Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
FORT RITTENHOUSE-1470 MONTROSE
FORT RITTENHOUSE. One of Dubuque's most distinctive houses. While the exact date of its construction is not known, tradition in Dubuque and records of title to the property suggest it was built in 1846. That was when Ruphus RITTENHOUSE was able to obtain clear title to the land.
When it was constructed, the home must have been a show place of the area. Built on the summit of a hill, along which Montrose Terrace was constructed, the house had a commanding view of every part of the small town. Modernization in the 1960s leaves little resemblance to the original home. Today the view of the house is best in the late fall or winter when leaves from the trees have dropped and sight of the home can be made from Loras and Bluff STREETS.
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Source:
Sommer, Lawrence. The Heritage of Dubuque. East Dubuque: Tel Graphics, October 1975, p. 24