CONTRIBUTED PHOTO A new website dedicated to Marshalltown’s historic Binford House at 110 N. 2nd Ave. was recently launched. The URL is www.binfordhouse.org.

In celebration of 150 years, also called a sesquicentennial, an official website — binfordhouse.org — was created for the famous Marshall County dwelling in March.

Nancy Earney with the Marshalltown Federation of Women’s Clubs, the organization that serves as steward for the historic mansion, said the site has been beneficial because it presents general information and answers specific questions people might have about the Binford House.

With 2024 marking the sesquicentennial, there are a lot of events scheduled to celebrate. She said they have primarily depended on Facebook to let the community know about the goings-on, but they wanted to get a website to make it easier and reach more of the public. However, with limited funding available, finding someone to create the website was the initial challenge.

“Luckily, my daughter Alyson Earney Gilman, who lives in Santa Fe, N.M., agreed to be our website designer, free gratis,” she said. “She had done this once before in 2010 when my husband Bill and I were helping to raise funds to build our dog park at Riverview. The Binford website would be a lot more complicated but she was interested in taking on the challenge.”

Earney began sending her daughter Binford House photos and family background material in November. She also made sure to include documents they wanted on the website, such as the catering menu and prices as well as the rules for renting the house for social events.

Then, Earney wanted to focus on getting the word out about upcoming events. Gilman ensured the website would have enough room to include photos and menus for upcoming events. To make it easier for visitors, the website allows people to reserve seats for the events and pay with credit cards.

“This is so convenient for both parties,” Earney said. “We also have a donate button on the website just in case people want to help us in that way.”

After Gilman completed the work the board members edited everything before going live. Earney said that step was very helpful as they made several corrections.

On the user-friendly binfordhouse.org, there are four pages:

The Binford Story — users get a brief history of the location and the family, starting with Thaddeus and Angelica Binford. Their fourth child, Jessie Binford, donated the house to the Marshalltown Federation of Women’s Clubs in 1930. The page also includes four pictures of the interior of the Binford House, a map, the address and hours of operation.

Upcoming Events — visitors can buy tickets to upcoming events, such as the Binford Tea. A brief list of other 2024 events are included.

Reserve the Binford — users learn about events typically hosted at the Binford, such as family gatherings, wedding receptions, showers and parties. The rules for renting and the catering menu are also found here.

Donate — visitors are given options of how much they choose to donate or can decide a different amount.

Now that the website is up and running, a new brochure is indesign and will be available soon.

Upcoming events

To commemorate 150 years, the Marshalltown Federation of Women’s Clubs is hosting a variety of new events.

The main sesquicentennial event is set for July 7. Binford House will sponsor an 1874-style Community-Wide Social. There will be old fashioned games, music, refreshments, tours of historical buildings, such as the Taylor No. 4 School and the Suzy Sower House, and a tug-of-war between the Marshalltown Police and Fire departments and the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office. The social will take place in the large area south of the Binford House near the Farmer’s Market.

A monthly event, Passport, began in January. It is a dining club in which members get together for a gourmet dinner made by local caterers on the second Saturday of each month.

There are also two seatings for an English tea on May 19. The specialty tea will be served in antique tea pots and will feature savory sandwiches, sweet treats and scones.

“As you can see, we had a lot of reasons to expand our technology to get the word out and make our community more aware of all the festivities we had planned for this year,” Earney said.

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.