Grant Wood saw a small white house in Eldon, Iowa, in 1930, sketched it that afternoon and never returned. In his studio he painted his sister and his dentist in front of it, pitchfork in hand, faces stern. That sketch became American Gothic. The house still stands in Eldon, and over 12,000 visitors a year stop at the visitor center next door to pose with the pitchfork just like the painting.
The Real House Behind American Gothic Still Stands
Almost everyone recognizes the stern farm couple standing with a pitchfork. Almost nobody knows the little house behind them is real, and it is still standing in a small Iowa town.
One Drive Through Eldon
In August 1930, painter Grant Wood was being driven around Eldon, Iowa, when he spotted a tiny white house with a pointed, church-style window bolted onto a plain farmhouse frame.
Wood called the mismatch "borrowed pretentiousness," a fancy Gothic window stuck on a humble home. He sketched the house that same afternoon.
He never went back to Eldon. He finished the painting in his studio in Cedar Rapids, working from that one sketch.
The Sister and the Dentist
Wood needed two figures to stand in front of the house, so he asked people he already knew.
His sister, Nan Wood Graham, modeled for the woman, wearing an apron she sewed herself. Wood asked her to trim it with rickrack to suit the period, and with none left in the shops she unpicked the trim from their mother Hattie's old dresses.
The man beside her was Byron McKeeby, the Wood family's dentist in Cedar Rapids. He was 62, he only agreed on the condition that Wood disguise his features, and for five years afterwards he denied being the man in the painting at all.
Neither of them farmed for a living, and they never even posed together - the two models did not meet each other until 12 years after the painting was finished.
The House Never Left
The small Carpenter Gothic house is still standing in Eldon, on the same lot Wood sketched from the street.
The State Historical Society of Iowa opened a visitor center right beside it in 2007. It has an exhibit gallery and a media room.
Admission is $5 for anyone 13 or older. Wapello County residents and kids under 13 get in free.
Grab the Pitchfork Yourself
Staff keep a pitchfork, overalls, and a colonial-print apron on hand for visitors to borrow. Costume use is included with admission.
More than 12,000 people a year take them up on it, lining up by the same window Wood sketched almost a century ago.
The stern faces are optional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the American Gothic house a real place?
Who were the models in the American Gothic painting?
Can you dress up like the American Gothic painting?
How many people visit the American Gothic house each year?
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Verified Fact
Verified Sep 4, 2026 · 5 sources checked
Source: American Gothic House CenterShow verification details
Claims checked
- The house from American Gothic still stands in Eldon, Iowa
- Grant Wood sketched it in August 1930 and never returned to Eldon
- The models were Wood's sister Nan Wood Graham and the family dentist, Byron McKeeby
- The two models never actually posed together, and did not meet each other until 12 years after the painting was finished
- A visitor center opened beside the house in 2007, drawing over 12,000 guests a year who can borrow a pitchfork and overalls, included with the $5 admission
Sources: American Gothic House Center, Wikipedia, Art Institute of Chicago (painting)
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