IA HR109

Jordan House Museum in West Des Moines, built in 1850 by abolitionist James C. Jordan, is honored for more than 180 years of historical service to Iowa and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973.

The house served as an Underground Railroad station before the Civil War, with James C. Jordan acting as "Chief Conductor" of the Underground Railroad in Polk County, sheltering freedom seekers.

The West Des Moines Historical Society purchased the property in 1978 to renovate it as a period home and museum, and it now provides educational programs on African American, Indigenous, and early Iowa settler histories.

The resolution recommends including the Jordan House in the United States 250th anniversary commemoration as a nationally recognized Underground Railroad site.

Copies of the resolution will be sent to Iowa's congressional delegation, multiple Smithsonian museums, the National Park Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program, and local government and historical organizations.