1 Museum Drive, Ottumwa, IA 52501
Welcome to the Iowa Heartland History Connection Museum, where the past comes alive. As the Wapello County Historical Society, we have been preserving the history and cultures of the region since 1959. Our museum features a collection of over 20,000 items, ranging from natural history to the pre-Columbian Amerindian life, early European and American settlers, 19th-century agricultural and industrial hub, Victorian America, and 20th and 21st-century Midwestern life. With our exhibits, you’ll experience a journey through time and gain a deeper understanding of the rich and diverse heritage of Iowa’s heartland. Come and visit us to discover the fascinating stories that shaped our past and continue to shape our future!
event, exhibit & research news
At the Iowa Heartland History Connection Museum, our restored 1928 Aermotor Windmill stands as a powerful reminder of rural America’s history of resilience and invention. This iconic structure helped shape life on the plains — and now shares its story with new generations. Windmills: Lifelines on the American Plains
Posted from History of Wapello County, Iowa, by Harrison Lyman Waterman, 1914. Full text available here via archive.org “Gen. John M. Hedrick, a leading, energetic and public spirited citizen of former days, (who was instrumental in securing the Milwaukee road for Ottumwa) founded the city street car system in Ottumwa
In January, the Iowa Heartland History Connection hosted a traveling exhibit from the African American Museum of Iowa called “No Roads Lead to Buxton.” This exhibit along with a few Buxton artifacts on loan and the KYOU documentary “Remembering Buxton, Iowa: A Town Lost to Time” made the perfect combination
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Through your membership, you support children’s education, historical research services, community event spaces, and community enrichment programs.
