Dubuque, Iowa – The Dubuque County Historical Society (DCHS) will celebrate its 70th anniversary on February 23, 2020.
On this date in 1950, the organization’s articles of incorporation were signed and DCHS’s first board of directors were identified as Horace S. Poole (President), Joseph A. Rhomberg (VicePresident), Elsie L. Datisman (Secretary), John J. Cody (Treasurer), Rev. M. M. Hoffmann, Arnie Stierman, George J. Hohman, William Avery Smith, John Rider Wallis, and R. P. Roedell.
Begun with a purpose to “kindle and keep alive an active interest in state and local history,” the DCHS grew to include the Mathias Ham Historic Site and the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium. Its mission now reflects a similar growth through inspiring stewardship by creating educational experiences where history and rivers come alive.
In celebration of the 70th anniversary, the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium— home to the Dubuque County Historical Society collections—will be displaying a new exhibit case entitled Collecting Then and Now. The case will look back at some of the organization’s earliest collections, then introduce the present and future of the DCHS’s efforts to preserve and interpret our shared history.
This is the first of several anniversaries and newly featured historical offerings in 2020. These include the 10th anniversary of the Diamond Jo National Rivers Center, the 40th anniversary of opening the William M. Black, the grand opening of phase one of River of Innovation, and new exhibit cases showcasing the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage, as well as baseball in Dubuque.
In honor of this distinctive anniversary, on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020, the River Museum will open its doors for free to septuagenarians (those age 70) and older. All other general admission tickets will be discounted to a special rate of $9.95.
About the Dubuque County Historical Society The society was formed in 1950 as a private, non-profit organization with a focus on oral and archival history. Since that time, its collections have grown to include more than 41,000 historical items, many of which are on display at DCHS properties—the Mathias Ham Historic Site and the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium. The Society’s mission is to inspire stewardship by creating educational experiences where history and rivers come alive. It fulfills that mission through dynamic interpretation and exhibition of historical artifacts and archives as well as through the conservation and preservation of these historic treasures
National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium
350 E 3rd St
Dubuque, IA
563-557-9545 or 800-226-3369
