This is the Henry County Freedom Rock. Completing the Freedom Rock tour of all 99 Iowa counties is…read moresomething my girlfriend and I have been working on for the past few years. This past 4th of July weekend we were just a few rocks away from completing the tour. It was time to end this fun journey! The Henry County Freedom Rock was one of the last four rocks we needed to see to wrap things up... Not only do we learn about the military involvement and the contributions of veterans in each county... A lot of times we stumble on other hidden gems, that we had no idea even existed, as we venture further into our own backyard. As happy as I am going to be when hit 99 and finish our Freedom Rock Tour...a little part of me is going to really miss these trips. We'll just have to find another "tour" to pick up! When you are checking out each Freedom Rock make sure you explore the surrounding area for other points of interest. And please remember to support local businesses...! Visit https://www.thefreedomrock.com/ for more information on Iowa's Freedom Rocks and the tour!

This is the Washington County Freedom Rock. Completing the Freedom Rock tour of all 99 Iowa…read morecounties is something my girlfriend and I have been working on for the past few years. We are four rocks away from the end of our journey at this time. Not only do we learn about the military involvement and the contributions of veterans in each county... A lot of times we stumble on other hidden gems, that we had no idea even existed, as we venture further into our own backyard. As happy as I am going to be when hit 99 and finish our Freedom Rock Tour...a little part of me is going to really miss these trips. We'll just have to find another "tour" to pick up! When you are checking out each Freedom Rock make sure you explore the surrounding area for other points of interest. And please remember to support local businesses...! Visit https://www.thefreedomrock.com/ for more information on Iowa's Freedom Rocks and the tour!

This is the Wapello County Freedom Rock. Completing the Freedom Rock tour of all 99 Iowa counties…read moreis something my girlfriend and I have been working on for the past few years. We are four rocks away from the end of our journey at this time. Not only do we learn about the military involvement and the contributions of veterans in each county... A lot of times we stumble on other hidden gems, that we had no idea even existed, as we venture further into our own backyard. As happy as I am going to be when hit 99 and finish our Freedom Rock Tour...a little part of me is going to really miss these trips. We'll just have to find another "tour" to pick up! When you are checking out each Freedom Rock make sure you explore the surrounding area for other points of interest. And please remember to support local businesses...! Visit https://www.thefreedomrock.com/ for more information on Iowa's Freedom Rocks and the tour!

Grant Wood! This is THE house from the iconic painting…read more Everyone knows the painting of the dude with the pitchfork and the girl standing next to him in front of a white house. This is the white house! Whoa. Coming here is like stepping into the painting. They have the perfect vantage point set up where you can stand and get the perfect selfie. They've even got a statue of the folks from the painting where you can get the selfie- the farmer's glasses even have a reflection of farms of Iowa. The center is free, as far as I could tell. There's free parking. I showed up after it had closed, but was still able to go right up to the house. Apparently, they offer tours of the interior of the house, but since it was the exterior of the house that was painted, I had little interest in going inside. They also seem to have a gift shop, but that was closed when I went. The house is located off the main road, off another road, and off that road. It's not really close to anything, but it's a scenic drive through the corn rows to get to Eldon.

I went by there last year, and it was on a day where it was not open. So I wasn't able to go in the…read morehouse or museum. But that's okay, as there are lots to see on the exterior part of the place. At least you can take a selfie there, and there are a lot of historical markers that explain the true significance of the American Gothic House. My advice to anyone who wants to come here, be sure to call or check online for their hours.

The park is located near the original site of the Sac and Fox Nation villages. Chief Wapello,…read morenamesake of Wapello County, chose to be near the Indian Agency and his friend, Agent General Joseph M. Street. The grave site of Chief Wapello, as well as General Street and his family, are present in the park. The park is a small historical landmark in Agency, Iowa near the town of Eldon where my grandmother lived. It is an interesting visit for those who like to read and learn. My favorite moments at the park have been the long trains roaring by loaded with coal. I spent 30 minutes there and four trains passed very, very close.

Interpretive markers are helpful and describe the importance of the history of the Indian agency…read moreand chief Wapello.

It's boring and powered by meth and Natural Lite, but hot damn does this place have some good pork…read moreand sweet corn.

Pretty much a one stop shop kinda place in small town Iowa. People were all very friendly and…read moreanswered my questions. At first I didn't know where the assessor office was so I drove over here and of course, there it was. Probably only downside for me is a lot of stuff is still paper instead of electronic.

This small library also seems to function as sort of a public community meeting space for…read moreFairfield. It's located right off Main Street, and has plenty of parking, plenty of tables, free wifi, and lots of books. There's plenty of natural lighting in this place, as it's covered with windows. It makes for a relaxing place to get out a book and read for a spell. My favorite thing was the geneaological area that they're keeping. They have old obituaries, family trees, and newspaper articles about old family names, maps of old plats of land, and all sorts of stuff to look up historical facts. Kudos to whoever is keeping up those files. The library also offers a kids section, where they can even sort of play and read by the window without disturbing the patrons. It's not the quietest of libraries, but it offers so many features that are great benefits to the community. The library offers all kinds of public classes, speeches, clubs and meetings here. This is a great place! Fairfield was one of the first recipients (if not THE first) of the Carnegie Library fund to build libraries in rural areas. The Carnegie Library is now a museum and located just a few blocks away, which is quite apt.

I am a lover of libraries, and having recently moved here from Cambridge, Massachusetts, I have…read morebeen so happy to discover the Fairfield Public Library. They seem to be able to find me any book I'm looking for, if not in-house then through interlibrary loans. I am quite busy with my work right now, but I'm so looking forward to participating in some of the writing programs that are held here. I make frequent use of the public Wi-Fi and study rooms. This is a godsend to me. It's a very pleasant and beautiful setting. It's a joy to spend time at the library. I also appreciate that there are so many tables and internet spaces, a copying machine, and a lot of very good books. Someone has been very selective that for a relatively small library (compared to a big city), it has a wonderful selection of books. I also love the books for sale and the book sales. There are many special features and programs for the community as well. The staff is beyond wonderful. It's a great perk to living in Fairfield, just knowing the library is here and I love going here as much as I can. I agree that the library seems like a community meeting space. It's a wonderful place to spend time reading, researching, looking at magazines (a wonderful collection) and books. I feel so lucky to have this library available to me.