In 1950, Don Thomas moved his Clinton Machine Company from Clinton, Michigan to Maquoketa, Iowa where they quickly became a world leader in small engine manufacture. The 12 acre site yielded over 18 million engines, making the company the 10th largest employer in Iowa, drawing workers from over 33 different communities in three states. They were extremely innovative, many of their ideas becoming industry standards. The Administration Building, on the National Register of Historic Places, is the only building still standing and is now the home of the Clinton Engines Museum, and one of Iowa’s Greats Places.

The original 1876 depot burned in a tragic fire in 1910, but was rebuilt on the same spot the following year.  It was a busy place for the next 25 years, when the blizzards of 1936 – and the effects of the Great Depression closed the line for good.  The little Milwaukee depot sat deserted until 1994, when purchased and restored by Rick and Dixie Clasen. Then in 2015, the land on which it sat was sold – and the building donated to the Historical Society.   It was moved 20 miles to the Clinton Engines Site in Maquoketa.

The first thing one will see when entering the Clinton Engines Site is the Agricultural Heritage Building. Soon to be a fascinating museum in its own right – the Agricultural Heritage Building is well underway. Volunteers have finished pouring the concrete drives, the steps and walkways. An inviting bench in honor of Mary and Albert Kilburg is in place. And a garden in honor of J. C. and Arlene Engel has also been established.

When complete, it will pick up the story of agriculture in Jackson County just where the Penningroth Machine Shed on the Jackson County Fairgrounds Site left off. The PMS begins the story of Agriculture in Jackson County even before May 30, 1833, when settlers were first allowed to cross into the new Iowa Territory. It continues through the era of horsepower – or oxen or mule – right up to and including the big old steam engines.

Journey back to life on the Frontier with tools, artifacts, and the machines they used. Stepping into the Penningroth Machine Shed is truly step back in time – to Midnight, May 31st, 1833 when the government opened the Iowa Territory for settlement. For weeks, settlers had been gathering on the Illinois shore of the Mississippi, preparing for midnight when the race would begin. They crossed in boats, barges, and even on logs – and once ashore they scattered to find the most promising locations. Drawn to Jackson County by the fertile soil, streams and springs, timber and limestone for building, and plentiful game for food – they quickly staked their claims and began to till the soil.

The area around Maquoketa was very well known for its limestone cliffs, and in 1870 Alfred Hurst began a small lime kiln. That one small kiln soon turned into 4 large kilns, run by teams of men. Horses hauled wagons of the famous Anamosa Limestone used for mortar to build strong brick buildings. Hurst died in 1915, and technology found new ways of building. The lime kilns feel into a great state of decay and began to crumble. In 1985 the Jackson County Historical Society, led by Paul Segers and Ed Kirchhoff, began to restore the kilns to their rightful glory. Ensuring this important piece of Jackson County could still be visited today.