Francesca's House

3255 130th Street, Cumming, Iowa 50061 (Google Maps)

Abandoned movie set from the movie

The Bridges of Madison County

A majority of the film was shot on location at this abandoned farmhouse in rural Madison County Iowa. Once again abandoned, it rests on a private, video secured, working farm, rotting and abandoned, open to the elements.

Back in the summer of 1994, Clint Eastwood and his crew were looking for an authentic Iowa farmhouse for the filming location for The Bridges of Madison County movie. After searching county wide for the perfect place, a last ditch effort fly over found them the perfect site. The home was a simple Victorian style, built in 1870 by Nicholas Thompson, an Argentine sea captain. In 1910 the farm house and 1,000 acres of farmland was purchased by Joseph Mead. His family still owns the farmhouse and land. The home was used for all the farm shots in the movie including all exterior and interior shots. The gravel road, 130th St., that the house is located on was also used for the gravel country road scenes. Prior to Warner Brothers coming in and fixing and renovating the house for the movie, it had been abandoned for over 35 years. And still to this day, is not occupied.

The next year after the movie was released the house was opened for business as a popular tourist spot. During the Bridges festival this was a very busy place. I went in October 1995 and October 1996. The home was exactly as it was when the movie was filmed. You could tour the inside, walk the grounds, sit on the front porch swing and sit at the kitchen table. Unfortunately, the house was damaged by an arson fire on October 6, 2003. This caused significant damage to the North West corner of the home. Barb Bell, the owner of the property, described this room as the memorabilia room. Movie items such as photos and scripts were lost forever. The tours stopped and a large fence and security was put up with a harsh warning sign. The damage can still be seen to this day.

Check out the house at 3255 130th Street, Cumming, IA 50061. The gravel road is easy to find and is traffic free. You can park in the drive and see the house clearly from the gate. All the covered Bridges are also nearby and other movie locations used in the film.

All photos by abandonedexplorers.com ©

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