In 1870 Henry Dearborn, owner of Stone City Quarries, built his home near his business.[2] With the help of
John Green Mr. Dearborn also built what became known as the General Store in 1897. The General Store at one time was the location of the town post office.
Contributing properties
Stone BarnStone Water Tower
The
John A. Green Estate (also known as the Green-Nissen Estate) covers 200 acres (0.81 km2) of land.[3] The estate consists of the Green mansion, ice house, water tower, barn, and office building were each built of
Anamosa Limestone quarried from
John Green's own local business. During the summers of 1932 and 1933 the Green Estate became the location of
Stone City Art Colony.[4]
Construction began on
St. Joseph's Church in 1913. The first mass was held in 1914. The church was designed by
Dubuque, Iowa architect Guido Beck. The
stained glass windows of the church were imported from
Germany. The limestone used for the building was donated by local quarries. The labor to construct the church was also donated by city quarry businesses.[5]
The General Store was owned by Henry Dearborn. In the late 1890s he commissioned
John Green to build the general store. In 1897 the city
post office was moved from the Dearborn residence to the general store where it remained in operation until the government closed it down in 1954. The store was also headquarters for the village
telegraph and was the town's only
gas station. The store remained in the Dearborn family until the late 1950s.[6]