About the Historic General Dodge House

Perhaps one of Council Bluffs' most famous residents, Gen. Grenville M. Dodge has been called "the greatest railroad builder of all time." A Civil War veteran, Dodge's involvement in political, financial and military affairs made him an associate of many of the most influential Americans of his time and counsel to presidents, including Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. During his lifetime he engaged in the mercantile business, organized a bank, surveyed the Missouri River Valley to the West for the Transcontinental Railroad, served a term in the U.S. Congress, and served with distinction in the Civil War, attaining the rank of Major General. It is said that he was the youngest General in the US Army until WWII. Although, Grenville Dodge achieved fame, fortune and historic importance by being a renowned railroad builder.

In 1869, Dodge built his handsome Victorian home at 605 Third Street at the cost of $35,000, a lavish sum for that day. The house was designed by architect William Boyington, a Chicago architect. The fourteen-room, three-story mansion stands on a high terrace overlooking the Missouri Valley, and displays such architectural features as parquet floors, cherry, walnut and butternut woodwork, and a number of "modern" conveniences quite unusual for the period. General Dodge was deeply involved in the planning and building of his home, making several modifications; such as central heating and hot and cold running water. Despite the home's elegant appointments, it is important to remember that it was built on what was essentially the frontier.

About the August Beresheim House

Built in 1899, the August Beresheim House is the spacious home of a well-to-do Council Bluffs family who had close associations with General Dodge and his businesses. John Beresheim, August's father, joined the Pacific National Bank which merged with Baldwin and Doge banking office in 1870 into the Council Bluffs Savings Bank. August served as president of the bank from 1909 until his death in 1916. August spent his entire business career at the bank. In 1954, Theda Beresheim, August's only child and daughter, sold the house and it became a nursing home and then a dormitory for the Iowa Western Community College. In 1974, it was purchased by the City of Council Bluffs as an orientation center for the Dodge House.