Two local organizations — the Carnegie Museum Foundation of Jefferson County and the Keota Volunteer Fire Department — are among 15 recipients of the Washington County Riverboat Foundation’s 2026 Spring Grants, totaling $2,349,549, announced during the foundation’s board meeting in Washington on Wednesday, May 20th.
The Carnegie Museum Foundation of Jefferson County received $55,370 for the restoration of the Bonnifield Log House, one of the most historically significant structures in the region. The Keota Volunteer Fire Department received $5,370 for new fire helmets.
The Bonnifield Log Cabin
The Bonnifield Log Cabin holds a unique place in Iowa history. Built in the summer of 1838 by Rhodham Bonnifield and his sons, it is believed to be the oldest existing two-story log house in Iowa. The structure replaced a makeshift cabin of unpeeled logs built the previous year when the Bonnifield family first settled in what would become Jefferson County. Once completed, the log house served as an unofficial Methodist church and hosted a steady stream of official visitors — territorial politicians, governors, delegates to Congress, and judges who passed through the Iowa territory.
The cabin also played a direct role in the naming of Fairfield itself. In March of 1839, commissioners and their assistants gathered in the Bonnifield home to discuss a name for the new town, which had been provisionally called Paynesville and then Randolph. As the group sat on benches by the fireplace discussing the beautiful prairie surrounding the home, Mrs. Bonnifield spoke up and suggested the name “Fairfield.” The group found it fitting, and her choice was instantly adopted.
By 1908, the log house had fallen into disrepair. The Old Settlers Association took a preservation interest in it, and the house was dismantled and reconstructed at its current location — a ten-acre tract known as Old Settlers Park adjoining Waterworks Park on the north edge of Fairfield. That early preservation effort was so notable that both the log house and the park were deemed eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, a designation the site received that same year.
Today the cabin is once again in need of restorative work, and plans are underway under the oversight of the Jefferson County Historic Preservation Commission with the help of a log cabin restoration expert who is expected to begin the project later this year.
Jefferson County Supervisor Susie Drish, who serves on the Historic Preservation Committee for Jefferson County, expressed her enthusiasm for the grant. “The Bonnifield Cabin is a very unique project,” Drish said. “I am thrilled that the Riverboat Foundation is helping us with that endeavor.”
Keota Volunteer Fire Department
The Keota Volunteer Fire Department received $5,370 to fund new fire helmets, supporting the department’s ability to protect its volunteers as they serve the Keota community.
About the Washington County Riverboat Foundation
The Washington County Riverboat Foundation is a nonprofit organization that derives all of its funding through its role as the license holder for the Riverside Casino and Golf Resort. The largest single award in this grant cycle went to the City of Riverside, which received $2,000,000 toward the construction of a new wellness center.
