National Register of Historic Places

Ham, Mathias, House

Dubuque, Dubuque County, Iowa
Listed
July 18, 1976
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
76000764

About this property

The Mathias Ham House is a 19th-century house in Dubuque, Iowa, that is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located at the intersection of Shiras and Lincoln Avenues, near the entrances to Eagle Point Park and Riverview Park. The house was designed by John F. Rague and built for local businessman and lead miner Mathias Ham in 1857. Ham had owned an island in the Mississippi River at Dubuque, called Ham's Island (which has since renamed City Island and then Chaplain Schmitt Memorial Island, after Father Aloysius Schmitt). The architect, John F. Rague, who had designed the original state capitol buildings at Springfield, Illinois and at Iowa City, Iowa, designed the house in the Italian Villa style. The Mathias Ham House has been restored and transformed into a museum showcasing life during the Antebellum era; it contains American and European furnishings from that period. The property also features the Louis Arriandeaux Log House, a double log cabin in the dogtrot style, which is considered the oldest building in Iowa. The cabin was built in 1833 at 2nd and Locust Streets in Dubuque, then moved to Eagle Point Park in Dubuque before being moved to the Mathias Ham House Historic Site. Additionally, a one-room schoolhouse (the former Humke School) was relocated to the property. A replica mine shaft and "badger hole" or "badger hut" were constructed on the property to educate the public about Dubuque's lead mining history. The museum is operated by the Dubuque County Historical Society, which also operates the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium.

Location

2241 Lincoln Ave.
Dubuque, Dubuque County, Iowa
42.53131, -90.65067

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Lock and Dam No. 11 Historic District
Pre Contact
0.9 mi
Sacred Heart School
Industrial
1.3 mi
Washington Street and East 22nd Street Historic District
Listed
1.5 mi
Dubuque Casket Company
Industrial
1.5 mi
Holy Ghost Catholic Historic District
Listed
1.5 mi

Nearby Battles

Attack on Sinsinawa Mound
1832Early Republic
8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Ham, Mathias, House listed on the National Register?

Ham, Mathias, House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 18, 1976.

What type of historic resource is Ham, Mathias, House?

Ham, Mathias, House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Ham, Mathias, House?

The period of significance for Ham, Mathias, House is recorded as the industrial era.

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