[4][5] The house is built in the Italianate style and is located at 401 W. Broadway in Decorah.

[6] The house was built in 1867 for the merchant Dighton B. Ellsworth (1822–1896), an English immigrant who had come to Decorah from New York in 1855.

In 1898, after his death, the Ellsworth family sold the house to Francis and Emma Young.

[8] Bert and Grace Porter had an interest in travel, and Bert developed a natural history collection on his trips through North America, South America, and Asia.

His collection, which includes morpho butterflies from South America, also includes the rock wall surrounding the property (built in part by Bert Porter) and the family's personal effects, including papers, books, furniture, and china.