December 12, 1837 – A fire destroys the first Territorial capitol – a wooden-framed building – leaving Wisconsin Territorial Legislature without a home.
In November 1837, Burlington was designated as Wisconsin Territory’s temporary capital – replacing Belmont while a new capitol building was being constructed in Madison City, Wisconsin. The Territorial Legislature met in a small wooden-framed building near the center of town. But, on December 12, 1837, that building was destroyed by fire, leaving the Legislature looking for a new meeting place. By the fall of 1838, when Iowa had now become a separate Territory – Zion Methodist Church (pictured above) offered its new building for Territorial meetings. The offer was received and Old Zion became Iowa’s first Territorial capitol.
A Day-by-Day Calendar of Historical Events In Iowa, William J. Petersen, State Historical Society of Iowa, 1946, p 119
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