The Rural Heritage Center and Museum is located at 10000 Mascara Road in Elkader, IA. The center is situated along Iowa State Highway 13, the Turkey River and Elkader’s City campground. The museum is housed in a 1919 livestock pavilion built for the Elkader Fair. When the fair was discontinued the pavilion became home to the Elkader Sales Barn. In 1998, the last livestock auction was held, opening the opportunity for the George Maier Rural Heritage Center of Clayton County to have a home.

The Rural Heritage Museum’s collection is one man’s passion to accumulate items that he felt would tell the story of life in rural Iowa. He purchased and accepted donations of thousands of items to be displayed at the museum. When you tour the museum you will be able to experience many of the items up close and even watch them operate. A short list of items on display are as follows: early John Deere 2 cylinder tractors, horse drawn harvesting implements, along with many hit and miss engines. The museum also boasts one of the largest clock collections in the area with well over 300 clocks of various makes and styles. If you’re a car buff there is something for you, too. Check out the restored 1913 Studebaker and all the vintage car parts, along with gas station equipment. Lastly, the museum has many of the household appliances used long before electricity or any of the modern conveniences we enjoy today.

We hope that you will make the drive to Elkader and the museum to check it out. While you’re here in Elkader and Clayton County stay awhile to shop and dine. You need to check out all this area has to see and do. Be sure to look at our Facebook page and the events calendar on this page.

We encourage large tour groups, just give us a call to arrange a date and time.