Construction of the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse began in April 1887 and was completed in September 1888. Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury Department Mifflin E. Bell (1847-1904) designed it. Mifflin designed several courthouses in the country and was a member of the commission that built the Washington Monument. The tower was initially only five stories but that height was not tall enough for the clocks to be sufficiently seen. As a result, in 1890 two stories were dismantled and rebuilt with an additional 25 feet.The Iowa General Assembly designated Keokuk as the second county seat in 1848 (Fort Madison became the first county seat in 1836). The reason for this was due the creation of the southern border with Missouri. In 1816, surveyor J.C. Sullivan drew the line but stopped at the western edge of the county at the Des Moines River. In an 1824 treaty with the federal government, the Ioway, Sac, and Fox tribes ceded their lands in Missouri. In the agreement what became North Lee was the tribes' territory and it was implied that the southern border, which is known as the "Sullivan Line," was extended to the Mississippi River. This is why Lee County has two county seats.

Lee County Courthouse was built in 1888. It is significant for its architecture and the fact that is it is the second courthouse in Lee County.

National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: 

More Info

Constructed in 1888, Keokuk's historic post office and courthouse features a distinctive seven-story clock tower. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in part because of its Late Victorian architecture which includes features such as a red brick exterior, round-arched windows and entryways, limestone trim, dormers, and decorative terra cotta. Lee County is the only one in Iowa with two county seats and this was the second courthouse constructed in the county (the other is in Fort Madison).

U.S. Post Office and Courthouse

Admin

This short drive through Keokuk includes stops at area museums, historic homes, landmark buildings such as Hotel Iowa, and sites such as Lock and Dam Number 19 that were central to the city's development. Highlights of the tour include a historic sternwheel riverboat that now operates as a museum, the home of General Samuel R. Curtis, Keokuk National Cemetery, and a monument dedicated to the Native American leader Chief Keokuk. 

The first of four steamboats built for the revival of river 
transportation, she was the first to move barges from St. Louis north to
 St. Paul. She remained in service there until 1940, when she was sold 
to Armco Steel Corporation and put into service on the Ohio River. Armco named the ship after their founder. In early 1930 a texas deck was added, the pilothouse moved to its actual position and also the smokestacks became higher. 
 In 1960 the George M. Verity was retired after 33 years of service on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, and in 
1961, the boat was given to the City of Keokuk for use as a river 
museum. Today the boat 
serves as a museum, placed on a concrete foundation in a riverfront 
park.

George M. Verity is a historic sternwheel steamboat that is now located in Keokuk and home to a small museum that preserves the history of river traffic along this section of the Mississippi River. This craft is historically significant as it remains one of only three steam-powered towboats in the United States. Built as the SS Thorpe in 1927 in Dubuque, this craft entered service by towing barges on the upper Mississippi. The craft was renamed by her new owner in the 1930s and became an official historic landmark in 1989.

George M. Verity River Museum

In 1912, residents in Keokuk were feeling bullish. With the new Keokuk Lock and Dam and the construction of an Elk's Lodge, the community felt optimistic about city's future. To attract further investment capital into the Keokuk, a group of businesses decided to build a hotel. Led by the Mississippi River Power Company, they formed a corporation called the Hotel Iowa Company in 1912. Construction got underway began in November and was completed the next year. The grand opening was held on November 13th. At the time, Hotel Iowa was the tallest building in the city.The Hotel Iowa Company sold the hotel in 1926 to the next owners, Mr. and Mrs. Ward B. Brown, who operated it for 25 years. The building was remodeled in 1966 and continued to function as a hotel for many years. It appears that it became an office building in the 1980s as by then it was renamed the Pierce Building.

