Jonathan Clark Conger House, Historic house museum in Washington, Iowa.
The Jonathan Clark Conger House is a two-story brick building containing twenty-three rooms, seven fireplaces, pine woodwork, and a walnut staircase. The construction shows how homes of means were built during that period, with carefully chosen materials throughout each room.
A teacher named Nathan Littler built the house in 1848 in a simple style. Years later, in 1867, businessman Jonathan Clark Conger purchased the building and had it greatly enlarged and modernized.
The house reflects how well-to-do families lived and arranged their homes in the mid-1800s, with rooms that show daily life from that period. Visitors can see the choices people made about space, comfort, and the materials they valued for living.
The museum is located on East Washington Street and is operated by the Washington County Historical Society. Visitors should be prepared for uneven floor levels and multiple staircases since the house spans different building periods.
Originally the house was built with red brick, but the original exterior wall was later covered with concrete and the wooden porch was replaced with cement blocks. These changes give the building its unusual appearance today and remind visitors of late-1800s renovation practices.
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