Five miles north of Keosauqua on Iowa 1 is the crossroads community of Mount Zion. At the north edge of the community, a half mile south of the junction of Iowa 1 and Iowa 16, is the Barker House (c. 1875). The vertical volumes of this two-story Italianate dwelling with a gable roof are strongly edged with quoining. The brick of the quoining and of the adjoining walls is dramatically played off against the small touch of dark stone used at the springing and crown of the segmental arches over each of the windows and doors. The overhanging roof displays a rich pattern of large and small brackets; below, the entrance porch still contains its original piers and brackets.
Three-quarters of a mile south of the junction of Iowa 1 and Iowa 16 is the Mount Zion Presbyterian Church (1903). The pointed arches of the church windows suggest the Gothic Revival, while the general simplicity of the building's design would seem to entail a Craftsman ethic. The corner tower with its open belfry and conical roof has been turned at a 45-degree angle in order to command both the highway and the crossroad.
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