Welcome to WL Heritage Foundation
The West Liberty Heritage Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that was founded in 1999 for the purpose of collecting, preserving, promoting, and perpetuating West Liberty’s heritage. We are totally funded by charitable donations/bequests as gifts to help us in our work of preserving the history of West Liberty and the railroad.
Visit the West Liberty Heritage Depot Museum and Heritage Park located at 405 N. Elm Street. Our city became an important railroad hub following the arrival of the east-west railroad line in 1855 and subsequent north-south railroad line in 1870. The West Liberty Heritage Foundation was established to collect and preserve historical information about the railroad, the city of West Liberty and surrounding area. Many artifacts, exhibits, pictures, and memorabilia pertaining to transportation, business, education and agriculture can be viewed at the restored 1897 Rock Island Railroad Depot as well as on this website. In addition to the depot, several other buildings are now in Heritage Park: a Heritage Barn, a one-room Swamp School, a 1930’s Tourist Cabin, a 1935 switch engine, and an antique carousel. Work is ongoing to restore and finish a 1913 Caboose. A hiking/biking trail, park benches, and a gazebo provide areas for exercise and relaxation. We welcome your visit.
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We the People: West Liberty turning 1841 stagecoach inn into museum
WEST LIBERTY, Iowa (KCRG) – A piece of Iowa’s history from before it was even a state is getting a refresh. The West Liberty Heritage Foundation is raising money to turn an old stagecoach inn into a museum.
Travelers heading westward into the Iowa Territory in 1841, five years before it became a state, would have come across the large residence and stayed there for the night before trains or cars could whisk them across the state.
Egbert Tangier Smith, whose grandfather signed the Declaration of Independence, built it in contract with a Muscatine (then called Bloomington) company called Beers and St. John’s.
West Liberty Heritage Foundation member Scott Brooke said the inn represents the stagecoach era and how it shaped Eastern Iowa’s growth.
See Video Courtesy of KCRG
https://www.kcrg.com/2026/07/07/we-people-west-liberty-turning-1841-stagecoach-inn-into-museum/
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The West Liberty Depot Museum and other buildings in the park are open (See Schedule Below)
Visiting Hours: April – October 2026
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm;
Saturday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Closed Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Donations (which are tax-deductible) are needed and appreciated to support our projects/programs. They may be mailed to West Liberty Heritage Foundation, P.O. Box 352, West Liberty, IA.