2017 Spencer Comprehensive Land Use Plan

Spencer, Iowa  2017  Comprehensive Plan

PLACES PROMOTING & PRESERVING SPENCER’S HISTORY Historical museums are an important part of the Spencer community which provide an environment intending to promote and preserve the local history of Spencer and Clay County. The following are places where the local history of Spencer and Clay County is preserved today.

Parker Historical Museum A house built in 1916 located at 300 E. 3 rd Street in Spencer is the site of the Parker Historical Museum. This house is an example of the arts-and-crafts style of architecture from the era. The architectural style of this museum features quarter-sawn oak woodwork, colonnades with stained glass, leaded glass china closets, six-over-three windows, Steuben glass light fixtures etched with an Art Nouveau pattern and a porte cochere. This was the family home of the Roy Webb family from 1916 until 1928, where it was then bought by James and Cordelia Parker. In 1969, the Parker family decided to offer their home to the Parker Historical society of Clay County, the Museum initially opened its doors in 1971, showing the struggles and hardships of the brave pioneers in the harsh region of Clay County. Clay County Heritage Center Due to a lack of storage and display space for new and archived artifacts from Spencer’s history, the Parker Historical Society decided it was time to expand. With limited expansion and development potential at the current Parker Historical Museum, the Historical Society eventually received the opportunity to acquire a building with great exposure on Grand Avenue (Highway 71) in downtown Spencer. In July 2012, the Clay County Heritage Center opened its doors. Inside this new facility are three large exhibit galleries, the Rotary Research Room, the Archive Library, and the Bob Keir Meeting Room. The Clay County Heritage Center has become an excellent resource and facility to expose more residents and visitors to Spencer to the history of the community and area.

Clay County Fair Museum The Clay County Fair Historical Museum resulted from a joint project between the Fair and the Parker Historical Society. In 1997, the Fair’s museum opened in a space under the grandstand. The Fair museum is open to the public nine days a year during the Clay County Fair. This museum is dedicated to the preservation of Clay County Fair history and hosts collections of chuck wagon memorabilia, fair promotional items, premium books, programs, photographs, and 4-H and FFA uniforms to name a few of the items. There are so many archived fair items, the Parker Historical Society members work with Fair staff to create a new exhibit each year to entice fairgoers to come and visit.

6 | P a g e

NW Iowa Planning & Development