Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area (SSNHA), also known as America's Agricultural Heritage Partnership, is one of 62 federally designated National Heritage Areas in the United States, and an Affiliated Area of the National Park Service. Through the development of a network of sites, programs and events, SSNHA's mission is to interpret farm life, agribusiness and rural communities-past and present.
Silos & Smokestacks was designated as a national heritage area in 1996. The name is intended to reflect both the farms and industries that constitute agribusiness. The Silos & Smokestacks region covers the northeast third of the state of Iowa, including thirty-seven counties. The cities of Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Waterloo, Dubuque, and Iowa City are all located within the region. The National Park Service recognizes over 90 community and privately operated sites in the area that interpret the story of American agriculture. These range from dairy farms and museums to vineyards and tractor assembly plants. Included in the area are the Amana Colonies, Living History Farms, and Brucemore, a few of Iowa's best known tourist attractions. Silos & Smokestacks also includes several state-designated scenic byways and the nationally designated Great River Road along the west bank of the Mississippi River.
Heritage sites The Heritage Area includes the following
1876 Coralville Schoolhouse African American Museum of Iowa Brucemore Calkins Nature Area Carrie Lane Chapman Catt Girlhood Home Cedar Rock the Walter House Clinton County Historical Museum Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center Effigy Mounds National Monument Fontana Interpretive Nature Center Fort Atkinson State Preserve Heartland Museum Historic Limestone Insane Asylum Iowa State Fair John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum Johnson County Poor Farm and Asylum Historic District Laura Ingalls Wilder Park and Museum Mathias Ham House Mines of Spain State Recreation Area National Cattle Congress Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge Plum Grove Historic House Putnam Museum
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