The Farm House is located near the center of the
Iowa State campus, on the west side of Farmhouse Lane. It is a three-story structure, built primarily out of brick, and set on a stone foundation. The brick walls, fashioned out of locally sourced clay, were clad in limestone stucco in 1909 because they were crumbling. The interior is largely reflective of a major remodeling conducted about the same time. In 1970 the university undertook a major restoration of the building to restore it to its 1910 appearance. This story, though true for other locations throughout the state, is false as the cubby which is said to have hid runaway slaves was installed in the 1890s. The land for what became Iowa State was donated by
Story County farmers in 1858, construction on the Farm House began in 1860, though greatly slowed due to supply shortages caused by the outbreak of the
American Civil War. Iowa Agricultural College opened in 1869 with the Farm House and Old Main being the only two buildings on campus. In 1880 Seaman Knapp was appointed farm superintendent and professor of practical and experimental agriculture. Knapp would later become the 2nd
President of Iowa State as well as influential in the promotion of modern rice-growing practices in the American South. Charles Curtiss would replace Wilson as dean in 1897 and as a result moved into Farm House with his family. The Curtiss family would soon become the longest resident of the Farm House, living there until his death in 1947. In the wake of Curtiss' death, the house was used briefly used by the Home Economics department during the 1948-1949 school year. In 1949 Floyd Andre, the newly appointed Dean of Agriculture, moved into the house and occupied it until 1970. Andre had been a strong proponent of preserving the Farm House which resulted in Iowa State University deciding to restore the house and convert it into a museum upon Andre's departure. Despite numerous delays, the Farm House Museum opened to the public on July 4th, 1976. ==See also==