Tickets & Pricing
Site is currently closed for season and open for special events only.
Adults: $7.50
Youth (Ages 3-17): $4.00
Children 2 and under admitted free.
Receive a free parking voucher for Eagle Point Park with admission to the Mathias Ham Historic Site!
Admission is free to members of the Dubuque County Historical Society. Group rates are available.
Fans of the Paranormal - A Disclaimer
Please know that the Ham Site does not provide ghost tours; regardless of what you may have read through a web search. There have been many tall tales that have taken root over the years, however, the Dubuque County Historical Society and its staff do not take stock in these stories. We'd love to interpret the history of the Ham Site, but we leave the rest to speculation.
Hours & Tours
Site is currently closed for the season; however, the Site will be open for special public events through the fall and winter. See upcoming activities and events for more details.
The 1856 Mathias Ham Historic Site is open Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Wednesdays through Sundays.
Hours are 11 A.M. to 4 P.M. (last tour begins at 3:30 P.M.)
The Mathias Ham House is also available for field trips, group visits and private functions at any time by appointment. For field trips and group tours, contact Melissa Wersinger at 563-557-9545 or mwersinger@rivermuseum.com. For all other questions, contact Victoria Cote, Historic Site Coordinator, at 563-557-9545 or vcote@rivermuseum.com for more information.
historic site faq
Upcoming Ham Site Activities & Events
December 2018 - Home For The Holidays
GET YOUR ADVANCE TICKET!
Celebrate an old-fashioned holiday at the Mathias Ham Historic Site. On select weekends in December, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Ham House will be decorated in period style, and costumed interpreters will share holiday traditions of the Victorian era. Winter furs and footwear from the Dubuque County Historical Society’s collection will be on display throughout the month. Admission is just $7.50 for adults and $4 for children 3-17. Members of the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium receive free admission.
Home for the Holidays will feature special guests and activities each weekend. Crafts will be available while supplies last each day.
Dec. 1: The Americana Band will play from noon to 3:30 p.m.
Daily craft – Cranberry garland ornaments
Dec. 2: Carriage rides will be offered from noon to 3:30 p.m.
Daily craft – Cranberry garland ornaments
Dec. 8: The Dubuque Chorale will perform from noon to 1:30 p.m.
Daily craft – Sugar plums
Dec. 9: The Dubuque Chorale will perform from noon to 1:30 p.m.
The Music Men will perform from 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Daily craft – Gingerbread
Dec. 15: Robert Armstrong will read A Child’s Christmas in Wales at noon and 2 p.m.
Daily craft – Pomander balls and pinecone animals
Dec. 16: Santa will join the festivities from noon to 3:30 p.m.
Carriage rides will be offered from noon to 3:30 p.m.
Daily craft – Pomander balls and pinecone animals
Dec. 29 and 30: Twelve Days of Christmas scavenger hunt
Crepe paper game from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Sculpture from 1:30-4 p.m.
Daily craft – New Year’s crackers
Support for Home for the Holidays provided by the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.
December 2018 - Candlelight Tours
RESERVE YOUR SPACE TODAY!
Special candlelight tours will also be offered separately Saturday, Dec. 8 and Sunday, Dec. 16, from 7-8 p.m. and 8-9 p.m. Guests will have a rare opportunity to tour the Ham House in the glow of candlelight with tours focusing on the architectural and historical significance of the home. Emily Ott will perform on Dec. 8 and Meghan Peterman will perform on Dec. 16 in conjunction with the tours.
Registrations for candlelight tours are limited to 20 each evening and require advance registration at rivermuseum.com/events. Cost is $10 for adults and $7 for children 3-17.
Sundays Summer of 2019 - Picnics
The staff of the Ham Site invite you and your family to pack a picnic lunch and spread your blanket on the Ham Site grounds any Sunday during our season. The grounds are open to the public and cost nothing. Children can explore the school, log cabin, and miner's dwelling.
Sundays Summer of 2019 - Crafts
Look for a new craft the first Sunday of each month during our summer season! Crafts are just $5 each and guests do not require admission to the Ham Site. Crafts begin at noon and are available while supplies last.
July 4, 2019 - 56th Annual Ice Cream Social
Free tours of the Mathias Ham House; historic games, activities and demonstrations; cannon fire; and great food for purchase! Join us on the Fourth of July for some good old fashioned fun!
September 21, 2019 - Smithsonian Museum Day
Mathias Ham House
This stately country villa stands today as a living reflection of its wealthy builder, Mathias Ham. One of Dubuque’s earliest entrepreneurs, Ham buillt his estate in 1856 with money from his successful lead mining endeavors.
Inside the home, elegant American and European furnishings exemplify the opulent Victorian lifestyle of a booming river town. John F. Rague designed this distinctive example of the Italian Villa style of architecture. As architect for the Old State Capitols of Illinois and Iowa, Rague’s buildings were known for their monumental scale and elegance.
Settler’s Cabin – Iowa’s Oldest Standing Building
The 1833 settler’s log cabin is Iowa’s oldest standing building, and was originally located in downtown Dubuque. It was relocated to Eagle Point Park in the early 20th century and moved to the grounds of the Mathias Ham Historic Site in the 1960s.
One Room Schoolhouse
The Humke Schoolhouse is originally from Centralia in Dubuque County.
At the Lead Mines
Dubuque was once the center of a nationally significant lead mining phenomenon. People came from all over the country to mine lead, and the At the Lead Mines area of the Mathias Ham Historic Site recreates the interior of a lead mine and a badger hole (a lead miner’s shelter).