Built in 1888 (Victorian architecture). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
“Kirkham House is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It is a two-story dwelling that follows an irregular plan.”
Wikipedia article Francis M. Kirkham House, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 208 National Register listings published here for Polk County · listed in 1988 · category: Building · built in 1888, Victorian architecture.
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 7 fires within 5 miles of Francis M. Kirkham House between 2006 and 2015, burning about 32 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 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 April 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 4 April 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 16 April 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 20 February 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 1 February 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 24 November 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 13 January 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 13 workings within 5 miles of Francis M. Kirkham House: 8 past producers, 5 producers. 5 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Clay, Flagstone. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capitol Hill Sandstone Quarry | Flagstone | Past Producer | ||
| Can-Tex Industries West Pit | Clay | Producer | ||
| Goodwin Brick and Tile Co. Clay Pit | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Iowa Clay Pipe Co. Pit | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Marquette Cement Plant | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Penn-Dixie Cement Plant | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| West Des Moines Plant #8 | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Johnston Pit & Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Se 22nd St. Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Des Moines, the town this property stands in, in 348 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 131 hail, 101 thunderstorm wind, 52 flood, 30 flash flood. The reports record 2 deaths and 48 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 1997 | Flash Flood | Des Moines | 1 killed, $30,000 | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Des Moines | 1 killed, $1,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew down a large tree branch. A homeless individual died when a the branch fell on him at a homeless settlement along the banks of the Raccoon River east of Fluer Blvd. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Des Moines | 40 hurt, $40,000,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Dust Devil | Des Moines | 5 hurt | no account filed |
| September 2001 | Tornado (F1) | West Des Moines | 1 hurt, $500,000 | Tornado touched down on southwest edge of West Des Moines at the Glen Oaks Golf Club and swept into an apartment complex. Track was intermittent following the destruction of a garage unit there. |
| March 2007 | Lightning | Des Moines | 1 hurt | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Lightning | West Des Moines | 1 hurt | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | West Des Moines | $9,500,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Flash Flood | Des Moines | $7,000,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Des Moines | $4,000,000 | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Des Moines | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | $2,000,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Flash Flood | Des Moines | $1,000,000 | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Flood | Des Moines | $500,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Des Moines | $500,000 | no account filed |
| May 2022 | Lightning | Des Moines | $400,000 | At 201 Grand Avenue, three condos suffered major damage and a fourth had minor damage from a fire believed to have been started by lightning according to firefighters. Time estimated using lightning data. |
| May 1996 | Flash Flood | Des Moines | $300,000 | no account filed |
| October 2019 | Hail | Des Moines | $250,000 | Public reported baseball sized hail via picture from social media. |
| June 2015 | Flood | Des Moines | $250,000 | The river crested at 16.21 feet at 3:30 PM CST on 16 June. |
| June 2015 | Flood | Des Moines | $250,000 | The Raccoon River at Des Moines Fleur Drive crested at 21.54 feet at 3:30 PM CST on 26 June. |
| July 2015 | Flood | Des Moines | $250,000 | The Raccoon River at Fleur Drive Des Moines crested at 12.83 feet at 5:15 PM CDT on 29 July. |
| June 2010 | Flood | Des Moines | $250,000 | no account filed |
| April 2007 | Flood | Des Moines | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | West Des Moines | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Flood | Des Moines | $200,000 | One foot of water at Northwest 6th Drive between 49th and 51st. |
| June 2001 | Hail | West Des Moines | $200,000 | no account filed |
| July 1997 | Flash Flood | Des Moines | $200,000 | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Flood | Des Moines | $200,000 | no account filed |
| September 2014 | Flood | Des Moines | $150,000 | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Flood | Des Moines | $150,000 | no account filed |
| July 1998 | Flash Flood | Des Moines | $150,000 | no account filed |
| May 2019 | Flood | Des Moines | $100,000 | The Raccoon River at Des Moines Fleur Drive crested twice at 16.86 feet on 25 May 2019 at 06:30 UTC and at 17.42 feet on 29 May 2019 at 15:00 UTC. |
| June 2018 | Flash Flood | West Des Moines | $100,000 | Public reported that 63rd and Grand near West Des Moines was underwater. Water rescues were performed at this location as well. |
| December 2015 | Flood | Des Moines | $100,000 | The Raccoon River crested at 17.72 feet on 15 December 2015 at 23:30 UTC. |
| September 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Des Moines | $100,000 | Winds estimated at 65 MPH. |
| April 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | $100,000 | Most of the roof torn away on a commercial building. |
| April 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Des Moines | $100,000 | Large trees down near 18th and Woodland in the Sherman Hoyt area. Significant tree damage. |
| August 2010 | Flash Flood | Des Moines | $100,000 | Evacuations taking place from 3325 Hubble Ave at an apartment complex to 3560 Douglas Ave near a trailer Park in east Des Moines. |
| May 2000 | Tornado (F1) | Des Moines | $100,000 | Intermittent path |
| September 2014 | Flood | Des Moines | $100,000 | no account filed |
| March 2010 | Flood | Des Moines | $100,000 | no account filed |
| August 2010 | Flood | Des Moines | $100,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Flash Flood | Des Moines | $100,000 | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Des Moines | $100,000 | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Des Moines | $100,000 | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | $100,000 | no account filed |
| February 1997 | Flash Flood | Des Moines | $100,000 | no account filed |
| June 2019 | Flash Flood | Des Moines | $75,000 | Law enforcement reported 5 vehicles stranded and assistance needed to get people out of the water. |
| August 2010 | Flash Flood | West Des Moines | $75,000 | Public Works Department in Des Moines and West Des Moines reports water over the road at Grand and 61st. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Des Moines | $75,000 | Hail reported at the intersection of 2nd Ave and Euclid in the Highland Park area. |
| October 2007 | Tornado (EF1) | Des Moines | $75,000 | A tornado took down power lines and power poles were snapped at 13th Street and Mulberry. The public reported a flipped car at SW 6th Street and Mulberry. |
| May 2014 | Hail | West Des Moines | $75,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Flash Flood | West Des Moines | $75,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Flash Flood | Des Moines | $75,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Flood | Des Moines | $75,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Des Moines | $75,000 | no account filed |
| October 2018 | Flood | Des Moines | $50,000 | The Raccoon River at Des Moines at Fleur Drive crested twice, the first crest at 15.13 ft on 11 October 2018 at 02:30 UTC, the second crest at 15.06 ft on 13 October 2018 at 09:45 UTC. |
| May 2016 | Flood | Des Moines | $50,000 | The Raccoon River at Fleur Drive in Des Moines crested at 4:30 pm CDT on 1 May 2016 at 13.67 feet. |
| September 2015 | Flood | Des Moines | $50,000 | The Raccoon River at Des Moines Fleur Drive crested at 13.08 feet on 9 September 2015 at 10:45 pm CDT. |
| April 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Des Moines | $50,000 | South wind of 65 MPH was measured at the Blank Park Zoo. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Lord, Richard T. C., and William V. Wilcox House | under 500 feet | 1988 |
 | Nellie and Thomas Knotts House | 0.1 miles | 1988 |
 | Dr. Richard and Paulina Stuart House | 0.1 miles | 1988 |
 | Anson O. Reynolds House | 0.1 miles | 1988 |
 | Cottage Grove Avenue Presbyterian Church | 0.1 miles | 2016 |
 | Mary A. and Caleb D. Scott House | 0.1 miles | 1988 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 88001328 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Polk County | All 208 listed properties in this county. |
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