Constructed in 1857 at a cost of $40,000, the former Dubuque County Jail is one of a handful of Egyptian Revival buildings remaining in the United States. Featuring 18-inch gray limestone walls, the building functioned as a jail until 1971. A few years later, the Dubuque Art Association leased the building for use as a museum, an arrangement that remained in place through 2003. When the Association moved to a remodeled bank building in 2003, the Dubuque County Historical Society established the Old Jail Museum in the historic facility.
The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Published July 18, 2011 |
Historic Sites, Museums |
Dubuque County
| Map
The Dubuque County town of Dyersville’s founder, James “Judge” Dyer, Jr., constructed this victorian-style home in 1850, just three years after the town was planted. It’s now a museum, owned and operated by the Dyersville Area Historical Society and has been restored and furnished with antiques from the late nineteenth century. In addition to the historic furnishings, over 1,000 dolls are on display. The museum is open daily May 1 through November 1.
Published June 20, 2011 |
Museums |
Dubuque County
| Map
Dating to 1892, the Old Creamery Museum in Northwood is one of nine sites owned and operated by the Worth County Historical Society. The society purchased the building in 1981, about thirty years after operation ceased at the creamery. The museum includes a number of antiques, including tools, creamery equipment, and a working print shop. It’s open Sunday afternoons from Memorial Day to Labor Day or by appointment by calling (641) 324-1180.
Published May 17, 2011 |
Museums |
Worth County
| Map
The Council Bluffs Public Library operated in this Carnegie-funded building from 1905 to 1998, when operations moved to a modern 65,000-square-foot library building. Constructed at a cost of $70,000, the Council Bluffs building is the largest of the 17 Iowa Carnegie libraries designed by architects Patton and Miller. When the historic facility left empty, the Friends of the Union Pacific Railroad Museum group raised $3.5 million to renovate and repurpose the building for use as the Union Pacific Railroad Museum.
The Union Pacific Railroad Museum features a mix of artifacts dating to the mid-1800s along with interactive exhibits which highlight Union Pacific’s role in the railroad industry and growth of America’s economy. Open Tuesdays through Saturdays year round, a unique public-private arrangement allows the Friends organization to manage museum volunteers, the City of Council Bluffs to lease the building to Union Pacific, and Union Pacific to pay for the museum’s operating expenses.
Published March 15, 2011 |
Carnegie Libraries, Museums |
Pottawattamie County
| Map
In 1879, nearly thirty years after Worth County was established, an attempt to move the county seat from Northwood to Kensett was gaining steam. To thwart the effort, residents in Northwood raised over $4,000 to purchase land and construct a new brick courthouse in 1880. After serving as the courthouse for 13 years, the building was later used as a high school and then as the community library. The Northwood Library moved to a new location in 1972, and the Worth County Historical Society was granted use of the building. It has since served as the Worth County Museum, open Sunday afternoons between Memorial and Labor Day or by appointment by calling (641) 324-1180.
Published March 8, 2011 |
Museums |
Worth County
| Map
