Top Five Sites at the Silos and Smokestacks NHA and more

This article focuses on individual sites that make up the Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area (NHA). As I create this lens, the NHA was seeking votes from its Friends/Fans for the 2012 Site of the Year. The 5 sites under consideration are featured here.

When you go to the NHA website, enjoy seeing some of the outstanding sites that you may want to visit in the 37 counties of Northeast Iowa.

Photo image of Morningside Nature Center at the Living History Farms in the NW corner of metro Des Moines, Iowa, courtesy of Widimedia Commons. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silos_%26_Smokestacks...

Take a look at all the sites in the NE portion of the State of Iowa to choose from... ;-)

Museum educational programs include workshops, lectures, movies, and field trips on natural and environmental topics throughout the year.

All galleries in the Museum are open to the public during regular Museum hours without prior arrangement. If you have a large group (more than 10) or would like a guided tour of Iowa Hall please schedule a tour before your visit. The Museum requests that you call to schedule your tour at least a week before the desired date.

A Site of the Silos and Smokestacks NHA

Buffalo have inhabited North America for 100,000 years or more. Pre-historic ancestors were much larger than their present day cousins. At the Hawkeye Buffalo Ranch store we have on display, a buffalo skull estimated to be 25,000 years old. This skull is three times the size of present day buffalo.

Buffalo or Bison? Which is correct? Actually, they are the same. Bison is the scientific name and buffalo is the common name. Spanish explorers of the early 1500's were the first white persons to see these shaggy creatures, which they thought were wild cows. But, it was the early French that named them "le boeuf". English speaking frontiersmen twisted and shortened the name to "buffalo".

The Amana Heritage Museum is comprised of three 19th Century buildings, set in spacious grounds. The Noé House, built in 1864, was originally a communal kitchen and later a doctor's residence. Exhibits in the Noé House trace the history and development of Amana, depict a church interior, and display the varied crafts and industries of the Inspirationists. Temporary exhibits and special programs focus on particular aspects of Amana's culture.

The Schoolhouse was built in 1870. It contains the Christmas Room, a Kinderschule, toys, dolls, handwork, carpet weaving, and a communal Amana school display. An audio visual presentation on Amana's history is shown regularly in the Schoolhouse auditorium .

These are the five sites featured in the 2012 People's Choice Site of the Year Competition. You can vote right now, for your choice.