Mathias Ham House
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For the 17th century mansion in the United Kingdom, see Ham House, London.
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 Ave in Dubuque.
The house was built for local businessman and lead miner Mathias Ham in 1856. The architect was John Francis Rague, who had designed the original capitol buildings of Illinois at Springfield and Iowa at Iowa City. He designed the house in the Italian Villa style.
The building has been restored, and is a museum showcasing life during the Antebellum period. The house contains American and European furnishings from that period. Also on the site is a log cabin in the dogtrot style, which is considered the oldest building in Iowa. This building was built originally at the location of 2nd and Locust Streets in Dubuque, then moved to Eagle Point Park in Dubuque before being moved to the Mathias Ham House Historic Site.
In addition, 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 for use in educating the public about Dubuque's lead mining history.
