Harker House
Introduction
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The historic Harker House is a well-preserved and fine example of Second Empire architecture. Built in 1875, it is named after the Harker family, who owned it until 1983. It now operates as a house museum and features many original Harker family furnishings and personal belongings. The house features typical elements of the Second Empire style including a mansard roof with dormer windows, hooded doors and windows, a bracketed cornice, projecting bays, and decorative one-story porches. Visitors can tour the house from June to August.
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A well-preserved example of Second Empire architecture, the Harker House was built in 1875 and now operates as a house museum showcasing what life was like during the late 19th and much of the 20th century.
Backstory and Context
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The town of Storm Lake was established in 1873, three years after the first railroad arrived. The house was built by James Harker, who hired a Fort Dodge architect to design it using sketches Harker provided. It is unclear what Harker did for a living, but he lived in the house until he died in 1883, leaving his wife, Mary, to raise their five children. Mary lived in the house until she passed away in 1927. One of their unmarried daughters, Mae, lived in the house until 1951 when a granddaughter of the Harkers acquired the house and restored it. It appears she lived in the house until it was donated to the Harker Foundation and became a museum. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
Sources
Bridge, Alan. "Harker House." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. December 6, 1990. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/90001855_text.
Homepage. Harker House. Accessed September 16, 2021. http://www.harkerhouse.com.
Scott A. Miller, via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harker_House_Storm_Lake_Iowa_20120930_IMG_8886.JPG