The Reverend George B. Hitchcock House near Lewis opened Monday, for guided tours. The tours are available Wednesdays through Sundays, with the first tour each day beginning at 1:15p.m. Additional tours will start at 2:15 p.m., 3:15 p.m., and 4:15 p.m. In order to comply with CDC guidelines, a mask will be required and social distancing will be observed. A mask will be provided with the cost of admission. The charge for a tour is $5 per person over the age of 14.

George B. Hitchcock House (2018 photo)

The Hitchcock House was built in 1856, and was used to assist in the safe passage of fugitive slaves through southwestern Iowa on their way east and north to Canada during the mid-19th century. The house now serves as an interpretive center of the life of an early pioneer, and the escaping slaves who traveled the Underground Railroad to freedom. The house is on the National Register of Historic Places, and was accepted as a site on the National Park Service Network to Freedom and designated a National Historic Landmark in February of 2006.

National Historic Landmark sites embody the actual sites where significant historic events occurred or where prominent Americans worked or lived, and represent ideas that shaped our nation. National Historic Landmark designations are an official recognition by the federal government of a historic properties’ significance. Less than 3,000 historic properties in the United States are designated as a National Historic Landmark.