(55) Greene County 6.14.2025

We started off by driving across Greene County to make it to Scranton to see the oldest working water tower in all of Iowa!

We then made our way back to Jefferson, where we would spend most of the rest of the day because today was the Mahanay Bell Tower Festival!

 

First things first though—the Green County Historical Museum—although small, this was one of the better historical museums we went to only because it had so many “hands on” exhibits whereas most museums are only “look, don’t touch!” It was also neat to learn about some of the famous people from Greene County: astronaut Loren Shriver, gold medalist archer Doreen Wilber

We made sure to stop by the Milwaukee Railroad Depot in Jefferson.

And of course, a festival would not be a festival without a parade, and this was a good one!

We checked out the sites as we headed up to the square and stopped by the Jefferson Memorial Gardens.

 Surprisingly there are very few restaurants around the square and in Jefferson in general, so we decided to hit up the A&W for lunch (forgot to take a picture :P)

 

Onto the main attraction for Greene County: the Mahanay Bell Tower! In all of the counties we have ventured to, we believe this is the highest lookout. We’ve been to many lookout towers and monuments around the world, and you would think a lookout in Iowa would be pretty boring, but it was actually quite beautiful with all of the cornfields and rolling plains. The view was definitely worth it, and listening to the carillon bells throughout the day was a nice treat!

Jefferson in general has a lot of art, statues, and sculptures so we made sure to snap some pictures:

Now, the REAL main attraction of the day (for Travis 😊) was the RVP 1875 woodworking/furniture store, although we all actually enjoyed it! Many people might find this boring, but the owner took us on a full tour explaining the history behind the woodworking as they only make furniture as it was made in 1875. His work really was amazing. It is all done by hand—no power tools! We probably spent 2 hours here alone—it was Father’s Day Weekend after all :D

We did some antiquing in Jefferson, and it was quite hot so we couldn’t pass up some ice cream at the Twiins Shoppe.

We made our way to Grand Junction via the old Lincoln Highway. We couldn’t resist stopping to take a picture at one of the old abandoned motels along the way—maybe this was an old bus stop outside the motel?!

Also, to memorialize the old Lincoln Highway is the Lions Club Tree Park Gallery. This monument shows the population of Iowa through the decades portrayed in the height of the pillars.

Our final stop—and maybe our favorite stop in Greene County—was the outdoor roller-skating rink at the Spring Lake Campground! This was once a dance hall, hosting big bands like Lawrence Welk—locals have kept up the tradition by turning it into a roller-skating rink. We had a blast at the “open air” rink! Although the pictures don’t show it, there was quite a crowd by the time we left—we were glad to see so many people enjoying it!

Rate: 3

Other Things to See/Do:

• Lincoln Highway Museum, Grand Junction
• Elliot Art Studio, Jefferson
• Historical Plaque Walking Tour, Jefferson
• Jefferson Telecom Museum, Jefferson
• Deal Orchard, Jefferson
• Squirrel Hollow, Rippey
• Stagecoach Stop, Rippey