Constructed in 1913, this historic hotel demonstrates the growth of Keokuk in the early 20th century and the city's optimism that their community would become one of the commercial centers on the Mississippi River. The building features a projecting metal cornice with brackets and an exterior composed of brick and decorative terra cotta. The former Hotel Iowa building is also the best example of Chicago Commercial architecture in Keokuk, with seven stories that reach a height of 74 feet. The building is now a residence for senior citizens called the Historic Hotel Iowa and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

Hotel Iowa

Samuel R. Curtis was born on February 3, 1805 in Champlain, New York and four years later moved to Ohio with his family. As a young man, he attended the West Point military academy where he studied engineering. After graduating in 1831, he was assigned to the 7th infantry and stationed at Fort Gibson in present-day Oklahoma. In November that year he married his wife, Belinda. In 1832, Curtis resigned his commission and moved to Ohio where he studied law and worked as an engineer on the National Road, which was the first major highway built by the federal government, and on the Muskingum River hand-operated lock system. He was admitted into the bar in 1841 and practiced in Wooster, Ohio, and also became involved in the Whig Party. During the Mexican-American War began, he commanded the 3rd Ohio volunteer regiment and served as military governor of occupied Mexican cities.After the war, Curtis became the city engineer of St. Louis where he oversaw the construction of the sewer system that was used for 150 years. He then moved with his family to Keokuk in 1853 and continued practicing law. He also became more involved in local politics and was elected mayor in 1856. In the fall of that year he was elected as a Republican to his first of three terms in Congress. During his time in office, he supported the idea of a trans-continental railroad and was ardent opponent of slavery and its expansion into western territories. He also served on several military committees.After the outbreak of the Civil War, Curtis became colonel of the 2nd Iowa volunteers in April 1861 and was ordered to occupy Hannibal, Missouri. On August 4th, he officially resigned from Congress and was promoted to brigadier general backdated to May 17. In December he was given command of the District of Southwest Missouri and the Army of Southwest.Over the course of the coming months, he drove Confederate forces into Arkansas and established a base along Little Sugar Creek (near the city of Bentonville). Determined to push Curtis out of Arkansas, Confederate General Earl Van Dorn, who commanded the Army of the West, met Curtis at Pea Ridge, which is just north of Little Sugar Creek, on March 7, 1862. However, Curtis had moved 10,500 of his men to Pea Ridge after learning of Van Dorn's approach. When Curtis' scouts informed him that Van Dorn split his army into two and planned to attack his position from behind, he turned his men around. The battle lasted for two days and Curtis won decisively, forcing Van Dorn to move what was left of his army to the east bank of the Mississippi River. The victory, which was Curtis' greatest triumph of his military career, gave the Union control of Missouri and allowed the Union to focus its efforts elsewhere in the Mississippi Valley. Curtis was promoted to major general on June 10th. He led his army through Missouri and into Arkansas where he captured the city of Helena, which was the state's only port on the Mississippi River. The Union used Helena as a forward operating base for its future campaign to capture the major southern city of Vicksburg. Curtis' other important victory was the Battle of Westport, which occurred on October 23, 1864 at the town of Westport, which is now a part of Kansas City. Curtis' army defeated a much smaller force commanded by Major General Sterling Price. The Confederate's never again attempted a major offensive west of the Mississippi River. Curtis was then appointed to command the Department of the Northwest, which was headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to quell Indian uprisings in Minnesota and the Dakota Territory. In early 1866, he worked as in Indian commissioner before resigning from the army on April 30. He then started working on building the trans-continental railroad. He died of what was believed to be a heart attack or stroke shortly after inspecting railroad tracks on December 26, 1866 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He was buried in Oakland Cemetery here in Keokuk.The Curtis family owned the house until 1895. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

Congressman, engineer, U.S. Army major general, and Keokuk mayor Gen. Samuel R. Curtis (1805-1866) built this historic home in 1849. Curtis was one of the leading figures from Iowa during the 19th century. He is best known for his victories during the Civil War at the Battle of Pea Ridge in 1862 and the Battle of Westport in 1864. As for the house, in addition to its association with Curtis, it is a fine example of Greek Revival architecture with elements of the Adamesque style included in the design. It features a large porch with Ionic columns, diamond-paned windows on the second floor, and decorative garland. The house is privately owned but is open to the public as an Airbnb rental. According to the Airbnb listing, President Abraham Lincoln dined and stayed overnight at the house.

