Who we are
Meet our Family
Doug and Heather Beckman are the owners of Beckman Heritage Farms, along with their children Nora, Jacob, and Vivian. Doug and Heather are Burlington natives and are proud to raise their family on land that’s been part of Beckman history for generations. Nora and Jacob attend Danville Community School and stay active in school and athletics. Nora is a member of the Danville FFA and enjoys showing at the Des Moines County Fair.
We’re a working farm—growing corn and soybeans, along with pumpkins, gourds, and ornamental corn—while building a place where people can gather, celebrate, and make memories.
Heather is also the owner of Pink Wreath Company, creating handmade crafts, wreaths, and seasonal décor.
Beckman is often described as a surname meaning “one who lived by a stream”—which feels especially fitting along Flint Creek.
the roots
The Farm
Beckman Heritage Farms is located just 8 miles north of Burlington, off Flint Bottom, with convenient access from Highways 61 and 34. The original farm is currently 140 acres and borders Flint Creek along the Flint River Trail system. Our home farm is a neighboring 240-acre property that connects along the original farm’s northern boundary.
We care deeply about stewardship and conservation. Our family supports ongoing improvements to water quality and timber management, and the farm includes over 30 acres of native prairie enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, plus 6 acres of pollinator plantings that support bees and butterflies.
Visitors can also enjoy our trail system, including a natural spring surrounded by limestone that has been shaped over thousands of years.
Private tours are available by appointment.
Follow our story
Historic Timeline
Settlement began in present day Burlington and was officially named the following year.
1833Burlington was designated the second territorial capital of the Wisconsin Territory.
1837The Iowa Territory was organized, and Burlington was the first territorial capital.
1838Alexis Phelps purchased 320 acres from the General Land office of the United States for $400.00. Mr. Phelps, a native of New York, was a fur trader who founded the town of Oquawka, IL along with his brother Stephen. His original home in Oquawka is now a museum and open for tours.
October 22, 1839Alexis Phelps sells 160 acres to Maria Mathilde Beckman (aka Mary Beckman) for $250.00. Maria was born in Germany on November 12, 1789, and immigrated to the United States in 1841 at the age of 52 with her four children, Caroline (25), William (22), Charles (20) and John (18).
March 8, 1842Mary Beckman sells the 160 acres to Frederick Weidekind for $900.00
November 1, 1845Iowa is admitted to the union as the 29th state of the United States.
December 28, 1846Foreclosure judgement is entered against Frederick Weidekind.
October 17, 1848Mary Beckman is the highest bidder at a Sheriff’s auction and purchases 160 acres a second time for $538.50.
December 19, 1848The Burlington and Missouri River Railroad is established in Burlington and is the first to serve the area. In 1856 the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad would reach the Mississippi River on the Illinois side and ferry cars across the river with a bridge being constructed in 1868.
1852The civil war begins with the attack on Fort Sumter. Confederate forces would surrender on May 9, 1865.
April 12, 1861Maria sells the farm to her oldest son William Beckman and his wife Mary for $3000.00.
February 17, 1876William and Mary sell the farm to their oldest son Louis Beckman and his wife Sarah for $3837.50.
March 21, 1895The 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote—78 years after Maria Beckman first purchased the farm in her own name.
August 18, 1920The Estate of Louis Beckman sells the farm to Louis’s son Wilfred Beckman and his wife Vera.
May 29, 1941Wilfred and Vera's son Earl is drafted into the US Army. In the early morning hours of the day he left for his deployment to Korea, he dug up a sapling near Flint Creek and planted it in the front yard for his mother in case he didn't come home.
1950The Estate of Wilfred and Vera Beckman sell the farm to their oldest son Earl Beckman and his wife Mildred.
October 25, 1989Earl and Mildred sell the farm to their grandson Douglas Beckman and his wife Heather. August 2017 – Doug & Heather Beckman family receive a Heritage Farm Award at the Iowa State Fair for being in the same family for 150 years.
February 23, 2016The 1895 hay barn is cleaned out and a new concrete floor installed. A Fall Market is held in September with area vendors set up and pumpkins and fall décor for sale.
2021Renovations on the hay barn continued with electricity and new metal siding installed. A Fall Market was held again in September with great success. The number of vendors doubled, and attendance tripled from the year before. A wedding reception was held at the farm in October.
2022The farm is 175 years old and is officially open for weddings and events. A corn maze is being added and a Fall Market is planned again in September.
2023