TripHip - Travel Tips and Advice for Traveling on a Budget

I'd never heard of the Wallace family until I picked up a brochure on the Wallace House Foundation from one of the many rest stops I halted at on my trip through Iowa. They sounded so interesting that I decided to nip into Des Moines and check it out.

The Wallace family consisted of both men and women, of course, but it's three generations of men who've made their mark, Henry A, Henry C. and Uncle Henry. They were "writers and editors, scientists (farming) business leaders, farm organizarers, and political leaders." (Henry A. Wallace was vice-president of the US from 1940-1944.)

Their home, in which the first Wallaces moved in 1892, and in which the family lived until the 1940s, was sold and eventually partitioned into apartments in the 1950s. It was bought by the Wallace Family Foundation in 1988 and restored to its appearance in 1910 (aided by photos taken at the time by daughter Josephine)

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. Admission is free.

Check out their website at: http://www.wallace.org/museum.html

After visiting the residence of the governor of Wyoming, it was a surprise to see Terrace Hill in Des Moines - a much larger and more ostentatious building. Of course, it's still in use, whereas the residence in Wyoming is now a period piece.

This three story home was built by Iowa's first millionaire, B.F. Allen, on a 30-acre lot, in 1869. It was purchased in 1884 by the Hubbell family, who turned it over to the state in 1971, and since 1976, the Governor of Iowa and his family have lived there. (Iowa has never had a female governor.)

This mansion, designed by architect William W. Boyington, is an example of Victorian Secon Empire architecture (implementing a rectangular tower with a steep, but short, mansard roof.)

Public tours of the home are held from Tuesdays through Saturdays from March to December, for a small fee. (The house is not open in January, February or on major holidays.)

The governor and his family live on the third floor, the other two floors are open to the public via guided tour. You'll mount a grand staircase, view an ornate stained glass window, and walk past eight marble fireplaces. The rooms on view are furnished in Victorian fashion.

The street address is 2300 Grand Avenue. Their website is http://www.terracehill.org.