Transforming Dubuque With the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium
Exterior of the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium. Funding from the NEH helped the Dubuque Historical Society transform from a small, regional museum to a world-class institution dedicated to the Mississippi River and its history. Image courtesy of the museum.
The NEH supported the Dubuque County Historical Society as it transformed from a small, regional museum into a world-class institution dedicated to the Mississippi River and its history. Beginning in 1976, the NEH helped the society expand from its location in a historic home to establish the Fred W. Woodward Riverboat and Museum. Early challenge grants—which helped the society raise an additional $2.2 million—provided for the expansion of the Mathias Ham House Historic Site and the Riverboat Museum while also establishing an endowment to stabilize the organization’s funding. Another series of grants helped the society expand yet again, establishing the aquarium and cementing its identity as the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium. Two more challenge grants—which the organization leveraged to raise an additional $2.7 million—helped integrate the humanities into the life sciences and ecology on display at the River Discovery Center.
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Today, the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium occupies a 14-acre site, with multiple large museum spaces that interpret the history of Dubuque and the natural and cultural history of the Mississippi River from its headwaters in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. The success of the Museum & Aquarium is central to Dubuque’s economy, contributing about $10.5 million per year, according to an analysis done by Dubuque Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium is a beloved cultural institution in Dubuque, Iowa and is a cornerstone of the local tourism economy. Video courtesy of the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium.
An affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum & Aquarium is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. It receives 205,000 annual visitors per year. Many visitors are students from Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, and the organization is working with teachers to create strong, well-planned curricula for its school-aged visitors. For those who cannot visit the site, the Museum & Aquarium does a great deal of local outreach, bringing historical artifacts and animals to classrooms, community centers, churches, and retirement homes. It reaches an additional 50,000 individuals annually through the RiverWorks Discovery national traveling exhibit and programming. And for those who struggle to afford the price of admission, the organization provides a free six-month membership through its Everyone’s Museum Membership program, which serves 4,000 individuals annually.
