Our Museums

Historical Museum

Our Museum is housed in the original Odd Fellows building built in 1898. the historical society purchased the building in 2005 restoring it to its original appearance. The first floor displays a large amount of Williamsburg memorabilia, especially pertaining to the early days of the town, as well as an extensive collection of military uniforms and artifacts. The second floor is home to our genealogy department.

Street view of a brick building with three large windows on the second floor, a decorative cornice at the top, and a storefront on the ground floor with glass doors and windows, lit street lamp in front.
A black-and-white photo of a historic brick storefront with the name 'Howell Williams Jr.' on a sign above the entrance. Several people are standing outside the shop, and the display windows show various items and signs.
A two-story house with yellow siding, brown trim, and a steeply pitched roof with gray shingles. The house has multiple windows, including a bay window on the second floor. There is a small wooden deck at the back, and the house is surrounded by leafless trees and a lawn.
Black and white photo of a large, Victorian-style house with a steep roof, a chimney, and multiple windows. Several children and an adult stand in front of the house on a lawn. There are leafless trees and a fence in the background.

Gittens-Jones Home

In June 2015, the Gittens-Jones home was gift to the Williamsburg Historical Society by Dr. Warren Jones, the last surviving member of the Gittens-Jones family to have lived in the House. The house was built in 1894 and remains largely unchanged through the years .

Train Depot

The Williamsburg Historical Society create a replica of the first Williamsburg train depot with the help of Bushong Construction of Montezuma, Iowa. The first passenger train came through Williamsburg on July 4, 1884. In 1881 the population of Williamsburg was 130 by 1886 the population had grown to approximately 1,000. The arrival of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad brought more businesses and people into town. The railroad depot was the hub of activity in Williamsburg. The first depot was in 1884 but burnt down on April 3, 1936. A new depot was completed by October 22, 1936. The last passenger train went through Williamsburg on May 13, 1950. The depot was closed on April 15, 1975.

Black and white photo of a train station building with a sign that reads 'Williamsburg', a chimney, and a small tower on the roof. There are train tracks in the foreground and a train in the background. A telephone pole is visible on the left.
A small, white, wooden house with dark brown trim, a front porch with a ramp, large windows, and outdoor wall-mounted lights, surrounded by green grass and trees under a partly cloudy sky.

Pilot Grove Country School

The first Pilot Grove School was erected in 1874. This “new school” was built in 1907 and closed in 1949. The building was moved Williamsburg in the 1950’s and served as the VFW Hall. Later Bob and Sue Jones bough the building, moved it north of town on Highway 149 and used it as an antique store. In 2016 the was moved to its present location and restored by the Historical Society and Bushong Construction.

White wooden building with a sign that reads 'Pilot Grove No. 6,' a small porch with railing, and a bell post nearby. Trees with bare branches surround the building, and there is a clear blue sky.
A white wooden building with a gabled roof, labeled 'Pilot Grove No. 6,' surrounded by a fence and snow-covered ground, with an American flag hanging outside.

Peterson Drug Store

Peterson Drug’s roots back in 1857. The original owner George Fletcher constructed the current building at its existing address in 1898.

The original business consisted of a drug counter and soda fountain on the main floor and doctor’s office on the second floor.

The Peterson family purchased the business from Fletcher in the 1920’s. Three generations of pharmacists in the Peterson family worked at the store. Peterson Drug Company closed as an active business in 2018. Later the Williamsburg Historical Society purchased the property and restorations began. The restorations concluded in 2021.

A historic brick building with a sign reading 'Watt's Hospital' on the upper facade. The ground floor features a store or pharmacy with large windows and a sign for 'Drug Co. Since 1876.' An American flag is displayed to the left of the entrance, and a parking sign indicating accessible parking is visible near the sidewalk.
An old black and white photo of a small storefront with signs for a hospital, Coca-Cola, drugs, prescriptions, ice cream, and candy. The display window shows products inside, and the entrance has glass doors.
Street view of a shoe repair store named 'Livingston Shoe Service' with large glass windows, a striped awning, and brick building facade, snow on the sidewalk, and a sidewalk sign on the left.
Vintage hospital room with an old hospital bed, medical carts, and medical equipment under a large circular overhead light fixture, with a window showing a view of a building with a red roof.

Miller Hospital

In 1922 Watts Hospital consisted of a doctor’s office and dentist’s (Dr. Paul Giblin) office, a waiting room, an x-ray room, a lab, a book keeping room, supply room, a three-bed ward and a two bed ward. In March of 1926 a third floor addition was completed. Upstairs there were seven patient rooms (two bed in each room) making the hospital a 19 bed facility.

Watts Hospital served the surrounding communities and Williamsburg from 1922 until Dr. C.F. Watts sold his practice to Dr. D.F. Miler in 1937.

Miller Hospital continued to serve the area from 1937 until 1956.

The Williamsburg Historial Society purchased the property in 2018. In late 2018 the restoration process began, which included the removal of the third floor. This restoraation brought the building back to its original footprint, concluding in the summer of 2021.