Sioux City Public Museum

The Sioux City Public Museum located in Sioux City, Iowa was originally a mansion and had exhibits relating to the history of the region. There were also exhibits detailing the Lakota people, Omaha people, and Winnebago people.^[2]

Subjects in the museum exhibits included anthropology, archeology, natural history, science, and the military.^[3]

History

The museum used to be home to the financier John Peirce who built the Romanesque home out of Sioux Quartzite with 23 rooms in 1893.^[4] First purchased by a group called the Junior League in 1959, the opening of the mansion as a museum was in September 1960.^[5] There was a robbery of a saddlebag from the museum in 1996 that was part of a string of museum thefts which involved stealing Native American artifacts.^[6]

A second location was opened in Sioux City's downtown at a former J. C. Penney store which includes a theater, classrooms, and exhibition rooms.^[7] The museum project cost 12.5 million dollars. A new exhibit was opened that is all about the song "Sioux City Sue".^[8] The museum takes up 10,000 square feet.^[9]

The original mansion is being renovated to its original purpose; there are currently rooms for different functions and a ballroom.^[10]

Activities and recognition

Students from the Sioux City Community School District make models of local landmarks that are judged every year by the museum and the Historical Association.^[11]

The museum's deaccession criteria is a six step process that was used as an example in the book Museum administration: an introduction.^[12] The mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[13]

References