Gen. Samuel R. Curtis House

In 1837, Lieutenant Robert E. Lee (the future Confederate general of the Civil War) and Second Lieutenant Montgomery Meigs in 1837 surveyed this part of the river, which had a 23-foot drop in 12 miles, and believed it could be used in some way. Nothing came of their survey, however. In 1848, a group of Keokuk leaders formed a company to build a dam and locks to facilitate better navigation (the rapids essentially blocked most vessels from sailing upstream) and supply power to mills in Keokuk. The inability to find financing for the project, the weak national economy of the 1850s, and the Civil War prevented the project from moving forward. The plan was not revised after the war but in 1868 the federal government built a nine-mile canal to bypass the rapids.By the late 1800s, electricity was beginning to be harnessed on a large scale. A group of Keokuk businessmen revived the idea of building a dam and established the Hamilton Water Company. In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt signed a bill approving the project. The company had difficulty obtaining financial backing during the next few years but construction finally began in 1910 and was completed in 1913. The lock and dam achieved a number of milestones in the history of hydroelectric power in the U.S. These include: the longest monolith concrete dam, the largest turbines, the largest inland dry dock, the heaviest rotating weight suspended on a single bearing, the first long-distance transmission line, and the first high-voltage transformers and insulators. It was also the country's largest privately funded hydroelectric project. The high-voltage transformers, insulators, and transmission towers are particularly notable. Their design served as the basis for the development of modern-day, high-voltage transmission technology. Some of the generators were converted from 25 Hz to 60 Hz in the 1940s and 1950s and the rest were converted in 2002.

Known today as the Keokuk Energy Center, Lock and Dam No. 19 is the largest privately owned and operated dam and hydroelectric power plant on the Mississippi River. It was built in 1913 and the current lock was constructed in 1957. The lock is 1,200-feet long and 100-feet wide, and the dam itself is nearly a mile long at 4,620 feet. The original lock and dry dock, which are next to the 1957 lock, are no longer used. The powerhouse was built in 1913 and contains 15 generators that produce 60Hz of alternating current. The entire site comprises the Lock and Dam No. 19 Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Ameren Missouri, which is a subsidiary of the Ameren Corporation, owns and operates the facility. Visitors can view the lock and dam from a public platform that overlooks the site.

Lock and Dam No. 19 

Samuel F. Miller was born on a farm in April 5, 1816 in the town of Barbourville, Kentucky. As a young man, he attended medical school at Transylvania University, which is located in Lexington, Kentucky. He graduated in 1838 and practiced medicine for ten years. However, during that time he studied law and passed the Kentucky bar exam in 1846 (or 1847). Miller opened a practice in Barbourville and became politically active and joined the Whig Party, which was opposed to slavery. In the 1840s, the support for slavery in Kentucky increased and in 1849, the state passed a pro-slavery constitution.These developments prompted Miller to move with his family to Keokuk in 1850. At the time, Iowa was known as a "free-soil" state, meaning that slavery was not allowed (interestingly, Miller's views on slavery apparently evolved; he owned slaves in Kentucky and freed them upon arriving in Iowa). In Keokuk, Miller opened a law practice, started to invest in real estate, and became a prominent member of the community. He helped establish the Republican Party in Iowa and ran unsuccessfully for the Iowa Senate. He also helped establish the city's first Unitarian church and eventually became the president of the church's national conference.Miller's stature rose in Iowa's Republican Party in the 1850s and he became known outside of the state. He supported Abraham Lincoln's candidacy for president and the Union during the Civil War. In 1862, Lincoln appointed him to the U.S. Supreme Court, which had a vacancy that year. Miller supported Lincoln's use of presidential powers in the war, including the suspension of habeas corpus, which is the ability to challenge unlawful detention in court.As noted above, Miller is best known for writing the court's decision in a case called the Slaughterhouse Cases. The ruling limited the protection of privileges and immunities granted by the 14th Amendment, which passed in 1868 and granted citizenship and equal rights to African Americans and former slaves. The case is named after slaughterhouses in New Orleans. The state of Louisiana allowed a group of slaughterhouses in New Orleans to form a corporation in 1869. The purpose was to consolidate butchering in one area and improve public health. In response, other slaughterhouses challenged the corporation in court, arguing that the state, in granting the corporation without due process of law, violated their privileges and immunities. The court ruled 5-4 in favor of the corporation. In his decision, Miller stated that the 14th Amendment's sole purpose was to protect former enslaved people and not to transfer all civil rights protections from states to the federal government. Miller served on the court until he died from a stroke in 1890 when he was walking home from the courthouse. He is buried in Oakland Cemetery in Keokuk. Miller was married twice and had five children. He and his family lived in the house until they moved to Washington, D.C. However, they apparently retained ownership and sold it in 1881. The house remained a private residence until the Society bought it in 1965.

