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The home of General Grenville Mellon
Dodge, is situated in Council Bluffs, Iowa, right across
the river from Omaha, Nebraska. After the death of General Dodge's last living daughter, Anne, who died in 1950, the house was sold and the new owner partitioned it into apartments. In 1963, a public campaign was launched to raise funds to rescue the home. The Historical Society of Pottawattamie County, Iowa was the leading force raising money for this project. The house was purchased for $30,000 in 1964 and was then turned over to the Council Bluffs Park Board. J. Frederic Schlott, Chairman, played a leading role in the initial restoration. The National Park Service dedicated this house as a National Historic Landmark, in 1964. After much painstaking effort, many of the original furnishings were located, and those who owned them were persuaded to return them to their "rightful setting". Each room in the house contains at least one Dodge family possession. Wallpaper, curtains, and draperies are all done in the Victorian designs of the day. The bookcases, cabinets, and portraits from the house had been preserved at the Council Bluffs Library in its "General Dodge room." They were returned to the house and reside in the library, making it the most authentic room in the house. The home is now cared for by "Friends of the Dodge House". An auxiliary group, "The General's Ladies", gives its time and talent to social functions. One of these is the beautiful Christmas tea for members, and unique special exhibitions for the public as fund raisers. For further information on the restoration of this home, you may contact "THE HISTORIC GENERAL DODGE HOUSE", Third and Story Streets, Council Bluffs, Iowa, for a copy of their book, "The Historic General Dodge House -- Reminder of a Man and an Era". Visiting this beautiful home is well worth your time. Would you like to learn more about General Dodge and his ancestors? Click Here. |