Winfield Smouse House

Built in 1916 (Prairie School architecture). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

From the record

“The Winfield Smouse House, is a historic structure located in Washington, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.”
Wikipedia article Winfield Smouse House, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 20 National Register listings published here for Washington County · listed in 1983 · category: Building · built in 1916, Prairie School architecture.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
Listed as. Smouse, Winfield, House - the National Register files a house under its owner's surname.
Address. 321 S. Iowa Ave., Washington, 52201
When was it listed? January 1983
Category. building
Township. Oregon township
When was it built? 1916
Architectural style. Prairie School architecture
National Register reference number. 83000409 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

9 since 2017

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 9 fires within 5 miles of Winfield Smouse House in 2017, burning about 88 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	7
Smoking	2

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
6 June 2017	Smoking	2.0 acres	Iowa Department of Natural Resources	not named
12 April 2017	Debris and open burning	15 acres	Iowa Department of Natural Resources	not named
4 March 2017	Debris and open burning	22 acres	Iowa Department of Natural Resources	not named
21 March 2017	Debris and open burning	3.0 acres	Iowa Department of Natural Resources	not named
20 March 2017	Debris and open burning	10 acres	Iowa Department of Natural Resources	not named
14 March 2017	Debris and open burning	18 acres	Iowa Department of Natural Resources	not named
12 March 2017	Debris and open burning	15 acres	Iowa Department of Natural Resources	not named
27 February 2017	Smoking	1.0 acres	Iowa Department of Natural Resources	not named

