Bentonsport Improvement Association
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The Bentonsport Improvement Association has a new logo that features our historic bridge
and the majestic eagles that fly over the Des Moines River. Thank you to Ted Kralicek for the inspiring design that celebrates our town's history and natural beauty.


Bentonsport celebrates Christmas 2024!

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In June of 2024, Ted and Mindy Kralicek were recognized with the Iowa Governor's Volunteer Award. Congratulations and thank you for everything that both of you do to make Bentonsport a strong community!
Memorial Day Program at the Presbyterian Church
May 26, 2024
Sponsored by the Bentonsport Improvement Association
Milton American Legion Post 483, Rev. Larry Shipley, welcome by Bruce Whitaker, pianist: Mindy Kralicek, vocalists: Marcella Hannam and Mike Plecker, tribute to Iowa's WWII Code Talkers by Diane Carr


Bentonsport Bridge Rehabilitation

April 9, 2024 Iowa DOT announced a $1,612,000 grant awarded to the Van Buren County Conservation Board for
the rehabilitation of the Bentonsport Pedestrian
Bridge Rehabilitation. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources have awarded an additional $400,000.

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April 9, 2024 Iowa DOT announces a $1,612,000 grant awarded to the Van Buren County Conservation Board for the rehabilitation of the Bentonsport Pedestrian Bridge Rehabilitation

In July of 2024, staff of the Van Buren County Conservation installed a new plaque commemorating Bentonsport's history and Bentonsport's National Register listed historic district

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Rose Garden and Presbyterian Church clean up day 2024:
Thanks to Lisa Thompson and her students at Van Buren Community Schools and many other volunteers, the garden and church now ready for visitors and residents to enjoy! Thank you all!

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Recent donation
Thanks to Herb and Jan Shafer for their donation of this antique regulator clock which now hangs in the Presbyterian Church. 

 the
Bentonsport Odd Fellows Hall

In late 2023, the Van Buren County Conservation completed a project to restore the masonry and replace a structural beam over the storefront of the Bentonport Odd Fellows Hall. Funds for this preservation project were provided through the generosity of the State Historical Society of Iowa’s Historical Resource Development Program and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 via the Van Buren County Board of Supervisors. The work was completed by the team of talented craftsmen at Renaissance Restoration, Inc.

Bentonsport Presbyterian Church

2023 was also a big year for the Bentonsport Presbyterian Church. Check out the video and photos below showing the roof project in process. Thank you to our
 friends at ASC for the video!
In the summer of 2023, Caston Construction installed a new roof on the historic Presbyterian Church. The former roof, with missing and damaged shingles (photographs above), had reached the end of its life. This project involved installing new wooden shingles to replicate the building's original roof and to provide a secure and long-lasting weatherproof envelope for this historic building. The Bentonsport Improvement Association (BIA) will also use this project to educate the public and high school construction students about the history of the church, its architecture, historic preservation, and the careful stewardship of a historic property.

This project was made possible thanks to major funding from the William M. and Donna J. Hoaglin Foundation of Mount Pleasant. Additional funding was provided by the Jim McLeland Memorial, an anonymous donation via the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, the Community Foundation of Van Buren County (administered by the Quad City Community Foundation), and fund raising efforts that included pie sales at the 2022 Bentonsport Heritage Day and ticket sales for the 2022 BIA raffle for works by local artists. The balance of the project was funded by the building's owner, the Bentonsport Improvement Association. The Bentonsport Improvement Association, a 501(c)(3), was organized in 1947. BIA 's mission is to protect and preserve the historic properties it owns, makes improvements to the village of Bentonsport,



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BIA Christmas Tree

In 2023, for the first time ever, the Bentonsport Improvement Association donated a tree to Festival of Trees event which raises funds for the Christmas for Kids program in Van Buren County. Thank you to BIA member Lois Thompson who led this effort and decorated this beautiful tree. 

New welcome signs

Thanks to Ted Kralicek (designer) and the Van Buren County Engineer's Office, Bentonsport has new welcome signs installed in the summer of 2023!


Archives Project

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In October 2023, the BIA Archives Committee met with archivist Amy Groskopt from Davenport to discuss plans for creating a historical archives for Bentonsport. Amy visited Bentonsport through the Field Services grant program managed by the State Historical Society of Iowa.  Committee members are: Mindy Kralicek, Paula Mohr, Betty Printy and Hal Schnedler.  Check out Amy's report here.

Recent Donation

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This portrait of Bertha Seward Galloway (1872-1921) was recently donated to the
Bentonsport Improvement Association by Judy Barnett of Atlanta, Georgia. Bertha Galloway was born in Bentonsport where she grew up. Her sister, Effie Seward Dustin, founded the Bentonsport Improvement Association and was instrumental in preserving the Bentonsport Presbyterian Church.

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  • Home
  • What's New
  • History
  • Events
  • Places to Stay
  • Places to Shop
  • Things to Do
  • Contact
  • Support Us/Membership
  • Volunteers
  • Stone House, Church and Rose Garden Rentals