Owned and operated as a museum by the Lee County Historical Society, this historic home was built by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel F. Miller in 1859. Miller (1816-1890), who served on the court from 1862 to 1890, was also a doctor. He is notable for being the first U.S. Supreme Court justice from west of the Mississippi River and for authoring the court's decision in the 1873 Slaughterhouse Cases (see below). Miller wrote hundreds of opinions during his 28-year tenure on the court. The house is well preserved and includes numerous historical items and furnishings including paintings of Chief Keokuk and Miller, a square grand piano, clothing, dolls, and old medical instruments. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Samuel F. Miller House and Museum

The first Catholic parish in Keokuk, St. John the Evangelist, was established in 1844 by a French priest named Rev. Lucien Galtier, who was born c. 1812 in southern France. In the early 1840s it appears there were around 38 Catholics in Keokuk. The church was a log a small, 20 by 30-foot structure that, apparently, Galtier helped build. He didn't remain long in Keokuk, however, as he moved to Dubuque and then returned to France.The original St. Peter Church was built in 1856 by a priest named Father William Edmonds. The congregation consisted of mostly German immigrants who had fled religious persecution. In 1867, another church, St. Mary Church, was built and the German Catholics moved there. St. Peter Church then served the English-speaking Catholics in Keokuk. Construction of the current St. Peter Church began in June 1881. It took four years to complete the church because the congregation had difficulty paying for it. Its architect, William John Dillenburg, designed many churches in Milwaukee and Chicago. He also helped design the final phase of the Cologne Cathedral in Germany.In 1982, the three churches consolidated into the Church of All Saints because the population in Keokuk was decreasing and there was a lack of priests in the diocese.

Church of All Saints is a historic Catholic church built in 1885. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places primarily for its excellent late Gothic Revival architecture. Built of red brick, notable features include a 180-foot central tower, two 75-foot corner towers (all three are topped by spires), lancet stained glass windows, and buttresses. The Church of All Saints was first known as St. Peter Church.

Church of All Saints

Keokuk was a bustling town of 13,000 at the start of the Civil War, having developed into a thriving economic hub thanks to its location at the confluence of the Mississippi and Des Moines Rivers. This made it a natural mustering point and shipping and transportation hub for the Union Army during the war. The first camp, Camp Ellsworth, was established in May 1861. Three more (Camp Rankin, Camp Halleck, and Camp Lincoln) were established by 1862.During this time, the five hospitals, which were capable of accommodating a total of over 1,500 troops, were established to treat the increasing number of wounded and sick soldiers from battles in the South. One of these was a converted hotel called the Estes House. Those who died at the hospitals were buried in the cemetery, which was originally part of Oakland Cemetery. Private Pat Sullivan became the first Union soldier to be buried here in October 1861. The area where soldiers were laid to rest was known as the "Soldiers Burial Ground." The first significant number of wounded Union troops arrived in Keokuk after the Battle of Shiloh, which occurred on April 6, 1862 in Tennessee. Their arrival appears to be why, according to the National Cemetery Administration, that the cemetery's official date of establishment is 1862. The federal government acquired the part of the Soldiers' Burial Ground after the war on August 28, 1866. It purchased additional properties to enlarge the cemetery to its current size in 1870 and 1874. In addition to the superintendent's lodge, an iron fence was built around the grounds, a flag pole surrounded by four artillery pieces was erected, and two cannons were placed at the entrance. In 1908, the remains of 73 individuals (52 soldiers, 12 children, 9 civilians) from Fort Yates, South Dakota were reinterred here. In 1912, the Women's Corps of Keokuk and the State of Iowa erected a 30-foot tall Unknown Soldiers Monument. In 1930, the cornerstone of the Estes Hotel, which no longer exists, was placed in the cemetery as a memorial to the soldiers who died at the hospital.

