Stovewood House

Stovewood House. Heritage Park, Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum. , Overview , Native Americans lived in northeast Iowa for thousands of years before being forced off their land by the U.S. government to make room for non-native settlers. Colonizers arrived in this area in 1848 and came from numerous countries in Europe. Over time, this area became known for its Norwegian immigrants. This house is unique because it was built with short pieces of wood set in mortar instead of studs or logs.

. Built in 1855 by Norris Miller , . Originally in Decorah, Iowa , . The only known example of this kind of construction in Iowa , . 1976.078.001 , Gift of Charles Istad

, Northeast Iowa was home to many different Native American groups for thousands of years before settlers occupied the land. In the early 1800s, the Sauk and Meskwaki (named the Fox by the French) were in conflict with the Santee Dakota (named the Sioux by the French) in this part of the country. These tribes were at war with each other after being removed from their original homelands by the U.S. government. In 1832, a treaty tried to make peace between them by creating a 40-mile-wide “Neutral Ground,” which the Ho-Chunk tribe (called the Winnebago by the U.S. government) was forced into from Wisconsin. , The U.S. government built Fort Atkinson, 16 miles southwest of Decorah, to enforce the boundaries of the Neutral Ground. The fort operated from 1842 to 1848. Some members of the Ho-Chunk kept returning to their homeland in Wisconsin, so in 1848 the Ho-Chunk were forced to move again, first to what is now Minnesota, then on to South Dakota, and finally Nebraska. , European settlers moved into the area around 1848, and Decorah was established in 1851. Many immigrants from present-day Germany, Norway, and the Czech Republic arrived in the region and established their own distinct ethnic communities. These established communities attracted new immigrants who tended to move to where people and cultures were familiar. In addition to immigrants from foreign countries, settlers from the eastern United States also relocated to the area. , In 1855, Norris Miller moved to Decorah with his wife Mary and their young son after working in the California gold fields in 1849. Once established in Decorah, he worked as a carpenter, a miller, and finally ran a steam laundry. The couple continued to live in the house for the rest of their lives. While the Millers were not Norwegian-American, their house is included in Vesterheim's collection because of how it was built. , The house is constructed of “stovewood,” short lengths of cookstove-sized wood laid in mortar. The wood was likely harvested from the lot where it was built. This house appears to be the only surviving example of this building technique in the state of Iowa. The floorplan of the house suggests it was based on commonly available patterns of the time period. With exterior siding, a parlor, and closets, it represents fashionable town living, which many immigrants dreamed of building after living in simple, one-room houses like the Haugan House or the Egge-Koren House.