Brooklyn Historical Museum

The Brooklyn Historical Museum contains furniture, clothing, antique artifacts dating from 1895 to 2000, and displays about locals who served in government positions. The museum is located in a historic house built in 1869 by William Manatt, whose family is inextricably linked to the platting and development of Brooklyn. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

Manatt's father, Robert Manatt II, was born in Ireland and immigrated to the United States (information about his background is not readily available). They arrived in Poweshiek County in 1848 from Holmes County, Ohio, becoming the second and third settlers in the township to buy land. Manatt, who was 26 at the time, bought 80 acres. He brought his wife, Mary, and two young sons to Iowa the next year. A few months later, a group consisting of Manatt's siblings, except one brother who stayed in Ohio to maintain the family farm there, and in-laws arrived.

Manatt bought more land in the early 1850s and then in 1857 sold a piece of land to the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad (MMR) for $1. The arrival of the railroad in 1862 contributed significantly to Brooklyn's development. In 1863, he sold more land to the MMR and sold land properties in the business district. Manatt also married his second wife, Roxann, that year as well (Mary died in 1854). They had three daughters and one son (two other children died in infancy). Manatt later granted land to the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad in 1869, further spurring the town's growth. Manatt built several businesses as well which were managed by his nephews. He continued to buy land as well, eventually owning 1,500 acres of farmland.

Manatt died in 1906 at the age of 83. The house remained in the family until 1962 when Manatt's youngest son, Coe, who had been living in the house with his family, decided to donate it to the city. It became a library which operated until 1999 when a new library facility was built. It appears the museum opened shortly thereafter.

"Brooklyn Historical Museum." Brooklyn, Iowa. Accessed February 18, 2022. https://www.brooklyniowa.com/our-community/brooklyn-historical-museum.

Hanson, Carol Carpenter. "William Manatt House." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. October 30, 1997. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/97001288_text.