Discover and Learn
Icaria Museum and Research Library
Icaria history and artifacts on display. Library contains several collections, Icaria genealogy and Adams County records for the researcher. Open Tuesday - Friday, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm and by appointment.
Icarian Genealogy
Premiere Avant-Garde
One of the most spectacular French emigration to the United States occurred in the year 1848. At 9 o'clock in the morning, on February the 3rd, the steamship ROME slowly left the harbor of Le Havre, France. The gendarmes had parted from the ship after having checked all passports and were on their rowboat. On the deck sixty-nine men, wearing black tunics, grey trousers, grey felter hats and Neapolitian shoes proudly answered, each in turn, with a loud "present" to the call of their delegate.
The ship ROME was a 3-masted, square-rigged vessel, built in Bath, Maine, in 1847. It weighed 673 tons and was142' 4" length x 32' 3" beam x 16' 1-1/2" depth of hold. The ROME departed from Le Havre France on 03 February 1848, arriving at the port of New Orleans, Louisiana, 55 days later on 27 March 1848.
Listed here are the surnames of the 69 men sailing the Rome for America to establish Icaria. One year after they arrived, only 20 members of the Premiere Advant-Garde remained with the Icarians in New Orleans. Those names are marked with an asterisk.
Quest for Utopia Exhibit
The exhibit consists of eight panels for the display of historic photographs and drawings that tell the story of the Icaria Colony and the people who lived there. A secondary component to the exhibit is a curriculum guide prepared to acquaint educators with the Icarians of Adams County 1852-1898. The guide includes information about the Icarians history, classroom activities for students, and other activities for public groups. An additional reading list contains boods that will be of interest for further study. The Instructional Unit was funded by Humanities Iowa and the Iowa Sesquicentennial Commission.
Icaria School
A living history program for school and youth groups at the 1860 Icaria one-room school will be available in 2009.
1. Barroux
2. Belietz*
3. Berson
4. Berthet*
5. Biltz, aine
6. Bilitz, jeune
7. Bira*
8. Boissier
9. Boissonnet*
10. Boue
11. Bourgeois
12. Buisson*
13. Buisson
14. Cardot
15. Caudron
16. Champeau*
17. Champeau*
18. Chauvin
19. Cochard
20. Collet
21. Conefray*
22. Crombez
23. Damours*
24. Dargelas
25. Douzin
26. Drouard
27. Esnault*
28. Gouhenant
29. Grillas*
30. Guerin
31. Guillot
32. Hedouix
33. Hidou
34. Jacob
35. Labranerie*
36. Lafosse
37. Larbalestier*
38. Layaux
39. Leclerc
40. Levy
41. Lucus
42. Ludwig
43. Marchand, A.*
44. Marchand, L.*
45. Marinelli*
46. Maurice
47. Mazoir*
48. Meslier*
49. Noity
50. Myet
51. Paquot
52. Pasquier
53. Paul
54. Pettit
55. Picquenard
56. Piquee
57. Rougier*
58. Rousset
59. Roveira
60. Sacreste
61. Sauge
62. Sieyes
63. Teyssier
64. Therme*
65. Thorel
66. Uker
67. VandenEden
68. Vtardot
69. Wocquefenning
Funded in part by Western IA Tourism Region
