1. Running Head: AMERICAN GOTHIC HOUSE IN ELDON, IOWA 1
American Gothic House in Eldon, Iowa
Mackenzie DeMuth
University of Northern Iowa

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The American Gothic House in Eldon, Iowa is an important landmark. This is the
house that inspired Grant Wood to paint American Gothic, one of the most
recognized paintings in the world (American Gothic House, 2016).
Geographic Characteristics
The city of Eldon is located in Wapello County, IA. It has a population of 920 people
according to the 2013 US Census (City Data, 2016). Eldon is a very small town in a
rural part of Iowa that has a total area of 1.12 square miles. It was founded in 1872
by the building of the Keokuk and Des Moines Railway through that territory. It is
located right along the north bank of the Des Moines River in the SE part of Iowa
(City of Eldon, 2016).
Since this area is very rural, not many people would just come to the town for the
fun of it. Eldon has some historical sites that bring tourists to the town. Not only
does the American Gothic House bring the most tourists to the town but other
attractions also have people traveling to Eldon. The Hollenbeck Hall is popular and
the Wapello County Fairground is one of the oldest county fairs in the United States.
The McHaffey Opera House is also a popular attraction. Back in the early 1900s it
was used for a lot of different things and people would come from all over to
participate in whatever was going on there. Still to this day people come to check it
out (City of Eldon, 2016).
Main features of the American Gothic House
The American Gothic House sits on a small piece of land in Eldon, IA. It’s a small
white 700-square-foot house that was used for the backdrop of Grant Wood’s
famous painting, American Gothic. To this day it still stands and has become a very

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popular sit for tourists all around the world. It was in 1930 that Grant Wood saw the
famous house. He was there for an art exhibition (American Gothic House, 2016).
Wood liked the house because of the unique gothic window. He called the window
“pretentious” for such a small house. He sketched the house and off he went on
painting the American Gothic picture. Tourists will come to the famous location just
to take a picture in front of the house to resemble the famous painting. Near the
house there is a visitors center that is free of cost. Wapello County and the City of
Eldon opened the American Gothic House Center on June 9, 2007. The famous house
will be 125 years old this year (American Gothic House Center, 2016). The center is
for tourists to go and learn more about the old house and the famous painting. They
can also learn more about Grant Wood and what his ideas were behind the painting.
Many people think that the people in the painting are a farmer and his wife when
actually it’s a farmer and his daughter (State Historical Society of Iowa, 2013).
School field trips will go out to the site to learn some things about the history.
On February 9th of this year the town celebrated Grant Wood’s legacy. This was an
event all about Grant Wood and the accomplishments he made. They opened a new
exhibit that many people go to see. It’s called “The American Scene.” It features a
selection of prints from the 1930’s and 1940’s depicting a variety of rural and urban
scenes from across America. They have so many events that they put on all year
round.
Key Players
The original owners of the house and the people who built the house in 1881-1882
were Catherine and Charles Dibble. They were the original owners so the house so it

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is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Dibble House. They later
lost the house and it was sold. It changed owners over the years but it is now in the
hands of The State of Iowa. They’ve owned it since 1991 when the then owner, Carl
Smith, donated it to the State Historical Society of Iowa (National Register of
Historic Places, 2016).
Donations are a huge support for the American Gothic House Center. Since it is a
not-for-profit entity, they rely heavily on the generous donations from supporters
and visitors. The donations are used to develop new exhibits and support
educational programs (American Gothic House, 2016). The center also has an
endowment fund called the American Gothic House Center Endowment Fund. They
utilize this to fund and sustain operations. They got a total of $10,000 dollars after a
few years. The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation manages the
endowment. They have a long-term goal of an endowment that sustains the Center’s
annual budgetary needs (American Gothic House, 2016). There is a benefit for
everyone’s donation. All donations are tax deductible. This means that the people
that donate are eligible for the Endow Iowa Tax Credit. This qualifies them for 25
percent Iowa tax credit for donations made into a designated community
foundation. This is great and gets people to donate (American Gothic House, 2016).
People can also volunteer and the staff at the American Gothic House Center are
always looking for volunteers.
Strengths, Weaknesses and Opportunities
There is much strength to this site. It is a place where people can go and learn all
about history. Grant Wood was an amazing artist. The American Gothic Painting is

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one of the most recognized paintings in the world. To be at the place where it all
started would be pretty cool. Another strength is the amounts of things younger kids
on field trips learn there. It is a great way to teach history in a fun way. The kids can
go take pictures out in front of the house just like the painting.
Many people thought that it would be a weakness to have the house in such a rural
location. They had thoughts about moving the house to a place where more people
would go visit. However, Eldon, IA is the original home for the American Gothic
House so moving it would uproot a lot of history and meaning to the house.
There are also a few opportunities out at the American Gothic House Center.
Volunteers as mentioned above are very important. Seasonal staff is also important.
If they didn’t have staff and volunteers then they would not be able to keep the
center open (American Gothic House, 2016).
Significance of Case Study
The significance of this case study is the connection between the American Gothic
House and rural tourism. Since Eldon is very rural, not many people go there. The
American Gothic House brings people to that area. Without the American Gothic
House and a few other destinations, the little town of Eldon would essentially be just
filled with the people that live there. It is important to learn about places like this
because rural tourism is becoming more and more popular. It is also important for
people to travel to these small towns to learn about other cultures and history.

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Recommendations
Some recommendations were that people didn’t seem to like the house in the rural
town of Eldon because they didn’t know if people would travel to go see it. So they
wanted to move it to someplace in a popular city. Well it turns out people do go
travel to see it. It means more that the house is in its original spot where Grant
Wood first spotted it because it gives it more meaning and history. I think this house
is really cool and I would love to take a trip and go see it. I’ve been learning about
the American Gothic painting ever since I was little so to actually see where Grant
Wood came up with the idea would be pretty cool.

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References
American Gothic House. (2016).
http://www.americangothichouse.net/
City of Eldon. (2016).
http://www.cityofeldon.org/
City-Data. (2013).
http://www.city-data.com/city/Eldon-Iowa.html
State Historical Society of Iowa. (2016).
http://iowahistory.org/historic-sites/american-gothic-house/index.html
National Park Service. (2016).
http://www.nps.gov/nr/