Davis County Historical Society Museum
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
The Davis County Historical Society Museum is a complex of five historic buildings—the Dr. William Findley Home, the Harbour Log Cabin, the Livery Barn, the Wheeler Ridge School, and the Savannah Christian Church. The buildings date from the 19th and 20th centuries and the Findley Home, which was built in 1844 and the only one of the buildings in its original location, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Images
Built in 1844, the William Findley House is one of five historic buildings of the Davis County Historical Society Museum.
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The Davis County Historical Society was founded in 1962 and over time grew to its current size. The Dr. William Findley Home contains many of the Society's collections and historical monuments. Dr. Findley was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1816 and earned his medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania. He first practiced in Indiana and in the town of New London, Iowa before arriving in Bloomfield in 1843. Findley was later a surgeon during the Civil War with the 4th Iowa Cavalry. The house itself features elements of Italianate architecture such as the wide bracketed cornice. Other notable features include the arched windows with keystoned hoods and the two-story porch with decorative arches.
The Habour Log Cabin is a small, one-room building donated to the Society. It was built by Mormons in the town of Belknap around 1848 to provide shelter during the winter. The Livery Barn contains tools, home products, made-to-scale horse-drawn equipment, and other items. It was built in 1920. The Wheeler Ridge School was moved here from the northwest part of the county. It houses old school-related items and even an antique piano. It is unclear when the Savannah Church was built but it is used for meeting, weddings, and other events.
Sources
"Davis County Historical Complex." Visit Davis County. Accessed October 25, 2021. http://www.visitdaviscounty.com/sample-page/historic-places/davis-county-historical-complex.
Haufe, Lillian. "Findley, Williams, House." National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. June 9, 1978. https://npgallery.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/nrhp/text/78001213.
Jim Roberts, via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_William_Findlay_House.jpg