Henderson Lewelling House

The Henderson Lewelling House, also known as the Lewelling Quaker Museum, is a historic site in Salem, Iowa, built in 1843 by early Quaker settlers Henderson and Elizabeth Lewelling. Notably Iowa's first commercial nursery, the house is significant for its ties to the abolitionist movement and its role as a potential stop on the Underground Railroad. The house served as an office for local Justice of the Peace Nelson Gibbs, who presided over a landmark case related to escaped slaves, making it a key location in the history of the Fugitive Slave Act. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, the house now operates as a museum, offering insights into the region's rich history and the Lewelling family's legacy.