Howard County Historical Society-1854 Log Cabin-Beadle Park

Howard County Historical Society-1854 Log Cabin-Beadle Park. . , The cabin was built in 1854 and was lived in continuously through 1964. The interior contains two rooms: a kitchen on the ground floor and a bedroom above. It was constructed of hand hewn logs, dovetailed and every log marked near the end with Roman numerals to coincide at the corners with the log of like number. The cabin contains all the original materials with the exception of the roof and the downstairs floor.

Early History… , -Originally located one and one-half miles west of Ridgeway in a grove near a spring, not far from the Turkey River. , -The first owner was Gunder Kittleson and later owned by Magnus Ringoen. , -At one time two families lived in the cabin , -The cabin was rented to several families, among them was Sam Kuntz. In 1897, it was rented to Albert Soukup, who purchased it in 1907. Following the death of Mr. and Mrs. Soukup, the cabin was taken over by their son, James Soukup, who lived there with his family until 1956 when they sold it to Mr. and Mrs. Don Carolan., Restoration… , -Mr. and Mrs. Don Carolan donated the cabin to the Howard County Historical Society. Funds given by the City Council for the moving were administered through the City Park Commission. It was moved to Beadle Park in November of 1964. , -The original shake shingles had rotted out and replaced by a tin roof. The roof was restored in 1965 with shake shingles., The Howard County Historical Society was founded on June 9, 1924 by 24 interested persons in preserving our county's history., Other historical sites of interest in Cresco include… , , The Kellow House was acquired in 1969. An example of 1880 Second Empire Architectural Design, its unique attribute is the Mansard Roof with the Widows Walk enclosed with ornamental iron railing. William Kellow Sr., a farmer and stonemason, quarried the stone and built the foundation for his son's home. William Kellow Jr. was a grocery merchant in Cresco from 1873 until his death in 1949. This historic home is located at 324 4th Ave West. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Howard County Historical Preservation and Education Center, new in 2006, is the historical center of the agricultural, industrial and home life history of the Howard County Community. It is located within the Howard County Fairgrounds located at 314 West 7th Street.

Be sure to visit other Cresco historic buildings on the National Register of Historic Places including the.......

- 1880 Howard County Courthouse, , , - 1914 Cresco Public Library and , - 1914 Cresco Opera House all located in Howard County Historical Preservation Center downtown Cresco., Tours of these historical sites are available by contacting the Cresco Area Chamber of Commerce 563-547-3434, www.crescochambercom or visiting the Cresco Welcome Center located across the street at Elm St and Hwy9., This interpretive sign was funded in part through a Howard County Community Foundation Grant and a City of Cresco Tourism Grant. Cresco Area Chamber of Commerce Community Foundation, Howard County.,