What are the opening hours?

Thursday 10am - 2pm Friday 10am - 2pm Saturday 10am - 4pm Sunday 1pm - 4pm

Mills County Historical Museum in Glenwood, IA

Home
United States
Glenwood, IA
Mills County Historical Museum in Glenwood, IA

Call Directions Website Contact the organization

Journey through history when you visit the Mills County Historical Museum in Glenwood, IA.

The museum showcases seven historic buildings from the county that you can explore with the largest showcase of Prehistoric Native American artifacts in the state.

10/24/2026

Mills County Historical Museum in Glenwood, IA is ready for Square Crow Days! Come on down and visit us! 9-11am

10/23/2026

📣 A Quick Museum Update!

The Mills County Historical Museum in Glenwood, IA will be closed tomorrow, Saturday, October 24th, for Square Crow Days! 🐦‍⬛🍬🍫

But don’t worry—we’ll be out on the Square from 9–11 AM!
Stop by, say hello, and celebrate Square Crow Days with us!

We hope to see you there!

10/22/2026

This past Monday, we had the pleasure of hosting several fellow Southwest Iowa museums. It was a wonderful opportunity to collaborate and discuss the unique topics and challenges facing small, rural museums in our region. We're proud to work alongside such dedicated people preserving Iowa history.

10/16/2026

💙 A BIG THANK YOU to Robert and Orrin!

A bittersweet day for us, as it was Elder Robert Canon's last day of volunteering this summer for us.

The Mills County Historical Museum would like to extend a heartfelt thank-you to Robert and Orrin for all their help this summer! Your time, hard work, and willingness to lend a hand have been invaluable to us.

We are so grateful for your dedication and support. Volunteers like you make such a difference, and your efforts are truly appreciated by everyone at the museum!

Thank you both for helping us preserve and share the history of Mills County! 🏛️

10/16/2026

Happy Homecoming Weekend, Glenwood!

While you’re out enjoying the festivities, come on down to the museum and step inside the stories that built our community.

We’ll be open throughout Homecoming weekend so come learn about some local history. Whether you’re visiting from out of town, coming home for the celebration, or just looking for something fun to do between events, we’d love to welcome you in.

Bring your family, bring your friends — everyone is invited.
See you at the museum!

10/16/2026

🔎 A Morning of Local History!

We were happy to welcome several families to the Mills County Historical Museum this morning! They had heard about our Scavenger Hunt and decided to come give it a try themselves. We love seeing families explore the museum, have fun, and learn something new about our local history!

They were also in luck! Richard and Dennis Miller were here working on curating our collection and took the time to share more in-depth information about some of our artifacts and the history behind them. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn even more about the stories our collection has to tell.

Thank you to everyone who visited us this morning! We hope you had a great time exploring and discovering a little more about Mills County history.

10/14/2026

🏈🖤💛 **Happy Homecoming, Glenwood!** 💛🖤

If you’re in town this weekend for Glenwood High School Homecoming and the Homecoming Parade, be sure to stop by the **Mills County Historical Museum**!

Come check out our Homecoming exhibit, celebrate some local history, and enjoy a little nostalgia while you’re out and about this weekend.

We’d love to see you! Stop in and say hello! 😊

10/10/2026

🔎 Did You Know? A Piece of Iowa History Is Part of Our Collection

One of the more unusual artifacts in the Mills County Historical Museum’s collection is a rope with a remarkable—and sobering—connection to Iowa history.

In 1962, Charles Kelley and his accomplice, Charles Noel Brown, became known as the “Mad Dog Killers” after embarking on a three-state crime spree through Minnesota, Nebraska, and Iowa. Their crimes included robberies and shootings, with one person killed in each state.

The two were eventually apprehended in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Brown was tried in Council Bluffs, while Kelley’s trial was held in Glenwood, Iowa, following Brown’s trial.

At the time, Iowa law required the sheriff of the county where the judgment was rendered to carry out the ex*****on. Edwin Barkus, the Mills County Sheriff at the time, was responsible for Kelley’s ex*****on.

Sheriff Barkus preserved the rope used in the ex*****on. Kelley’s ex*****on was the last ex*****on by hanging carried out under Iowa law, and the rope is now part of the Mills County Historical Museum’s collection.

What unexpected pieces of history might be waiting to be discovered in our museum? Come visit us and explore Mills County’s past!

Sources:
Wikepedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Brown_and_Charles_Kelley
The Minneapolis Star, 6 September 1962 Page 1/4A
The Des Moines Register, 25 March 1962 Page 32

Address

20 Lake Drive
Glenwood, IA
51534

Opening Hours

Thursday	10am - 2pm
Friday	10am - 2pm
Saturday	10am - 4pm
Sunday	1pm - 4pm

Telephone

+17125275038

Website

http://mchm.info/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Mills County Historical Museum in Glenwood, IA posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.