[1] William Larrabee, who had the house built in 1874, was a Connecticut native who made his fortune as a banker, manufacturer and land owner.

[2] Initially the Larrabee's lived closer to the Turkey River, but fearing illnesses such as malaria his wife Anna Matilda Appelman desired a house on the hill.

The house contains many works of art from artists such as Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, William Bradford, and Pieter de Molijn.

The yard has four bronze statues of Generals Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman and Grenville M. Dodge and Admiral David Farragut.

They maintained ownership until 1976 when they deeded the house, its contents and 40 acres (16 ha) of land to the state of Iowa.