Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center named one of several new Heritage Area Sites by Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area

Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area (SSNHA) celebrated the addition of seven new Heritage Area Sites during a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony held Tuesday, June 24 at the Grout Museum District in Waterloo, marking a significant step in an ongoing mission to preserve and share America’s agricultural story. Among those new Heritage Area Site additions is the Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center in Lansing.

The newly designated sites join a growing network dedicated to honoring the people, places, and processes that define the nation’s farming legacy. Ranging from dairy farms and museums to vineyards and tractor assembly plants, there are 118 sites and attractions in the heritage area formally designated with preserving and sharing their own unique part of America’s agricultural story.

“We’re excited to welcome these seven new sites into the Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area,” said Candy Welch Streed, Director of Partnerships at Silos & Smokestacks. “Each one adds a distinctive voice to the broader story of American agriculture. They help strengthen our collective efforts to preserve, interpret, and celebrate the rich heritage, innovation, and culture that define Iowa’s farming legacy.”

The Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center was selected for addition into the network for helping tell the story of farmers from the past to the present and how they have lived with and on the natural resources of the Driftless Area. The 10,000 square foot nature center features exhibits on the flora and fauna of the Driftless Area as well as the history of the people from Native Americans to the present time and how they have used the natural resources to survive and make a living.

The process of being designated as a Heritage Area Site involves a pre-application and site visit by SSNHA staff, which then may lead to further invitation to apply. The further application process requires a resolution of support from a governing body and further review of the application by a partnership panel and SSNHA staff, along with ratification by SSNHA Trustees.

Maintaining such a designation requires annual self-evaluation, along with a formal evaluation by SSNHA staff every five years. Designated Heritage Area Sites benefit from networking within a regional and national program, being able to access technical and financial resources, being involved in opportunities for interpretive and educational projects, and being able to participate in marketing programs that include the SSNHA visitor guide and website.

Also included as new Heritage Area Sites and being recognized at the June 24 ceremony were the Barn Quilts of Black Hawk County throughout Black Hawk County, which features two self-guided driving tours highlighting 25 quilts; Country View Dairy in Hawkeye, which was established in 2011 by Mennonite family Dave and Carolee Rapson as a new creamery; the Earthmoving Legacy Center in Elkader, which is a 38,000 square foot facility that showcases the rich history of earthmoving machinery; the Heritage Hall Museum in Slater, which exhibits farming history, including an early 1900s farm kitchen as well as a restored 1950 Ford tractor, farm tools and a cut-out of a prize-winning dairy cow; the Johnson County Historic Poor Farm in Iowa City, which offers interpretive signage, local food production, trails, accessibility measures, native plantings, and event space rentals; and the Mississippi River Distilling Company in LeClaire, which is a family-owned distillery that crafts small-batch spirits from grains grown by local farmers.

Through a network of sites, programs and events, Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area tells the story of farm life and agribusiness - past and present. Visitors can learn about and experience agriculture at a variety of museums, historic sites, and farms. One of 62 federally designated heritage areas in the nation, Silos & Smokestacks is a member of the National Park Service National Heritage Area System. The heritage area covers 37 counties in the northeast quadrant of Iowa. To plan a visit or to learn more about the Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area, visit www.silosandsmokestacks.org.