201 Spring St
Burlington, IA, USA

Jagger–Churchill House

The Jagger–Churchill House is a historic building located in Burlington, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. This house is representative of those built by Burlington's wealthier citizens when the city was one of Iowa's major commercial centers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Erasmus D. Jaggar, who had the house built, ran a successful linseed oil business. He and his wife Julia raised their five children here. Francis and Catherine W. Churchill bought the house from the Jaggar heirs in 1889. He founded the Churchill Drug Company, which became one of the largest wholesale drug firms in the Midwest by the time of his death in 1896. The house remained in the Churchill family until 1935. The structure does not exhibit any one architectural style, but is a combination of elements of the Gothic Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, and Eastlake styles.

National Register of Historic Places - Jagger–Churchill House

Statement of Significance:

The Jagger-Churchill House is representative of the lifestyles of the individuals whose business acumen made Burlington the state's major commercial center in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Erasmus D. Jaggar, who erected this residence early in the 1850 f s, was a New York native who decided to forego life on the family farm for a commercial career. After working as a clerk for firms like the Hendrie Machine Shop and Foundry in Burlington, Jaggar struck out on his own and operated a very successful linseed oil business. He and his wife Julia, said to be a person of unusual intelligence, reared their five children in this house. After his death in 1884, Mrs. Jaggar continued to reside here until she died two years later.

In 1889 Francis and Catherine W. Churchill purchased the home from the Jaggar heirs. A leading wholesale druggist, Churchill that same year had merged the C.P. Squires Company and Reynolds and Churchill Company to create the Churchill Drug Company. By the time of his death in 1896, Churchill had made his new firm one of the largest wholesale drug houses in the entire Midwest. After Catherine Churchill's death in 1901, the family residence was deeded to her daughter Clara C. Strong who occupied it until 1934. In 1935 Mr. and Mrs. John A. Dailey purchased the property from the Strong estate and have owned it ever since.