Franklin Pearson House

The Franklin Pearson House is a historic residence located in Keosauqua, Iowa, United States. Pearson was a Maryland native who settled in Iowa in 1835 after it was opened to settlement. He was a master stone mason who built this house and other structures in southeastern Iowa, including Old Main at Iowa Wesleyan University. He was a devout Methodist who hosted services on the upper floor of his house. Pearson was also an abolitionist and involved with the Underground Railroad. The two-story structure was built in 1845, and is a rare vernacular Georgian style house in Iowa. Pearson imported the style from his native Maryland. The exterior of the first story is stone while the second is brick. A tornado destroyed the chimneys and most of the brick from the east wall. It was rebuilt using brick from a church that had been destroyed in the same storm. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.