February 2–October 2026
Farm House Museum
On July 4, 2026, the United States will commemorate the 250th anniversary of its founding. Farm House Museum, built in 1860 as Iowa State's first building, has been central to the development of campus, Iowa State heritage, education, innovation, and national policy.
America 250: Prairie, Plows, and the People's College honors key people, moments, objects, and experiences centered within Farm House through more than 250 primary source objects. The exhibition presents six themes—Early Iowa State Agricultural College and Model Farm, Early Iowa, Immigration, National Imagery, Native Stories, and Innovation and the Victorian Home—through decorative arts, textiles, furniture, agricultural implements, and documents that trace the land-grant university's heritage and the nation's evolution.
Visitors will see George Washington Carver featured in the 1896 Bomb yearbook as the first Black man to enroll, graduate, and teach at Iowa State; a hand-painted Norwegian Rosemaling trunk from 1852 personalized with the name "Anna"; Mary Beaumont Welch's 1884 cookbook from the first Department of Domestic Economy in the nation; the VEISHA bicycle from the 1890s; and early student yearbooks revealing timeless aspects of college life.
Reflective questions appear throughout the exhibition, inviting visitors to consider how historical narratives continue to shape contemporary society. Topics range from the Morrill Act of 1862 and land-grant universities to immigration patterns in Iowa, Indigenous history, and Victorian-era technological innovation.
America 250: Prairie, Plows, and the People's College is curated by current and former University Museums interns Rachel Hellmann, Brayden Meints, and Michael Keul with Farm House Museum curator Allison Sheridan. Funding for this exhibition and related programming is generously provided by Carol Pletcher.
Download flyers and social media posts for this exhibition >
Related Programs
Museum Meetup: Memento Mori
Thursday, February 19, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Step inside Farm House Museum for crafts and activities inspired by real Victorian funerary and mourning rituals. Free and open to all ISU students. Drop by any time between 6–8 p.m. No registration required.
Curator's Tour: Prairie, Plows, and the People's College
Thursday, March 12, 5:30–6:30 p.m.
Join Farm House Museum curator Allison Sheridan for an in-depth tour connecting the exhibition to Iowa State's land-grant mission and how a college in the middle of the midwestern prairie helped shape national agricultural policy. Free and open to the public.
Explore! America 250—Memory and Belonging
Saturday, March 28, 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Make memories at the museum! Enjoy multiple free, commemorative crafts and activities along with treats. Activities geared for grades K–5; all are welcome. Stop by any time during the three-hour window. No admission fee or registration.
Iowa Eats: Reflections from Class Cookbooks
Thursday, April 16, 5:30–6:30 p.m.
Join Dr. Pamela Riney-Kehrberg, distinguished professor of history, on Zoom as she reveals highlights from a student cookbook assignment in her history course. Every recipe has a story! Free; registration required. Virtual on Zoom.