north lee county historical society

The experience was great I learned lot. It was well worth my time. It tells a lot about Lee count, Iowa

I'm sorry, but this attraction does not do the history of Fort Madison justice. The people at the reception desk were kind, but gave me dirty looks as I was walking around the museum. The museum is very small and the relics the museum does contain are uninteresting except for the Santa Fe caboose outside. The place has gone downhill over the years. DO NOT waste your time coming here!!

We are in the process of relocating to this area. Out for a stroll one Sunday afternoon, we popped in and were pleasantly surprised by the quality and variety of displays. Additionally, the gentlemen volunteers on duty at that time engaged us in friendly conversation and provided an in-depth tour of their museum and its contents.Not sure I'd drive far out of my way to visit here, but if you're in the area it's worth the stop.Admission is free, by the way, but they do ask for a donation.

I arrived here at 3:30 pm unaware that the place closed at 4pm however you would never have known this by the warm friendly reception from the gentlemen volunteers from the historical society. In fact they kept the place open longer despite me being the only visitor there and as it was bitterly cold they even gave me a ride back to the holiday apartment I was staying in.The volunteers are extremely knowledgeable (at least one of the guys was a retired engine driver) and gave me a guided tour of the site which includes several buildings of interest. The exhibits broadly consist of 1) All things connected to the Santa Fe Railway when it was the main freight and passenger station until 1968.2) A potted history of the Sawk American Indian Tribes and the use of Fort Madison as a trading post 3) Notable local people and their lives and trades in the 19th & 20th centuries.I found the experience utterly charmingly. The site has had major renovation works over the last couple of years and when it is finally completed will undoubtedly be considered excellent but for now it is to the societies credit that it is still very good.

Well, not like we lived there all the time, but as a kid I would go straight from school to the depot museum to help my mom. (mostly just killing time) I started giving tours of the caboose outside at about 6 and was giving full fledged tours to busloads of middle and highschoolers at about 10. The museum has a special place in my heart.That being said, they recently raised the building up to avoid flooding. Thank goodness, I helped bail out water for 2 floods in less than 10 years. Hoping to get Amtrak to occupy the building, the planners modernized the depot and added all the necessary features for a current amtrak station. They also cut down on the exhibit space considerably, and I was saddened that so much history had to be put into storage. Hopefully Amtrak will move in soon, because it felt empty in there!

My bride and I visited and photographed as we drove cross country. This was a very nice place to stop and there were several covered bridges and some wildlife to photograph. This is a beautiful area and the locals take pride through manicured lawns and immaculate views. There are many places in the area to grab a quick bite to eat or a cool drink.

Although the depot was closed at the time we could visit, it is worth a photo or two. It is the only depot designed in this unique mission style from the early 1910's. The Old Fort Madison is another little gem right across the parking lot from the depot. The volunteers who run the fort are delightful. They take you back to when the early explorers first came across the Mississippi River from the East. Other places of interest include the Santa Fe Bridge, the largest double-decker bridge in the world, and right up the street, the ominous Iowa State Penitentiary originally built as a territorial prison in 1839. Nice stop if you're taking a road trip along the Mississippi in the fall.