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History continues to grow at Harlan-Lincoln House
A fresh wave of flowers and community spirit has taken root at the Harlan-Lincoln House with help from local students and volunteers
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MT. PLEASANT — The freshly planted flowers at the Harlan-Lincoln House aren’t just about beautification. They’re about legacy, community, and what it means to let history grow.
In mid-May, volunteers and local high school students gathered at the yellow house on the Iowa Wesleyan campus to install new landscaping — the most visible update in recent years to one of Mt. Pleasant’s most historic properties. The effort was part preservation, part beautification, and entirely a labor of love.
“We appreciated the FFA chapter helping. That was terrific,” said Elizabeth Garrels, a longtime board member and volunteer. “It’s not only just visual. It demonstrates that we are certainly an ongoing, participating historical site. It shows a lot of volunteer spirit and buy-in from our community.”
The project was led by landscape designer Anita Hampton, who carefully selected historically appropriate plantings to reflect the era when the home was occupied by U.S. Sen. James Harlan and visited by his son-in-law, Robert Todd Lincoln. Hampton’s plan prioritized authenticity as well as appeal.
“She was the one who drafted the landscaping plan, researched and made the choices,” Garrels said. “It’s not just pretty flowers, but intentional flowers.”
Funding for the work was supported in part by a grant from the Pennebaker Foundation in New London, through its 2024 grant program. The remainder came from the museum’s own board, which approved the update in an effort to maintain the home’s visibility and appeal as a public destination.
The project unfolded in phases over two weeks in May. On May 8, students from the Mt. Pleasant High School FFA chapter helped dig up existing plants, which were stored and watered off-site. A week later, on May 15, they returned to plant the new garden under the guidance of Hampton and project manager Marlene DePriest.
“We thought that would be perfect — working outside and learning how to dig and plant,” DePriest said. “There were about 15 kids, and of course just other parents or adult volunteers that showed up and helped is truly appreciated as well.”
The result is a bright, carefully structured landscape featuring rose bushes, climbing flowers, and heritage plantings meant to echo what might have once lined the house in its 19th-century heyday.
The work isn’t done. DePriest said she and Hampton plan to install a drip irrigation system soon and finish a rose garden once a trellis is in place. Some of the final touches — including additional donated flowers — will be added as they become available.
“We’re just so excited,” DePriest said. “Even today, we were just like, stand back going, ‘So pretty!’ We know when everything starts really filling in, it’s just going to be … something.”
The new landscaping adds a lively contrast to the historic home’s yellow facade, giving the grounds a refreshed energy while preserving the building’s 19th-century character. The plantings frame the house with intention and care — not only adding color but reinforcing the site’s role as a living, evolving part of the Mt. Pleasant community.
The Harlan-Lincoln House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was once the home of James Harlan, a U.S. senator, Secretary of the Interior under Abraham Lincoln, and president of Iowa Wesleyan. His daughter, Mary, married Robert Todd Lincoln, the president’s only surviving son. The house is now a museum managed by a local nonprofit board and supported by a dedicated team of volunteers.
“We couldn’t run without them,” DePriest said, noting that volunteers not only maintain the property but also lead tours, host events, and manage community programming like school visits and May Day luncheons.
The revitalization is part of a broader effort to grow the Harlan-Lincoln House’s presence and visibility. DePriest said the work now underway is just the start of what she hopes will become a more prominent role for the museum in the region.
“We want to make this a destination place,” she said. “Just as much as anywhere else people might stop to learn about history.”
With community hands in the soil and history at its foundation, the Harlan-Lincoln House continues to grow — deeply rooted, and blooming anew.
Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com