Every fire recorded in Washington County

Storms near this property

60 of 101 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Washington, the town this property stands in, in 101 storm reports between 1996 and 2026: 54 thunderstorm wind, 26 hail, 8 flash flood, 5 tornado. The reports record 28 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
May 1998	Tornado (F3)	Washington	28 hurt, $9,000,000	no account filed
May 2000	Hail	Washington	$2,000,000	no account filed
June 2009	Flash Flood	Washington	$100,000	Heavy rains have resulted in flash flooding in Washington, IA during the evening of June 21 and early morning hours of June 22. The basement of a residence was flooded.
July 2007	Tornado (EF1)	Washington	$100,000	A tornado touched down on the east side of town. It moved south and lifted approximately one half mile south of town.\|\|A car dealership and nearby storage garage were damaged in Washington. A car and small pickup truck were reported to be briefly lifted and dropped. Numerous tree limbs and branches were down throughout town.\|
May 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	$100,000	no account filed
August 2010	Lightning	Washington	$50,000	Lightning struck an apartment building at 311 E Main Street in Washington, IA during the evening of August 13 resulting in a fire. Fire-fighting crews were dispatched at 1004 pm CDT.
July 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	$50,000	15 inch diameter tree down
August 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	$50,000	Many trees down along with a power pole. Power out due to downed lines and a blow transformer.
April 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	$25,000	Damage was first noted by law enforcement on a farmstead on 220th Street. The owners report the loss of the porch roof with windows blown out of the house. A machine shed had a wall caved in with power lines down.
April 2006	Tornado (F2)	Washington	$25,000	Rated F2
September 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	$20,000	Law Enforcement reported that trees were down along with roof and vehicle damage at the Washington Golf and Country Club. The time of this event was estimated from radar.
May 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	$20,000	no account filed
June 2010	Flash Flood	Washington	$10,000	Heavy rains resulted in flash flooding of E Washington Street and W 3rd Street in Washington, IA during the late morning of June 15. The flood waters receded by 12 pm.
September 2005	Hail	Washington	$10,000	Also reported by spotters.
August 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	$10,000	no account filed
June 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	$5,000	A roof of a mobile home was blown off. It then struck another mobile home nearby. Delayed report.
April 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	$5,000	First discovered by law enforcement. Owners report a utility shed was flattened and scattered across the property.
July 2003	Heavy Rain	Washington	$5,000	in 90 minutes
May 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	$5,000	A house trailer being transported was blown onto it's side by high winds.
April 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	$4,000	Power lines were downed on 220th Street just west of County W61 by a downburst from the mesocyclone of the Washington tornado or a rear flank downdraft. Winds estimated at 61 knots (70 mph).
March 2006	Hail	Washington	$3,000	just west of town
July 2003	Heavy Rain	Washington	$2,000	in 10 minutes
August 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	$2,000	Tree downed on power line.
May 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	$2,000	Severe winds tore the metal roof from a welding shop and blew it into a neighboring business.
June 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	$1,500	Thunderstorm winds toppled trees across the city.
July 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	$1,000	2 to 3 inch diameter branches down
October 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	$1,000	Measured at Sheriff Department. KAWG AWOS about 2 miles southeast recorded a gust of 49 knots from 1940-1950 CST.
June 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	$1,000	no account filed
April 2026	Tornado (EF1)	Washington	-	An EF1 tornado with estimated max winds of 100-105 mph begun roughly 3 miles east-northeast of West Chester, IA. Along its 5.3 mile path, it snapped several power poles and tree trunks, along with ripping sheet metal roofs off of farm outbuildings. A semi truck was also tipped over near the intersection of State Highway 1 and 92, which can be associated with a localized wind surge south of the tornado.
March 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	-	Wind measured at the Washington county EOC.
March 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	-	A machine shed and cattle shed were destroyed, both of these buildings had open sides to the south. The time was estimated from radar information and Washington Airport AWOS equipement.
March 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	-	A measured 74 MPH wind gust was recorded north of Washington on G36.
July 2025	Flash Flood	Washington	-	Law Enforcement Officers reported several street in Washington were flooded. Several streets in Washington were flooded.
July 2025	Flash Flood	Washington	-	A trained spotter and law enforcement reported that an underpass on 2nd Ave is flooded and impassable.
May 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	-	Numerous branches down down, on the south side of town, along with a couple of trees. The time was based on radar data.
May 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	-	A large tree was blown down. The time was estimated by radar data.
July 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	-	A public report that a neighbors fence was blown over as well as a weighted basketball hoop. The time of the event was estimated using radar.
June 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	-	A tree was blown down, onto a power line.
July 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	-	Several trees down in the city. One large tree fell on a house and vehicle.
May 2023	Hail	Washington	-	Report from Mping.
July 2021	Hail	Washington	-	Received a public report of three quarter inch hail.
June 2021	Hail	Washington	-	Penny size hail was reported.
June 2021	Hail	Washington	-	CBS2 Meteorologist storm chasing reported lots of quarter size hail and few half dollar size.
June 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	-	A few large limbs blown down, along with the roof blown off a baseball clubhouse.
June 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	-	Large tree branches blown down.
May 2018	Hail	Washington	-	Received an amateur radio report of nickel sized hail six miles southwest of Washington on Highway 1.
May 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	-	A delayed report was received from the public of a small tree down.
August 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	-	A trained spotter reported trees down in the city of Washington.
May 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	-	The Washington Airport AWOS sensor measured this wind gust.
July 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	-	The county emergency manager reported some trees were down in the city of Washington.
July 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	-	The AWOS site at Washington reported a 54 Kt wind gust.
July 2014	Hail	Washington	-	A trained spotter reported dime to possibly nickel sized hail.
July 2014	Hail	Washington	-	A COOP Observer reported dime sized hail. The time of the event was estimated using radar.
August 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	-	Wind gusts estimated to be 60 mph blew down a two inch diameter tree branch in a neighbor's yard around 1245 am CDT September 1/1145 pm CST August 31. Some loose objects in the area were also blown around during the storm.
July 2014	Hail	Washington	-	The Washington Fire Department reported half inch diameter hail with a few that were quarter sized. Time of the event was estimated using radar.
June 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	-	Wind gust measured by AWOS.
June 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	-	Wind gust measured by AWOS.
June 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	-	Winds were measured by an AWOS station.
May 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	-	A COOP observer reported 3 inch diameter tree limbs down.
June 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Washington	-	A trained spotter reported that trees were down in town, corn was blown over, and a small metal outbuilding was destroyed.

Every storm recorded in Washington County

Map coverage status

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.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

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.

Property	Distance	Listed
Brookhart, Smith Wildman and Jennie (Hearne), House	5.5 miles	2005
Jonathan Clark Conger House	5.7 miles	1974
H.A. Baxter Coal Company Historic District	5.9 miles	2015
McCleery Calendar Factory	5.9 miles	2015
Blair House	6.1 miles	1973
Washington Downtown Historic District	6.2 miles	2013

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 83000409 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Washington County	All 20 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.