Mount Vernon Commercial Historic District

The Col. John Q. and Rowena (Camp) Wilds House, also known as the James and Ruth (King) Smith House, is a historic building located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, United States. It is significant with the settlement of the city that was influenced by the establishment of the Military Road, for being constructed of locally made brick and locally quarried limestone, and its vernacular architectural techniques. A native of Fulton County, Pennsylvania, John Wilds settled in Mount Vernon in 1853, opened a general store, and invested in real estate. He married Rowena Camp and they had two daughters. Wilds had this house built in 1857. It was probably built by brothers Henry and William Albright, the town's earliest masons. The two-story, brick structure exhibits elements of Early Republic influences. John Wilds grew wealthy and bought a gristmill. He sold the mill in 1860 and with the outbreak of the American Civil War he volunteered for the 13th Iowa Infantry Regiment. He rose to the rank of Colonel. He was wounded at the Battle of Cedar Creek and died a week later. His wife and two daughters died of illnesses around the same time. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.

The James J. and Anna J. (Linean) Smith House No. 2, also known as the D.L. and Margaret (Craig) Boyd House, is a historic building located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, United States. It is significant for its association with the settlement of the city that was influenced by the establishment of the Military Road, its use of locally made brick and locally quarried limestone, and its vernacular architectural techniques. This was the second of two brick houses built by the Smiths. The first house was built in 1859 on Third Avenue SW. They sold it after they had this house built in 1864. They added a large brick addition onto the north side of the house in 1875–1876. The two-story side-gabled structure features mid-19th century stylistic influences. Smith opened the first livery stable in Mount Vernon and became quite wealthy because of it and his land holdings. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.

The Henry D. and Juliana (Wortz) Albright House, also known as the Dr. Francis F. and Jeanette L. Ebersole House, is a historic building located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, United States. It is significant for its association with the settlement of the city that was influenced by the establishment of the Military Road, as the first brick house constructed in Mount Vernon, and its vernacular architectural techniques. Henry D. Albright, a carpenter, and his brother William, a mason, came from Iowa City to Mount Vernon to work on building Cornell College. William established a brickyard in town and he helped his brother Henry build this house in 1853. Henry and his wife Juliana and their family were the first to live here. The family owned the house until 1926. Dr. F.F. Ebersole acquired the house that year and completed renovations to the house the following year to include his medical practice in his home. The two-story, side-gabled brick house features Early Republic stylistic influences. Locally made brick from the Albright brickyard and locally quarried limestone was used in its construction. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.

The James H. and Mayetta (Degrush) McCartney House, also known as the Ann E. and DeWitt McLallen House, is a historic building located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, United States. It is significant for being constructed of locally made brick and locally quarried limestone, and mid-19th century architectural techniques. The house was originally built as a single-story, two-room cottage. It was probably built sometime after Saxby's First Addition to Mount Vernon, in which it is located, was platted in 1855. The second story was added around 1861. This made it a side-gabled Greek Revival house. A two-story wood-frame addition was built onto the rear of the brick structure in 1877. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.

The Martin L. and Mary Jane (Yount) Shantz House is a historic building located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, United States. It is significant for being constructed of locally made brick and locally quarried limestone, and its Late Victorian architectural influences. It was built in 1882 on two lots in Saxby's Addition to Mount Vernon. The house is a two-story, L-shaped brick structure with a low-pitched hip roof, wide eaves, tall windows that enhance its verticality, and a three-sided bay window. It is a vernacular expression of Late Victorian stylistic influences. The house lacks elaborate exterior decorative elements and a substantial front porch at a time when they were popular. This either reflects the Shantz's preferences or a lack of finances to include them. The bricks used in its construction were more than likely from the G.W. Robinson brickyard, the main brick and lime manufacturer in Mount Vernon at the time. Shantz's blacksmith shop was also located on the property. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.

