Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.
“Garretson House is a historic building located east of Salem, Iowa, United States. Its significance is derived from its association with Owen Garretson, a local farmer, politician, and historian.”
Wikipedia article Owen A. and Emma J. Garretson House, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 54 National Register listings published here for Henry County · listed in 2015 · category: Building.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 2 fires within 5 miles of Owen A. and Emma J. Garretson House in 2018, burning about 10 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 March 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 8.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 3 March 2018 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Owen A. and Emma J. Garretson House: 1 past producer. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beattie Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Salem, the town this property stands in, in 19 storm reports between 2000 and 2025: 10 thunderstorm wind, 7 hail, 1 flood, 1 tornado. The reports record 1 death. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2000 | Flood | Salem | 1 killed | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | $30,000 | Corn bent and broken off stalks |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | $25,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph overturned a semi truck on Highway 27/218 about 3.5 miles east southeast of Salem, IA around 448 pm June 19. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | $5,000 | Lawn furniture thrown across yard |
| March 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | - | Shingles reported blown off roof, and outdoor furniture blown over. The time was estimated from radar information. |
| April 2024 | Tornado (EF2) | Salem | - | An NWS survey team confirmed a long-track EF2 tornado Tuesday afternoon in southeast Iowa. The tornado developed just southwest of Houghton, Iowa in Lee County. Significant damage to homes, trees, and outbuildings was observed. The worst damage occurred at a farmstead north of New London in Henry County, where the roof was removed from a brick house, one of the exterior walls collapsed, and the garage was destroyed. Numerous out buildings were also destroyed at nearby farmsteads. Maximum winds were estimated around 130 mph. The tornado continued into northwest Des Moines County and caused additional damage at several farmsteads southeast of Yarmouth. Public video confirmed that the tornado continued northeast into Louisa County, where a vehicle was blown off the road just east of Morning Sun. The tornado then damaged trees near the Port Louisa National Wildlife refuge, and finally lifted near the confluence of the Iowa and Mississippi Rivers. The tornado had a maximum path width around 600 yards. The tornado path length was around 42 miles. There were no injuries. Numerous emergency managers provided valuable assistance to NWS Quad Cities during the survey. |
| April 2024 | Hail | Salem | - | Public report of nickel size hail occurring at this time. |
| May 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | - | Trees blown down and shingles blown off of the roof. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | - | A COOP Observer reported several tree branches down on their property. The time of the event was estimated using radar. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | - | The COOP Observer 1 mile south of Salem reported several tree branches down on their property. The time of the event was estimated using radar. |
| June 2010 | Hail | Salem | - | Quarter sized hail fell about 1 mile north of Salem, IA at 1037 pm June 1. |
| October 2005 | Hail | Salem | - | From co-op observer. |
| March 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | - | Several large tree limbs down. |
| March 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | - | Barn destroyed. |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | - | Large trees down. Reported by trained storm spotter. |
| April 2020 | Hail | Salem | - | no account filed |
| April 2020 | Hail | Salem | - | no account filed |
| March 2006 | Hail | Salem | - | no account filed |
| March 2006 | Hail | Salem | - | no account filed |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Holtkamp Round Barn | 1.1 miles | 1986 |
 | Joseph A. and Lydia A. Edwards House | 2.4 miles | 2015 |
| Hugh and Matilda Boyle House and Cemetery Historic District | 2.6 miles | 2015 | |
| Fish Creek Bridge | 2.9 miles | 1998 | |
 | Lamm-Pollmiller Farmstead District | 3.0 miles | 2010 |
 | Collins-Bond House | 4.4 miles | 2010 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 15000750 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Henry County | All 54 listed properties in this county. |
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