Tickets & Pricing
Adults: $5.00
Youth (Ages 3-17): $3.50
Children 2 and under admitted free.
Receive a free parking voucher for Eagle Point Park with admission to the Mathias Ham Historic Site!
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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
The 1856 Mathias Ham Historic Site is open
Wednesday through Sunday from the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day.
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.
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2018 Ham Site Activities & Events
Special Exhibit
Master Illustrators: The artwork of Richard Herrmann and Cy Ferring
Exhibit on display throughout the 2018 season.
Celebrate the connection between nature and art through original works and artifacts from two Dubuque artists.
Sunday 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.
Sunday 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.
Craft Day Activities
55th 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!
Details Here!
A Haunting on Lincoln Ave.
Join us October 20 as we discover who put the "spook" in Halloween!
Museum Day Live
A FREE day to tour the Mathias Ham Historic Site on Saturday, September 22 thanks to our affiliation with the Smithsonian Institution. Look for more details to come!
Christmas at the Ham House
Celebrate an old fashioned Christmas on select dates in December! More details to come!
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).