no longer intact, the remaining original segments and reconstructed elements of the building require diligent maintenance. And in specific instances, additional work is essential after environmental events, such as the damage from the windstorm of July 19 which brought down a century-old maple tree onto the museum's reconstructed 1895 front porch.

'Entrances and porches are often the focus of historic American building. With their functional and decorative features … they can be extremely important in defining the historic character of a building.”

- The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties

For more than 14 years, the reconstructed 1895 front porch of the Harlan-Lincoln House museum has welcomed visitors, hosted social gatherings, fostered leisurely talks among friends, and provided a shaded spot to relax and take in the vista of the Iowa Wesleyan University campus. Dedicated on September 26, 2006, this reconstructed porch along the south façade echoes the original porch Mary Harlan Lincoln, the Senator's eldest daughter who married Robert Todd Lincoln in 1868, added to the family home. Both written notations and photographic prints provide insights into the 1895 porch's construction and design.

In the historic Mt. Pleasant Journal on September 5, 1895, among articles regarding Old Settlers Day and an announcement of a lost coat on the road between Mt. Pleasant and Olds, a reader may miss the brief notation about the Harlan residence, less than an inch and a half tall. It reads, 'Mrs. Robert Lincoln is [erecting] a fine colonial [porch] around the south and east side of her Mt. Pleasant home.” Just one sentence in length, this newspaper segment grounds the museum's modern knowledge of a major structural change occurring at the Harlan Family home right before the turn of the century.

Photographic prints of the Harlan Family home provide visual evidence to support such written notations. For example, there is a surge in exterior photographs of the home after Mary Harlan Lincoln gifted her father's residence to Iowa Wesleyan University in 1907. The 'colonial” wrap around porch with its distinguishable columns is clearly visible in the University's 1909 Croaker Yearbook.

Documents such as the Mt. Pleasant Journal article and 1909 yearbook photograph are just two of the many pieces that informed the reconstruction work of the front porch in 2006 and more recently the storm repairs in August. Approaching buildings and architectural features as historical artifacts ensures that we are simultaneously tied to the past and looking forward, continuing preservation of the space for the future.

The Harlan-Lincoln House at Iowa Wesleyan University is a museum with the mission of interpreting the home to the public for its significance to the Harlan and Lincoln Families, to reinforce the relationship to the University, and to fulfill the home's vital role in the living history of the University and the Mt. Pleasant community. The museum is open Monday to Friday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. At this time, visitors are required to pre-schedule tours during the museum's hours of operation and groups must consist of six individuals or less to adhere to social distancing guidelines. For more information on the 'Our Front Porch” project or to schedule a tour visit www.iw.edu/harlan-lincoln-house or call (319) 385-6319.