The Ham Chronicles

The Truth Comes Out After years of false promises, on August 29, 1903, a Miss Sarah Ham of Dubuque filed a lawsuit against the millionaire George Potter, accusing him of breaking his promise to marry her. Sarah argued that George had robbed her of her reputation and caused her mental and emotional pain and suffering.  Potter answered her petition by calling her a spinster, accusing her of blackmail, being criminally familiar with men, and denied ever having promised to... Read More

A Woman Scorned    This story begins as many romance novels begin.  A young girl meets a dashing, older man who sweeps her off her feet with a winning smile.  At the tender age of 17, Sarah met George Potter at her home, where her father, Mathias, had invited George from Duluth to discuss the lumber business.  It was love at first sight.  When George returned to Duluth, they began a passionate romance through letters. My Precious Sadie: I worked... Read More

Today, I would love to introduce you to one of my favorite pieces in our collection – the conversation chair. This chair was considered to be the furniture piece during the Victorian era. You would have been able to find this chair in any formal establishment or parlor that was considered part of high society.  This particular chair belonged to the Ryan family who resided in the Ryan House here in Dubuque. It was donated to the Dubuque County Historical Society by... Read More

I remember as a child every year my mother and I would purchase a new dress and “bonnet” for Easter Sunday. My mother would tell me stories of all the dresses and different hats that she and her mother had worn to Easter services. She would tell me how her mother would bobby pin her hat to her wig before she styled it, to ensure she would look perfectly coifed for church service. I would hear about ribbons and flowers, bonnets that were two feet tall with a goose... Read More