Historical Village brings history to life

Like many small towns, Kalona got its start as a stop along the railway line. The depot built to service the railway in turn became the inspiration for Kalona Historical Village when, in 1969, the Rock Island Railroad stopped routing trains through Kalona and shut down the depot. “They were going to tear it down,” says Nancy Roth, Kalona Historical Village tour director and general manager. A group raised money to save the building, move it to its current location and painstakingly restore it.

Over time, other buildings significant to the town's history were brought to the village and restored. The scenic village now includes more than a dozen historic buildings and three museums, spanning two city blocks between Highway 22 and D Avenue in Kalona.

A rugged log cabin built in 1842 is the oldest building and has frontier furnishings such as a rope-string bed and wood-burning stove. The Wahl Victorian house belonged to the family who donated the land for the village. Other buildings include a buggy shop, country store, one-room schoolhouse, and an agricultural building housing old farm machinery and antique cars.

The Kalona Historical Village Welcome Center houses the Quilt and Textile Museum with galleries of Amish and English (non-Amish) quilts as well as a spool cabinet collection and a rock and mineral display.

The Wahl Museum displays antique collections and memorabilia about Kalona businesses, crafts, tools, artistry and classes that graduated from Kalona High School. Also see an early telephone switchboard, newspaper office, art glass, and more.

The Mennonite Museum and Archives preserve the history and lifestyle of the Mennonite and Amish cultures through collections and historical documents.

Admission is $8, $3 for kids ages 7 to 12 and free for children 6 and under.

The Kalona Historical Village is open April through Oct., Monday through Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., but will have extended hours during the Kalona Quilt Show. (Call (319) 656-3232 for exact times.) From November through March, the Historical Village is open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Directions:

The village is located one block south of Hwy. 22 between Seventh and Ninth Streets with parking in front of the visitor center.

Countryside Tours:

Contact the Kalona Chamber of Commerce for more information about 90-minute tours of the area which are available for $15; countryside meals which begin with a 45-minute informational talk and end with a homemade meal served family-style in a conservative Mennonite home for $20 per person; or a three-hour tour of the area and a family-style meal for $30 per person. To schedule, call (319) 656-3232.