• Home
  • Visit
    • Plan Your Visit
      • National MIssissippi River Museum & Aquarium
      • Mathias Ham Historic Site
      • Museums for All
      • FAQ
    • Animals and Exhibits
      • Forever Forest
      • A Life In The Wild
      • River of Innovation
      • Animals
      • Exhibits
    • Events
      • Ice Fest
    • 4D Theater
    • Birthdays & Overnights
    • Group Tours & Experiences
      • Group Tours
      • School Groups
      • Behind the Scenes Tours
      • Outdoor Adventures
    • Hotels & Tourism Partners
    • Birthday Club
  • Preserve
    • Collection Spotlight
    • Hindsight 2020 Project
    • Online Collection
    • Donating to our Collection
    • Research & Archives
      • Research Policy
    • National Rivers Hall of Fame
      • Inductees
      • Award Winners
      • Podcast
    • Historic Preservation Awards
      • Historic Preservation Award Nomination
    • Nathaniel Morgan Memorial
    • Resources for Historical Societies and Museums
  • Protect
    • Take CAARE Initiative
    • Advocacy
    • Research
    • Engagement
  • Learn
    • Schools
      • School Group Tours
    • Educational Resources
    • Distance Learning
    • Student Oceans Conference
    • Early Explorers
    • Toddler Time
    • Camps and Programs
      • School's Out Day Camps
      • Spring Break Day Camps
      • Summer Camps
      • Winter Break Day Camps
    • Outreach Programs
    • RiverWorks Discovery
    • Pioneer Days
  • Support
    • one4water
    • Donate
    • Annual Fund
    • Captain's Ball
    • Estate Giving
    • Preservation Initiatives
    • Rivers to the Sea 2.0
    • School Partnerships
    • Paver and Benches
  • Celebrate
    • Mini-Matrimony
    • Weddings
    • Banquets
    • Host an Event
    • Ham Site Event Spaces
    • Birthdays and Overnights
  • Donate
  • Webcams
  • Events
  • Membership
  • Newsroom
  • About
Link to Homepage
  • Home
  • Visit
    • Plan Your Visit
      • National MIssissippi River Museum & Aquarium
      • Mathias Ham Historic Site
      • Museums for All
      • FAQ
    • Animals and Exhibits
      • Forever Forest
      • A Life In The Wild
      • River of Innovation
      • Animals
      • Exhibits
    • Events
      • Ice Fest
    • 4D Theater
    • Birthdays & Overnights
    • Group Tours & Experiences
      • Group Tours
      • School Groups
      • Behind the Scenes Tours
      • Outdoor Adventures
    • Hotels & Tourism Partners
    • Birthday Club
  • Preserve
    • Collection Spotlight
    • Hindsight 2020 Project
    • Online Collection
    • Donating to our Collection
    • Research & Archives
      • Research Policy
    • National Rivers Hall of Fame
      • Inductees
      • Award Winners
      • Podcast
    • Historic Preservation Awards
      • Historic Preservation Award Nomination
    • Nathaniel Morgan Memorial
    • Resources for Historical Societies and Museums
  • Protect
    • Take CAARE Initiative
    • Advocacy
    • Research
    • Engagement
  • Learn
    • Schools
      • School Group Tours
    • Educational Resources
    • Distance Learning
    • Student Oceans Conference
    • Early Explorers
    • Toddler Time
    • Camps and Programs
      • School's Out Day Camps
      • Spring Break Day Camps
      • Summer Camps
      • Winter Break Day Camps
    • Outreach Programs
    • RiverWorks Discovery
    • Pioneer Days
  • Support
    • one4water
    • Donate
    • Annual Fund
    • Captain's Ball
    • Estate Giving
    • Preservation Initiatives
    • Rivers to the Sea 2.0
    • School Partnerships
    • Paver and Benches
  • Celebrate
    • Mini-Matrimony
    • Weddings
    • Banquets
    • Host an Event
    • Ham Site Event Spaces
    • Birthdays and Overnights
  • Donate
  • Webcams
  • Events
  • Membership
  • Newsroom
  • About
CLOSE
Enter your search term and press enter. Press Esc or X to close.

Mathias Ham Historic Site

Mathias Ham Historic Site Logo
  • Home
  • Visit
  • Plan Your Visit
  • Mathias Ham Historic Site

Mathias Ham Historic Site

Explore Dubuque’s rich history at our unique historic site. Operated by the Dubuque County Historical Society and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this historic property includes the Mathias Ham House, on the National Registrar of Historic Places; Arriandeaux Cabin, Iowa's oldest building; the Humke Schoolhouse from Centralia, and a historic granary.

Costumed interpreters provide guided tours of the site, sharing the rich history of Mathias Ham, the city of Dubuque, life on the Mississippi River, and life during the Victorian era. Scroll this page to explore the site.

Donate to the Ham Site

IN THIS SECTION

  • National MIssissippi River Museum & Aquarium
  • Mathias Ham Historic Site
    • The Ham Chronicles
    • Historic Site FAQ
  • Museums for All
  • FAQ

Mathias Ham Historic Site

  • The Ham Chronicles
  • Historic Site FAQ
Tickets & Pricing

Purchase tickets in advance  |  good for any day
Self-Guided Tours:
Adults:
$7.50
Youth (Ages 3-17): $4.00
Children 2 and under admitted free

Guided Tours:
Adults:
$9.00
Youth (Ages 3-17): $6.00
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 National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, a property of the Dubuque County Historical Society. Group rates are available.

