Toolesboro Mounds National Historic Landmark
The Hopewellian mounds at Toolesboro are among the best-preserved and accessible remnants of an ancient culture flourishing from around 200 B.C. to 300 A.D. The five-acre site includes several large surviving mounds, a museum and a prairie demonstration plot.
About Toolesboro Mounds
The Hopewellian mounds at Toolesboro are among the best-preserved and accessible remnants of an ancient culture flourishing from around 200 B.C. to 300 A.D. The five-acre site includes several large surviving mounds, a museum and a prairie demonstration plot. Â The museum is open seasonally but the grounds are open to visitors year round.
On your visit to Toolesboro, be sure to reserve a few extra minutes to visit the adjacent Littleton Brothers Memorial. Six brothers from Louisa County went to the Civil War and made the ultimate sacrifice. You can read about their story at www.littletonbrothers.com or learn more on Facebook. Erected in 2016, this 11 foot tall monument made of Mesabi Black Granite is beautiful. It honors what is believed to be the largest known loss of life from an immediate family in the history of all U.S. wars.
To learn about other fun things to do and places along the Great River Road visit: ExperienceMississippiRiver.com.
Museum Hours
Memorial Weekend – Labor Day: 12:30 – 4:30 pm, Wednesday – Sunday
(open Memorial & Labor Day)
Labor Day – October 31: 12:30 – 4:30 pm, Saturdays only
Closed remainder of the year except by appointment for groups
Location
Address:
6568 Toolesboro Avenue
Wapello, IA 52653
GPS: 41.142181, -91.063482
Size: 5 acres
Toolesboro is located on the Great River Road.
Discovering Toolesboro -Virtual Hike!
Welcome to (virtual) Toolesboro! The stations below will guide you as you learn all about Toolesboro National Historic Landmark. Some of the stations include details on other web resources that you can visit to learn even more from the Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist and from the State Historical Society of Iowa.
If you have any questions during or after your hike feel free to contact us and the virtual hike leader, Louisa County Conservation Naturalist Lana Artz-McComb, will be happy to answer all of your questions!
Click on the link below for each stop to open a pdf document
Stop 1: About Toolesboro National Historic Landmark
Stop 2: What is at Toolesboro National Historic Landmark?
Stop 3: Mounds 1 through 4
Stop 4: What are Burial Mounds?
Stop 5: Who were the Mound Builders?
Stop 6: The Hopewell Interaction Sphere
Stop 7: Archaeology at Toolesboro
Stop 8: Artifact Summary
Stop 9: Let’s Talk Time
Stop 10: Traveling the Great River Road
Stop 11: Toolesboro for Kids
Stop 12: More from the State Historical Society of Iowa
Stop 13: More from the Iowa Office of the State Archaeology
Or click here to open all stops in one large document: Take the Full Hike
- Restroom, modern
- Trails
- Picnicking
- Hiking
More Information
Toolesboro is:
One of Iowa’s State Historic Sites
On National Register of Historic Places
A National Historic Landmark
State Preserve
A Great River Road Interpretive Center
Learn More:
History of Toolesboro
Teacher’s Guide
Managed by LCC for:
State Historical Society of Iowa
Visit the Great River Road, Iowa
Visit the Great River Road, Lake Itasca, MN to the Gulf of Mexico.