Decorah, IA - Porter House Museum

Point of Interest in Decorah, IA

The Porter House Museum is a house and museum in Decorah, Iowa. It was the home of Adelbert Field Porter (1879–1968) and his wife, Grace Young Porter (1880–1964), as well as Grace's mother and father, until their deaths. On August 6, 1975, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places (as the Ellsworth-Porter House).

The house is built in the Italianate style and is located at 401 W. Broadway in Decorah. It is within the Broadway–Phelps Park Historic District, also listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The house was built in 1867 for the merchant Dighton B. Ellsworth (1822–1896), an English immigrant who had come to Decorah from New York in 1855. In 1898, after his death, the Ellsworth family sold the house to Francis and Emma Young. In 1904, their daughter Grace married Adelbert Field Porter (known as "Bert"), who was raised in the house across the street on Broadway, the son of George Porter and Adell Field Porter. The Young residence became the home of Bert and Grace, as well as of Francis and Emma Young, until their deaths. Bert and Grace had no children.

In 1966, Porter deeded the house to the Winneshiek County Historical Society as a site for a museum, and the museum was opened to the public for the first time in 1969. In 1980, it became an independent organization, run by a board of directors.

Map and Info

Winneshiek County, IA


Winneshiek County, IA

Visit our county page and you will find information about our town and county's points of interest, festivals/events and faith community. You also will find stories about the contributions made by farmers/ranchers located throughout our county and of course you will learn about the community organizations that have built and continue to build strong communities (chambers, community groups, and departments, etc) and much more when you visit the Winneshiek County, IA page.