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Iowa history ranges from the natural to what's been made by humans over many centuries. Find and hold the fossilized remains of sea creatures that lived 375 million years ago. Walk through a small-town home where one of the nation's most infamous--and unsolved--murders occurred in 1912. Savor pastries that originated in the Netherlands before the 1840s and watch where wheat is ground into flour in a windmill first built in Denmark and then rebuilt in Elk Horn. Listen to time softly tick away in an elaborately carved clock that auto pioneer Henry Ford tried and failed to buy in 1928 for $1 million. Join writer-photographer Mike Whye on trips to the known, little-known and unknown historic places in Iowa.

In the spring of 1893, media titans George and Sarah Joslyn bought a farm in Omaha, Nebraska, that would prove to be one of the city's most noteworthy real estate transfers. On this land, the Joslyns would construct a transformational home that would become an Omaha landmark known as Joslyn Castle, a Scottish baronial-style home built of limestone from neighboring Kansas. They chose their good friend, Canadian-born architect John McDonald, to design the residence, and he did so in grand style. Over the years, the Joslyn Castle has survived a devastating tornado, served as a home base for the administrative staff of the Omaha Public Schools, and charmed thousands of visitors who have come to tour the grounds. It stands today as a reminder of a bygone era and the dream of the Joslyns, who shared their home--and their wealth--with the city they loved so much.