Franklin County G. A. R. Soldiers' Memorial Hall (Iowa)

The Franklin County G. A. R. Soldiers' Memorial Hall, also known simply as the Soldiers' Memorial Hall, is a historic building located in Hampton, Iowa, United States. The octagonal-style structure was designed and built in 1890 by Edward Carl Keifer. It was the meeting place of the J.W. McKenzie Post No. 81, Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.), which was one of 519 GAR posts in Iowa.[2] The building is architecturally significant as it is one of the few examples of a Gothic Revival style structure of this type in the area.[3] It is a memorial chapel that follows a cross-shaped plan capped by an octagonal cupola with a statue of a Union soldier on top. Its significance is also derived from it being the first G.A.R. Memorial Hall built in Iowa. The Iowa legislature had passed a law in 1884 that allowed counties to levy a tax to support building G.A.R. memorials. Captain Rufus S. Benson, a local state representative, had the law amended in 1886 so that it allowed for the construction of a memorial hall, as the local G.A.R. chapter wanted it to be a place where they could meet.[3]

Franklin County G. A. R. Soldiers' Memorial Hall
Location3 Federal St. N.
Hampton, Iowa
Coordinates42°44′31.3″N 93°12′25.4″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1890
ArchitectEdward Carl Keifer
Architectural styleOctagon Mode
Part ofHampton Double Square Historic District (ID03000834)
NRHP reference No.91001828[1]
Added to NRHPDecember 13, 1991

The hall was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.[1] In 2003 it was included as a contributing property in the Hampton Double Square Historic District.[4]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. Albert E. Smith, Jr. "The Grand Army of the Republic and Associated Societies: A Guide to Resources in the General Collections of the Library of Congress". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2018-09-14.
  3. Shirley Pitsor. "Franklin County G. A. R. Soldiers' Memorial Hall". National Park Service. Retrieved 2018-09-14. with photos
  4. Molly Myers Naumann. "Hampton Double Square Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved 2018-09-14.


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