The Bonnifield Questers of Fairfield are once again using handmade quilts to raise money for the restoration of the historic Bonnifield Log Cabin, with a new display coming to Iowa State Bank, 55 S. 4th St., throughout November, according to the Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce.
The group held a similar fundraiser in July, when local quilter Kathy Tollenaere donated a handmade quilt that was raffled off at Iowa State Bank, raising $1,000 for the project. Two more quilts are now being raffled, with the display running at Iowa State Bank from Nov. 2 through Nov. 30 before moving to the Fairfield CoLab in December. Those who donate can select which of the two quilts they would like to be entered to win, or indicate either.
The Bonnifield Log House, built in the summer of 1838 by Rhodham Bonnifield and his sons, is recognized as Iowa’s oldest existing two-story log house. The home once welcomed travelers, territorial officials and other visitors and served as an unofficial Methodist church. It also holds a unique place in Fairfield’s history — in March 1839, commissioners gathered there to discuss the new town, and it was Mrs. Bonnifield who suggested the name “Fairfield.”
By 1908, the house had fallen into disrepair and was dismantled and reconstructed at Old Settlers Park, adjacent to Waterworks Park on Fairfield’s north side, where it stands today. The cabin is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The restoration effort has attracted significant grant funding in recent months. The Carnegie Museum Foundation of Jefferson County received $55,370 from the Washington County Riverboat Foundation in May for the project, and the Bonnifield Log Cabin was also awarded up to $150,000 through Iowa’s Rural Heritage Revitalization Grant program, administered by the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s State Historic Preservation Office, in July. The July grant marked Iowa’s first award through the competitive federal program since 2020.
