Wickham House History
The Wickham House was completed in 1888 by O. P. Wickham, a local contractor and brick manufacturer that moved to Council Bluffs from Ireland in the mid 1800’s. The home is designed in the Queen Anne style and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Mr. Wickham built many of Council Bluffs original buildings, including the Court House, Grand Hotel and St. Francis church (all of these structures are now gone).
The home was retained by the Wickham family from 1888 through 1962 when the last two surviving daughters of Owen and Jenny Wickham left the home. The home was converted to a boarding house shortly after the Wickham’s left and remained such until the late 1970’s when the Bergquists purchased the home.
The Bergquists lovingly restored the home and had it registered with the National Historic Registry shortly after. The second floor of the Wickham house was used as the residence of the Bergquists while the main floor was used as a china shop. In the early 2000’s the home was converted into a bed and breakfast and tea house.
In 2008 Trent Hemmingsen and Jamie Swanson purchased the home to follow their dream of owning and operating a Bed and Breakfast. We are hard at work remodeling the interior and grounds to accommodate events such as mystery theatre and other small gatherings. We currently live in the home with our three small dogs, Rosie, Buddy and Beverly.