Stone City is a tiny, unincorporated community in Iowa with a population of 192. It is best known for its incredible historic buildings, limestone quarries, and being home to an art colony in the 1930s that was started by Grant Wood, Edward Rowan and Adrian Dornbush.
Stone City is nestled in what would be considered iconic Iowa farmlands.
Facebook/The Stone City Foundation, Inc. With rolling hills and lush trees, you can take in the beautiful landscape as you come in via the Grant Wood Scenic byway. The town so perfectly captures the classic Iowa landscape that it was captured in a famous painting by Iowa’s famed artist, Grant Wood, in the painting, “Stone City.” The region is also known as Grant Wood Country.
Stone City is known for its limestone quarries, and the beautiful buildings that were constructed from the material.
Facebook/The Stone City Foundation, Inc. In fact, Stone City is home to one of only three fossil-free dolomite limestone quarries in the world, with limestone that was formed about 420 million years ago. The other two are located in Italy and Russia.
You can visit the last remaining active quarry in the area.
Facebook/The Stone City Foundation, Inc. Weber Stone Company is open to the public, so you can take a tour to learn more about the industry and how the quarry runs. They’re located at 12791 Stone City Rd. To schedule a tour, click here.
You’ll want to either drive through the town to see all of the beautifully preserved old buildings or schedule a tour with the Jones County Tourism Office. First, there’s the art colony:
Facebook/The Stone City Foundation, Inc.
Facebook/The Stone City Foundation, Inc. During the summers of 1932 and 1933, Grant Wood decided to locate an art colony in Stone City, due to his love of the scenic landscape. It was located on 10 acres of land on the Green estate, and it included Green Mansion, Ice House, and the Water Tower. Keep in mind as you drive through that many of the buildings are private residences or are privately owned and aren’t open to the general public. To schedule a tour, click here.
Other notable buildings in Stone City include: The Blacksmith Shop
Wikipedia/Kepper66
The Stone Barn
Wikipedia/Kepper66
St. Joseph’s Catholic Church
Flickr/minnemom
And the Dearborn Residence.
Wikipedia/Kepper66 To learn more about all of Stone City’s buildings, click here.
The Grant Wood Art Gallery in nearby Anamosa is also a great place to visit to learn more about Grant Wood and the history and art surrounding him.
Flickr/J. Stephen Conn The Gallery is located at 124 E Main St., Anamosa, IA.
Head back to Stone City to see a replica of the American Gothic house from Grant Wood’s most famous painting.
Flickr/Phillip Capper
No day in Stone City is complete without a trip to the General Store Pub.
Flickr/J. Stephen Conn
Facebook/The General Store Pub The General Store Pub is in another of those amazing limestone buildings, and it’s situated right on the banks of the Wapsipinicon River. You can relax in this homey, casual eatery and enjoy drinks, burgers and other delicious pub fare. On some nights, they also have live music. The pub is located at 12612 Stone City Rd.
Stone City is located about 4 miles west of Anamosa, or about 20 miles east of Cedar Rapids on Highway 151.
Facebook/The Stone City Foundation, Inc.
With rolling hills and lush trees, you can take in the beautiful landscape as you come in via the Grant Wood Scenic byway. The town so perfectly captures the classic Iowa landscape that it was captured in a famous painting by Iowa’s famed artist, Grant Wood, in the painting, “Stone City.” The region is also known as Grant Wood Country.
In fact, Stone City is home to one of only three fossil-free dolomite limestone quarries in the world, with limestone that was formed about 420 million years ago. The other two are located in Italy and Russia.
Weber Stone Company is open to the public, so you can take a tour to learn more about the industry and how the quarry runs. They’re located at 12791 Stone City Rd. To schedule a tour, click here.
During the summers of 1932 and 1933, Grant Wood decided to locate an art colony in Stone City, due to his love of the scenic landscape. It was located on 10 acres of land on the Green estate, and it included Green Mansion, Ice House, and the Water Tower. Keep in mind as you drive through that many of the buildings are private residences or are privately owned and aren’t open to the general public. To schedule a tour, click here.
Wikipedia/Kepper66
Flickr/minnemom
To learn more about all of Stone City’s buildings, click here.
Flickr/J. Stephen Conn
The Gallery is located at 124 E Main St., Anamosa, IA.
Flickr/Phillip Capper
Facebook/The General Store Pub
The General Store Pub is in another of those amazing limestone buildings, and it’s situated right on the banks of the Wapsipinicon River. You can relax in this homey, casual eatery and enjoy drinks, burgers and other delicious pub fare. On some nights, they also have live music. The pub is located at 12612 Stone City Rd.
Have you visited this fascinating little town? What did you think? For more of Iowa’s amazing small towns, here are 10 Slow-Paced Small Towns in Iowa Where Life Is Still Simple.
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