Heritage Village Attractions

1. Blacksmith Shop: Welding shop in Ireton until the late 1980s. Now a fully functioning blacksmith shop. Moved to Heritage Village in 1989.

2. Church: Replica built in 1996 of the original first church built in Sioux Center in 1877. Church members arrived in wagons and used their wagon seats as pews.

3. Gas Station: Originally located in Paullina, Iowa. Donated and moved to the village in 1990. Sioux Center Cooperative Gas & Oil has donated a number of the items displayed at the gas station.

4. Gerritsma Sawmill: Lumber from local sawmills provided wood for early pioneer families. This local sawmill was donated by the Gerritsma family in 2003 after Earnest Gerritsma died. The sawmill is in operation during the Harvest Festival. 

5. Granary: Old farmsteads usually included a granary used to store harvested grain. Modern farmsteads no longer have granaries. The granary was moved to Heritage Village in 1994.

6. Klein House: The Klein House gives visitors insight into how early residents of Sioux Center lived. This house was originally located where Furniture Mart is today. It was donated by Dennis Vande Berg in 1988. The house was damaged by a fire in 2015, then rebuilt and re-opened to public in 2017. 

7. Kuhl House: This home was built in early 1900s on the Kuhl homestead and occupied by the Kuhl family for more than a 100 years. It was donated by Dordt College in 2017.  The Kuhl House been renovated as a year climate-controlled building, available for use by the community for various functions.

8. Louie’s Leather Shop: The shop showcases equipment and tools that would be included in a leather repair shop. Shoe and harness making and repair of shoes were part of Louie’s Leather store, when it was open in downtown Sioux Center. The equipment was donated in 2001 by Marv Boone, the last proprietor of this store.

9. Mutual Telephone Building: Includes an old wooden phone booth from the downtown area, a switchboard where calls were handled, numerous styles of phones, and a glass telephone insulator collection. Much of the equipment was donated in 2008 by Mutual Telephone (now Premier Communications). The display includes a collection of Sioux Center Municipal Utilities' annual gifts to customers.

10. Noble Barn: Reconstructed “peg barn” originally located by Rock Valley, Iowa. The large timbers are held in place by wood pegs rather than nails. In 2000, the Noble Family donated the barn frame, which was taken down by volunteers. Pieces were numbered so barn frame could be reconstructed at the village. The large barn was moved to the new Heritage Village site in three pieces and re-attached.

11. One-Room Country School House: This school house, Capel #5, the center school of the township, was built in the summer of 1928 in the Middleburg area. The building was used as a school until 1959, and later was used as the township hall. The school house was one of the first buildings to be moved in 1989 to the village. It represents the numerous one room country schools that existed in the county until the 1950s.

12. Roelofs General Store:  Roelofs has been a business in Sioux Center for many years. The Roelofs Family donated in 2011 store fixtures and has been involved in the store which has an early 19th century general theme. Many items in the store were donated by the community. General stores were an integral part of the early history of the town.

13. Vreeman Barn: This barn was donated by Larry Reimersma in 1988 after being used for many years as a residential garage.  Is an example of a hip roof barn. It is used for various exhibits during the Harvest Festival including sheep sheering.

Coming to Heritage Village in 2023:

Doc’s Café: One of the oldest buildings in Sioux Center, Doc's Café was once moved from the Sioux Center “old town” to the area platted as North Sioux Center. It was moved to Heritage Village in 1991 from the area that is now Sioux Center's Centre Mall. Due to structural problems, the original structure was demolished in 2018. The contents have been preserved and the Heritage Board is in the process of building a replica at the new site.

DeRuyter's Hardware Store A donated building to be stocked with vintage tools and artifacts.