Sitting quietly in the center of Iowa State University, the Farm House Museum goes unnoticed as students pass by.

Being the first building to be built on campus, the museum holds a colorful past that is demonstrated through its current condition.

A redbrick sidewalk sends a welcoming invitation to the mouth of the house, where long pillars decorate the small porch.

The screen door creaks as it swings back to its original position slamming just slightly as a visitor fails to catch it.

To the left is a long, open parlor and to the right, the study. Complete with standard Victorian style furnishings, the museum illustrates what life was like in the 1800s.

The chairs and beds seem unusually low to the ground and large decorative area rugs cover the ground making the lightly colored hardwood floors seem invisible.

A large piano sits in the corner of the parlor along with ornately carved cabinets full of antique dishware and even a Victorian era music player. Busy wallpaper covers the walls and residents’ personal belongings litter the dressers. Other historic items fill the rooms and large paintings of the house’s former residents decorate the walls.

One resident, Charles Curtiss, lived in the home longer than any other resident. Curtiss was appointed Dean of Agriculture and lived in the home for 50 years until his death in 1932.

Curtiss was the only resident to pass away in the house and his legacy is said to live on through spirits in the house. Clare Blodgett, senior in Political Science, works as a museum assistant and isn’t sure about the house’s reputation for being haunted.

“I think my mind plays tricks on me sometimes,” said Blodgett. “In the summer, there is a draft so it gets a little freaky.”

Museum Assistant David Faux spoke of one spooky incident where the silver set on the dining room table was mysteriously moved.

“The museum coordinator came into the house in the morning and noticed that each piece of the silverware set in the dining room had been slightly moved from its original position,” said Faux. “She moved them back but the next day she came in, they were moved again. She actually took a piece of thread and sewed a small loop around each piece so that the silverware would stay in place. She set the alarm and left for the night. When she returned the next morning, all of the stitching had been snipped and the silverware was moved again,” said Faux, senior in History.

Faux said there was no evidence of anyone breaking into the house and the mystery is still unsolved.

Spooky mysteries are just one of the many special treats the museum has to offer. The museum hosts many events throughout the year including participating in Haunted Iowa State University and scheduled tours.

Last year, the museum even celebrated its 150th anniversary and Faux agrees that after 150 years, the house has quite a story to tell.

“There are so many things in this house that I like. My favorite piece changes from day to day because there are just so many cool things here,” said Faux.

The furnishings in the museum are very special to the Farm House, but the people who have passed through it often have their own stories to tell.

From famous Opera singers to the United States’ very own Secretary of Agriculture, honorable successors from all aspects of life resided in the Farm House. Iowa State University’s first president, Adonijah Welch even wrote the first inaugural address in a bedroom upstairs. The house is home to many memories and has a history well worth sharing.

The museum was opened to the public on July 4, 1976, in celebration of the bicentennial anniversary of America’s independence and was declared a National Historical Landmark in 1964. The Farm House Museum is a quiet piece of history that will live on through the curiosity of the people of the present.