One of 155 national cemeteries around the country, Keokuk National Cemetery was established in 1862 during the Civil War and contains the remains of more than 600 Union soldiers and eight Confederate prisoners of war. Veterans of subsequent wars and active duty service members are also buried here. It is 2.75 acres in size and is divided into two sections (east and west) with two separate entrances. The superintendent's lodge, which is in the eastern section, is a historic building erected in 1870 and designed by quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs in the Second Empire style. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

Keokuk National Cemetery

Chief Keokuk was born c. 1780 along the Rock River in present-day Illinois. His father was a Sauk warrior and his mother was of mixed lineage. When he was a young man, he became a full warrior after he killed a Sioux brave. He was also a skilled orator which enabled him to become the guest keeper of his village and a member of the tribal council. During the War of 1812, his stature in the tribe rose further. Upon learning that Americans would attack the main Sauk village (Saukenuk; near modern-day Peoria, Illinois), he announced would lead the defense of the village and was named war chief. The majority of Sauk warriors had already left with another chief, Black Hawk, to fight for the British. The Americans did not attack the village but Keokuk retained the title.Keokuk's status and influence continued to grow in the coming years. He became a diplomat and in 1824 went with a delegation of Indian chiefs of various tribes to Washington D.C. to negotiate changes to treaties with the federal government. Seeing first-hand how strong the federal government was in terms of population and resources, the visit appears to have reinforced Keokuk's belief that maintaining good relations with whites was essential for his people's survival. Black Hawk held the opposite view.In a July 1830 treaty with the federal government, the Sauk and Fox tribes ceded 26 million acres land east of the Mississippi River. The treaty also established neutral ground between the Sauk and Fox, as well as the border with the Sioux, who were the traditional enemies of both tribes. In the Spring of 1830, Black Hawk and his followers left to hunt. When they returned they found white settlers in Saukenuk. Angry at what had transpired while he was gone, Black Hawk decided to fight the Americans and rallied some of his followers to the cause. Keokuk was unable to convince him otherwise. The result was the Black Hawk War of 1832, which the Americans won. After the war, the Sauk and Fox were forced to cede more territory and Keokuk was designated principal chief by the federal government.Keokuk and a tribal delegation went to Washington D.C. again in 1837 to resolve land disputes with the Sioux. Despite having representing his tribe well in Washington D.C., Keokuk's stature as principal chief and also as one of three official distributors of tribal annual annuities caused resentment and division among the Sauk and Fox.During the next few years, the living conditions among the Sauk and Fox deteriorated as the available game to hunt decreased and debt to traders rose. Keokuk agreed to sell the rest of the tribal land Iowa and move his people to a reservation Kansas, which they did in 1845. Keokuk died three years later and was buried in Kansas. In 1883, a collector of Indian relics found the grave and and reburied Keokuk's remains in Keokuk (as noted above, the collector also took the grave marker). However, the skull and one arm were missing. The collector went back to Kansas and acquired a skull and kept it in his collection, which was eventually donated to the State Historical Museum. In 1987, it was discovered that the skull belonged to a young man and was therefore not Keokuk's.

Located in the east end of Rand Park, this memorial commemorates Sauk Chief Keokuk (c.1780-1848), who was one of the most famous Indian leaders during the first half of the 19th century. He was known for his friendly relations with Americans and cooperation and diplomacy with the federal government. The city of Keokuk is named after him. The memorial, which was erected in 1913, consists of a stone base with the original marble marker of Keokuk's first grave and statue of Keokuk overlooking the Mississippi River. Some of Keokuk's remains are buried underneath the base.

Historic Keokuk Iowa Driving Tour

U.S. Post Office and Courthouse

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information