Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
“Grinnell House is a historic dwelling located in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. Levi Grinnell came from Vermont to settle in Poweshiek County in the 1850s.”
Wikipedia article Levi P. Grinnell House, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 26 National Register listings published here for Poweshiek County · listed in 1979 · category: Building.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 25 fires within 5 miles of Levi P. Grinnell House between 2006 and 2017, burning about 192 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 |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 18 |
| Debris and open burning | 7 |
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 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 20TH ST. , IA |
| 7 May 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 19 May 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 8 April 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 6 April 2013 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 5 April 2013 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 4 April 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 28 April 2013 | Debris and open burning | 6.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Grinnell, the town this property stands in, in 87 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 29 thunderstorm wind, 29 heavy rain, 22 hail, 3 lightning. The reports record 7 injuries. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2010 | Hail | Grinnell | 6 hurt, $500,000 | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | 1 hurt, $150,000 | no account filed |
| April 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $3,000,000 | On the north edge of Grinnell, cars were reported off the road and flipped. Power lines were down and roofs were blown off homes. |
| June 2010 | Lightning | Grinnell | $550,000 | no account filed |
| October 2018 | Flood | Grinnell | $100,000 | Emergency manager reported water over a few gravel roads near Grinnell north of Interstate 80 and other county roads closed near Searsboro due to flooding. |
| May 2013 | Flash Flood | Grinnell | $100,000 | Roads in the city covered with water and impassible. |
| April 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $100,000 | Two barns were blown down just west of Grinnell. |
| April 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $75,000 | Damage was caused to several homes in Grinnell. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $50,000 | Emergency manager reported damage to utility poles, power lines down including high voltage lines, and debris throughout the city blocking streets. Time estimated from AWOS gusts. |
| September 2018 | Flood | Grinnell | $50,000 | Law enforcement reported several county and rural roads across the county were under water from the heavy rainfall. |
| August 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $50,000 | Local newspaper reported at least 15 to 20 trees down across the northern side of Grinnell, some 3 to 4 feet in diameter. Multiple trees fell and damaged building and house roofs. At least 12000 people without power in the area. Delayed report, and time estimated from radar. |
| April 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $50,000 | Damage to outbuildings and a trailer was caused by high thunderstorm winds. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $50,000 | Trees down, transformers down, and power outages. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $50,000 | Numerous tree limbs down across town and the power was out. |
| May 2003 | Hail | Grinnell | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Grinnell | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Grinnell | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Flood | Grinnell | $50,000 | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $40,000 | The roof was blown off of the Farm Bureau Service building in Grinnell. |
| June 2010 | Lightning | Grinnell | $25,000 | no account filed |
| March 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $15,000 | Numerous trees uprooted and blown down by high winds. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $15,000 | Tree damage on the Grinnell College campus. |
| May 2003 | Hail | Grinnell | $15,000 | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Grinnell | $15,000 | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Grinnell | $15,000 | no account filed |
| June 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $10,000 | Three to four tree limbs three to five inches in diameter down. One branch was 20 feet long. |
| April 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $10,000 | Sheet metal was blown down and there was street sign damage. |
| May 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Grinnell | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Grinnell | $5,000 | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Lightning | Grinnell | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 1997 | Hail | Grinnell | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $3,000 | Estimated winds of 60 to 65 MPH from the Grinnell College Security personnel. |
| July 2014 | Hail | Grinnell | $3,000 | no account filed |
| April 2010 | Hail | Grinnell | $3,000 | no account filed |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $3,000 | no account filed |
| April 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $2,000 | Trees down in the area caused by high thunderstorm winds. |
| June 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $2,000 | A trained spotter estimated winds of 60 MPH. |
| April 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $2,000 | Two power poles were blown down and damage was reported to small buildings. |
| October 2004 | Hail | Grinnell | $2,000 | no account filed |
| October 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Hail | Grinnell | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Hail | Grinnell | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $1,000 | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Grinnell | $1,000 | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Grinnell | $1,000 | no account filed |
| June 2025 | Heavy Rain | Grinnell | - | Rain total of 3 inches from the morning storms. |
| June 2025 | Heavy Rain | Grinnell | - | Morning total of 5.1 inches from storms. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | - | Delayed report of tree damage, solar farm damage, and large branches downed mainly on the north side of Grinnell. |
| May 2023 | Hail | Grinnell | - | Report via social media. |
| June 2020 | Heavy Rain | Grinnell | - | CoCoRaHS observer recorded 3.70 inches of rainfall over the last 24 hours. |
| June 2020 | Heavy Rain | Grinnell | - | Public weather station measured 3.3 inches of rain. Beginning time estimated by radar. |
| October 2019 | Heavy Rain | Grinnell | - | Public reported heavy rainfall of 5.78 inches over the past 24 hours. |
| October 2019 | Heavy Rain | Grinnell | - | CoCoRaHS observer recorded heavy rainfall of 4.25 inches over the past 24 hours. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | - | Grinnell Airport AWOS recorded a 63 mph wind gust. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Merchants' National Bank | under 500 feet | 1976 |
 | Interior Telephone Company Building | under 500 feet | 1990 |
 | Grinnell Herald Building | under 500 feet | 1991 |
 | Farmers Mutual Reinsurance Company Building | under 500 feet | 2013 |
 | Pioneer Oil Company Filling Station | under 500 feet | 2013 |
 | Grinnell Historic Commercial District | 0.1 miles | 1991 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 79000935 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Poweshiek County | All 26 listed properties in this county. |
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