Mount Vernon is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, adjacent to the city of Lisbon. The population was 4,527 at the time of the 2020 census. Mount Vernon is part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The James J. and Anna J. (Linean) Smith House No. 1, also known as the Lanning House, Ford House, and Sinclair House, is a historic building located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, United States. It is significant for its association with the settlement of the city that was influenced by the establishment of the Military Road, its use of locally made brick and locally quarried limestone, and its vernacular architectural techniques. This was the first of two brick houses built by the Smiths. There were two additions built onto the rear of the house. It is thought that the Smiths built the first addition in the early 1860s and the Fords, a later owner, added the second in the 1870s. Both additions utilized the same reddish-orange brick of the original construction. J.J. Smith had bought the property from Harrison and Hannah Hall and had the house built in 1859. It is possible that the livery stable that he operated, the first in Mount Vernon, was also on the property. Having built their second house, the Smith's sold this house in 1864 to Jacob and Elizabeth Lanning. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.

The Dr. Luther L. and Susette E. (Baker) Pease House is a historic building located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, United States. It is significant for its association with the settlement of the city that was influenced by the establishment of the Military Road, its use of locally made brick and locally quarried limestone, and its vernacular architectural techniques. Located at the intersection of the Military Road and the Cedar Rapids Road, it is thought this house was constructed in two parts. The front gable section on the right may have been built by the Albright brothers in the 1850s. They owned one of the early brickyards in town and built several houses. The side-gabled section on the left is believed to have been built after Dr. Pease bought the property in 1866. It was built using bricks from the G.W. Robinson brickyard, the main brick and lime manufacturer in Mount Vernon at the time. Pease was a prominent physician in town and served as the city's first mayor. The two-story brick house features mid-19th century stylistic influences. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.

The Adams R., Frederick L. and Martha (Taylor) Knott House, also known as the Col. Frank W. Hart House and the Rev. James and Jessie N. Hughes House, is a historic building located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, United States. It is significant for its association with the settlement of the city that was influenced by the establishment of the Military Road, its use of locally made brick and locally quarried limestone, and its vernacular architectural techniques. Adams and Frederick Knott were brothers who were originally from Ohio and they settled in Mount Vernon in 1854 after living briefly in other locations in eastern Iowa. They bought a building and dry goods store from Oliver Day, an early pioneer merchant. Their brother Abraham joined them in the business by 1859. Frederick and Adams had this house built around 1857 in Saxby's Addition to Mount Vernon. They shared the house, along with Frederick's wife Martha and daughter Ida. The brother's business partnership dissolved and they sold the house in 1861. The two-story, side-gabled brick house features Early Republic stylistic influences. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.

The Elijah D. and Mary J. (Adams) Waln House, also known as the C.P. and Gertrude E. Whittemore House, is a historic building located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, United States. It is significant with the settlement of the city that was influenced by the establishment of the Military Road, for being constructed of locally made brick and locally quarried limestone, and its Greek Revival architecture. Elijah and Mary Waln and their family were early pioneers in Mount Vernon. He set up the first general variety store in town, and was also one of the founders, a trustee, and a benefactor of Cornell College. He also served in the Iowa House of Representatives. The family's first house was a 2½-story frame structure that they had built when they moved to town. It was replaced around 1865 with this two-story, brick, Greek Revival-style residence. Waln hired brothers Henry and William Albright, who were Mount Vernon's first masons and owned its first brickyard, to build the new house. They lived here until 1892 when they sold the house to C.P. Whittemore, who added the rear addition and enclosed the lower part of the front porch in 1900. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.

The Augustus and Elizabeth (Huntsberger) Bauman House, also known as the Platner House and the Camp House, is a historic building located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, United States. It is significant for its association with the settlement of the city that was influenced by the establishment of the Military Road, its use of locally made brick and locally quarried limestone, and its vernacular architectural techniques. The house was built along the Military Road about 1854, which was the year the Bauman's moved to Mount Vernon. It was constructed by brothers Henry and William Albright, who were the town's first masons. The two-story, side-gabled brick house features Early Republic stylistic influences. In 1857, the land on which the house was built was platted as Bauman's Addition, making this house a representative of the town's early development. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.

The George W. and Mary J. (Maxwell) Robinson House, also known as the Johnston B. Robinson House, is a historic building located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, United States. It is significant for being constructed of locally made brick and locally quarried limestone, and its vernacular architectural techniques. This house probably incorporated the original single-story frame house that was built at this location c. 1865. In 1887, George W. Robinson rebuilt the house as a two-story brick structure. It was built on the same property as Robinson's brickyard, the main brick and lime manufacturer in Mount Vernon at the time. The American Vernacular house is capped with a hipped roof and it features a wrap-around Neoclassical front porch that was added in the early 1900s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.