Franklin Pearson House

	Franklin Pearson House
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	Show map of IowaShow map of the United StatesShow all
Location	Dodge St.; Keosauqua, Iowa
Coordinates	40°44′08″N 91°58′04″W / 40.73556°N 91.96778°WCoordinates: 40°44′08″N 91°58′04″W / 40.73556°N 91.96778°W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1845
Built by	Franklin Pearson
Architectural style	Georgian
NRHP reference No.	78001267
Added to NRHP	May 22, 1978

The Franklin Pearson House is a historic house located on Dodge Street in Keosauqua, Iowa and is a confirmed stop on the Underground Railroad.

Description and history[]

Benjamin Franklin Pearson was a Maryland native who settled in Iowa in 1835 after it was opened to settlement. He had a storied service in the Union forces during the American Civil War. Afterward, he returned to Iowa and became a master stone mason who built this house and other structures in southeastern Iowa, including Old Main at Iowa Wesleyan University.^[2]

He was a devout Methodist who hosted services on the upper floor of his house. Pearson was also an abolitionist and involved with the Underground Railroad. The home he built for his family in Keosauqua, Iowa in 1845 was a two-story structure, and is a rare vernacular Georgian style house in Iowa.^[2] Pearson imported the style from his native Maryland. The exterior of the first story is stone while the second is brick. Unbeknownst to those around him, he also included a hidden cellar. It was there that slaves escaping the Confederacy were successfully hidden on their journey North.

A tornado in 1967 destroyed the chimneys and most of the brick from the east wall. Ironically, it was rebuilt using brick from a place of worship known locally in those days as the "Negro Church", a structure that had been destroyed in the same storm. The church was a landmark dating back to a time during Reconstruction and well into the 20th century when the black population of Keosauqua was sizable. A gift, perhaps, to a man who helped them in their time of greatest need.

The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 22, 1978.^[1]

References[]

^ ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
^ ^a ^b Libby Morgan Woodruff. "Franklin Pearson House". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-05-10.

This article about a property in Van Buren County, Iowa on the National Register of Historic Places is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

This article about a building or structure in Iowa is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.

[Woodruff-2] Libby Morgan Woodruff. "Franklin Pearson House". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-05-10.

[1]

[2]

v t U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Topics	Architectural style categories Contributing property Historic district History of the National Register of Historic Places Keeper of the Register National Park Service Property types
Lists by state	List of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state: Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Lists by insular areas	American Samoa Guam Minor Outlying Islands Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico Virgin Islands
Lists by associated state	Federated States of Micronesia Marshall Islands Palau
Other areas	District of Columbia Morocco
Related	National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 Historic Preservation Fund List of jails and prisons on the National Register of Historic Places University and college buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places portal Category

v t National Register of Historic Places in Van Buren County, Iowa
Bonaparte	Aunty Green Hotel Bonaparte Historic Riverfront District Bonaparte Pottery Archeological District Des Moines River Locks No. 5 and No. 7 Meek's Flour Mill
Cantril	Wickfield Round Barn
Farmington	Burg Wagon Works Building
Keosauqua	Bentonsport Hotel Manning Lacey-Keosauqua State Park, Lodge and Picnic Area (Area A) Lacey-Keosauqua State Park, Picnic and Custodial Group (Area B) Lacey-Keosauqua State Park, Bathing Area (Area C) Franklin Pearson House Voltaire Twombley Building Van Buren County Courthouse
Kilbourn	Kilbourn Bridge
Milton	Eisenhower Bridge
Mount Zion	Abner Martin House
Vernon	Vernon School
See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Van Buren County, Iowa and List of National Historic Landmarks in Iowa