“Uncle Henry” and Nancy  C. Wallace moved to Des Moines from Winterset in 1892 when Henry became editor of the Iowa Homestead. They selected a home at the corner of 16th & Center Streets, one of the oldest properties in the Sherman Hill neighborhood. The Italianate Victorian-style house was built in 1882. The Classical style wrap-around porch features Ionic Roman columns. The stacked bay windows and a second story balcony are typical of the style.

Around 1895, the Wallaces altered the third floor for more space, adding two bedrooms, a hybrid mansard/hip roof and dormer windows. After Nancy’s death in 1909 and Henry’s death in 1916, daughter Josephine continued to live in the house until 1923. The house remained in the Wallace family until 1940. By the 1950s, the house was portioned into 11 apartments. The house was last inhabited in the 1960s.

The Wallace House Foundation purchased the home in 1988. The interior was gutted, and period photos taken around 1910 by Josephine Wallace guided the restoration work. The family donated many pieces of period furniture. Henry and Nancy's great-granddaughter Ann Wallace Fleming maintains the beautiful heirloom garden.

Permanent and rotating exhibits on the Wallace family are displayed. Hours are 9 am to 2 pm Tuesday through Friday, and other times by  appointment. The museum is free of charge, however guided tours for groups are available for $2 per person and require advanced notice. The museum is also available by appointment for meetings, receptions, and other events with wheelchair-accessible parking and entrance. Please call 515.243.7063 to schedule a visit.

Current Exhibits:

• The Life of Henry A. Wallace
  A computer-based interactive program that combines text, graphics, and audio to bring the remarkable story of Henry A. Wallace to life.

• Corn Belt Leaders: Iowa’s Four Secretaries of Agriculture
  When not traveling around the state, this exhibit is on display at the Wallace House Foundation. Four Iowans who have served as the nation’s Secretary of Agriculture are featured:
  
  • James “Tama Jim” Wilson, the longest-serving Secretary of  Agriculture in U.S. history (1897-1913),
  • E.T. Meredith (1920-1921),
  • Henry C. Wallace (1921-1924), and
  • Henry A. Wallace (1933-1940)

Sponsors of the display include Pioneer, A DuPont Company; Meredith Corporation; and Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area. The exhibition has traveled to Effigy Mounds National Monument, the Farm Progress Show, the Iowa Cattleman’s Show, and a Leadership Iowa session at Iowa State University. Meredith and Pioneer corporate offices will host the display later this year before returning it to the Wallace House Foundation. Click here to schedule the exhibit or please call 515.243.7063.