Hours - Public Tours Available During the Summer 

The Mathias Ham Historic Site is open Thursdays-Sundays 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Memorial weekend to Labor Day. 

Year-Round Private Tours & Events 

The Mathias Ham House is available for field trips, group visits, private tours, 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 inquiries and information on pricing, contact Victoria Cote, Historic Site Coordinator, at 563-557-9545 x218 or vcote@rivermuseum.com for more information.

historic site faq

Location

The Mathias Ham Historic Site
2241 Lincoln Avenue
Dubuque, Iowa 52001

Historic Site Coordinator: 563-557-9545 x218

Fans of the Paranormal - A Disclaimer

Please note that the Dubuque County Historical Society and its staff do not provide ghost tours or access for paranormal investigators. We'd love to interpret the history of the Ham Site, but we leave the rest to speculation.

Educational Resources
Pioneer Days 

Experience life as a pioneer. Step back in time while exploring an authentic one-room schoolhouse, an 1833 settler’s log cabin, a lead miner’s Badger Hut and the historic Mathias Ham House. Along the way, participate in traditional activities from a hard-working pioneer’s daily routine. Roll up your sleeves and grab your washboard to do the laundry, grind corn to make biscuits, or grab your schoolbooks and head to school in this hands-on journey!

Our costumed interpreters provide a two or three hour customized program filled with sessions at multiple stations throughout the site.   

Learn More About Pioneer Days

 
The Ham Chronicles 

The history found at the Mathias Ham Historic Site is vast and the tales are plentiful. Here is where we hope some of those stories can live on. Shared from the perspective of our historians, enjoy journeying through the life once lived on Lincoln Avenue.   

Ham Chronicles

Learn How to Make a Tasty Treat from Yesterday

Upcoming Ham Site Activities & Events
Victorian Cooking Classes  |  June 18, July 16, August 20  |  1 PM - 3 PM

This series of cooking during the Victorian era will focus on what would have been available in Iowa. These courses may have been served to the Ham family themselves!

June is Seed Cake - This recipe was served as a snack during tea time in the late 19th century.

July is Sally Lunn - This is a yeast bread recipe from the 1700s but with an Iowa twist. Mrs. Welch's Recipes was a cookbok that published it as a "quick bread" in 1884. Mrs. Welch was a teacher from Ames.

August is Apple Cornmeal Pancakes - This Civil War era recipe utilizes all of the popular tastes from the southern states.

These classes cost $15 per person/per class and take 60-90 minutes.

To register, contact Victoria Cote, Historic Site Manager, at 563-557-9545 x218. 

Sunday Afternoon Tea  |  Sunday, June 26  |  1 PM - 3 PM

A tea break from the bustle of the day will be held June 26 from 1-3 p.m. An assortment of finger sandwiches, treats, and a variety of teas will be available.

If dietary restrictions are noted ahead of time, staff will be able to accommodate those needs. Adult admission is $20 and children’s admission is $10.

To register, contact Victoria Cote, Historic Site Manager, at 563-557-9545 x218. 

Audrey Hammer 4th of July Ice Cream Social  |  Monday, July 4|  11 AM - 4 PM

Visitors can enjoy live music by The Americana Band and purchase picnic foods, cakes, and ice cream. Victorian games will be held in the yard for children including sack races, horse shoes, jacks, and more. Crafts will also take place as well throughout the day.

Free tours of the historic Ham House, the Humke one-room school, the replica lead mine, and the Arriandeau Log House will be happening, with live demonstrations and thunderous cannon fire adding to the experience of Independence 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 built his estate over the course of many years from 1839 to 1857 with money earned 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.

1 2 3 4 5
Settler’s Cabin – Iowa’s Oldest Standing Building

The settler’s log cabin is Iowa’s oldest standing building, believed to have been built in the late 1820s by a French fur trader and later occupied by lead miners. It was originally located on the corner of 2nd and Locusts Streets in downtown Dubuque. It was moved to Eagle Point Park before being moved to the grounds of the Mathias Ham Historic Site in the 1960s. The double room style is known as a “dog trot” cabin.

One Room Schoolhouse

The last one-room school used in Dubuque County, the Humke School was built in 1883 and was used through 1966. It was located on Humke Road, west of Dubuque.

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).

Granary

Saved from the path of progress, the 1840s granary building was moved from its original location on Southern Avenue to the Mathias Ham Historic Site when the construction of Highway 61 threatened its destruction in 1989. Nineteenth-century farmers used granaries after threshing to store and protect grain from rats, mice, weevils and grain moths. Granaries were well ventilated to prevent spoilage and waste.

A grant from the Dubuque Racing Association supported the restoration of the granary in 2012, with help from Four Mounds’ HEART Program.

Trip Advisory Logo
Charity Navigator Logo
Travel Iowa Logo
Silos & Smoke Stacks National Heritage Logo
American Alliance of Museums Badge
Association of Zoos & Aquariums
Smithsonian Affiliate Logo

Key Support Provided by

Institute of Museum and Library Services Logo
National Park Service Logo
The City of Dubuque Logo
Iowa Economic Development Logo
Iowa Department of Natural Resources Logo
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs Logo

THE NATIONAL MISSISSIPPI RIVER MUSEUM & AQUARIUM

  350 East 3rd Street, Port of Dubuque, Iowa 52001
  563-557-9545   |   800-226-3369   |   info@rivermuseum.com

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
   
Join Our Team Request a Donation
Memphis Web Design by Speak.  Sitemap.
Plan Your Visit
Buy Tickets
  563-557-9545   Plan Your Visit
loading