One Tank Trip – Henry County, Iowa

One Tank Trip: Henry County, Iowa

Along the Avenue of the Saints lies Henry County Iowa. Copy and Paste into your browser to view video: http://www.wgem.com/News/index.php?ID=24710A destination where families can get back to nature and learn about our past in an area rich with history. Our first stop takes us to Salem and the Lewelling Quaker Museum. During the anti slavery movement, the home was a stop along the Underground Railroad. It’s a glimpse of what life was like for those who passed through the trapdoor in the kitchen and hid in the home’s secret passages. Faye Heartsill of the Lewelling Quaker Museum says, “They would usually hide them here for a day and at night take them a days distance north so they could continue their travel to Canada.” Faye tells us 2000 people a year visit the home and many walk away with a greater appreciation of the sacrifices many made for freedom. Another historical home from the mid 1800s is the Harlan-Lincoln in Mt. Pleasant. James Harlan, a friend of President Abraham Lincoln lived here. He was a U.S. senator and an Iowa Wesleyan College president. in 1898, Harlan’s daughter, Mary, married Lincoln’s son, Robert Todd. A piece of the coat the President was wearing the night he was assassinated and mourning veil worn by Mary Todd Lincoln are among the artifacts on display. If machines from the past gear you up, check out Midwest Old Threshers’ Museums. A key attraction is the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion held for 5 days over the Labor Day weekend. Lennis Moore, Chief Executive Officer of Midwest Old Threshers says, “When people come to the museums at Midwest Old Threshers is a nice collection of the machines and the artifacts that relate to the early farming culture that we had and still do all over the Midwest.” Nearly 50,000 people converge on the site during the 5 day event. Moore says, “It’s one of the best places I can think of to come and eat and look at exciting demonstrations to see some really unusual machines and other demonstrations that are available. From cultivating the land, to conserving it. A trip to the Oakland Mills Park and Nature Center is a great outdoor adventure for your family. Campgrounds and rental cabins are a stones throw away from activities on the Skunk River. The park’s main attraction is the nature center. John Pullis, Executive Director of the park says, The Nature Center features plants and animals that are indigenous to the area–mounted specimens are featured in what we call dioramas or their natural habitat. A staff naturalist holds wildlife programs and camps for adults and kids. You can even get up close and personal with local residents like this Bobcat in the outdoor classroom. If all this has you hungry, you can bring your appetite to Pork’s Hometown Restaurant in Winfield for a tenderloin as big as your head and an all you can eat fish dinner that packs the place. For more information on Pork’s Hometown Restaurant, call (319) 257-6648 118 S Locust St, Winfield, IA 52659-9586 Click on the links below for more information on the places we visited! http://www.henrycountytourism.org http://www.henrycountyconservation.com http://www.iwc.edu/ http://www.mountpleasantiowa.org Jake Miller WGEM News