Dickinson County Museum - Where History LIVES!

The Dickinson County Museum, in a 140 year old depot, provides unique educational experiences based on authentic objects, stories, and lives from Dickinson County.  Our purpose is to inspire people to learn from those artifacts through public programs, publications, educational activities, and special events.

Virtual Tour

If you can’t visit us in person, visit us virtually!

Virtual tour created by Drew Hutchinson of Iowa Lakeside Lab.  Thank you to Mary Skopec and the Friends of the Lakeside Lab for supporting its creation.  Our Exhibit Hall is looking MUCH DIFFERENT now - come in and check out the changes!

 

MATCHING GRANT For Exhibits CHALLENGE

You did it!  Because of your generosity, we raised $7000 and qualified for the $7000 Matching Grant!  This means you will be seeing some upgrades to our exhibits, and perhaps one really amazing project in the future.  Stay tuned - and THANK YOU!  You may still donate to this fund!

Did You Know?

EVENTS COMING SOON!

Stroll Back In Time: Spirit Lake

Thursday, July 27 at 5:00 pm
Join us at the Museum to begin an interactive stroll through historic downtown Spirit Lake.  Hear the stories that bring the past to life as you learn the history of downtown buildings.

Events

WAY BACK WHEN WEDNESDAYS

Every Wednesday at 10:00 folks gather at the Museum for conversation about the way it was in Dickinson County Way Back When.  The conversation is lively and fun, and many laughs are shared.  All are welcome!  Coffee included!

HISTORY LIVES SPEAKER SERIES

Our popular History LIVES! Speaker series features engaging speakers sharing stories, information, and photos about Dickinson County’s colorful past.  In addition to experiencing the live programs, all programs are live-streamed on our FaceBook page and uploaded to our YouTube channel.

 

News

Research Area

The Museum is creating a new, dedicated research area, The Dickinson County Research Area, thanks to a grant from the Dickinson County Endowment Fund. Included in the grant is a computer, printer, scanner, ancestry.com software, and furniture. As part of this new area, our resource room is being named the “R. Aubrey LaFoy Resource Room” in honor of Aubrey and his long and dedicated service to the Dickinson County Museum and area history. Aubrey recently donated his extensive resource materials to the museum.

New Roof

Our 140 year old depot recently received a major upgrade in the form of a new roof, thanks to a $40,000 grant from the Okoboji Foundation. It will provide decades of protection for our extensive exhibits.

Get Involved

Join the growing community of Dickinson County Museum supporters!