This blue felt boxing robe was worn by Edwin “Red” Sabers of Dubuque. Born in 1920, Sabers was an exceptional athlete and a renowned boxer with the Catholic Youth Organization in the welterweight class. In 1939, when he was 18, he was one of 16 boxers invited to fight in preliminary matches before the Chicago CYO-Ireland international bouts. He defeated Red McCuskor of Chicago at Soldier Field, Chicago, in front of more than 35,000 people.

This smooth, cream-colored, satin wedding dress with long sleeves was worn by Dorothy Philomena Link when she married Arthur Paul Frommelt on February 25, 1938. Dorothy’s mother made this quintessential 1930s style gown with a Peter Pan collar and a small v-cut neckline with white beaded leaves below it.

This photo of Dubuque’s City Hall building from circa 1890-1910 shows just how little it has changed over the years and reminds us that the Farmers’ Market has a very long history here. Shown in the photo is the Iowa Street (west) side of City Hall and appears to have people gathered for the Farmers’ Market, which has been located in the outdoor area surrounding City Hall since 1879. Originally established in the 1840s at Flat Iron Park, Dubuque’s market is the oldest farmers’ market in Iowa.

Elk Chocolates were a signature product of the M. M. Johannsen Candy Company, established in Dubuque around 1907. The business originally took up two floors of its building at 260 Main Street, but in less than a year, its footprint had doubled as its reputation for delicious treats grew. The company even sent traveling salesmen out to neighboring states to grow the business further.

Johannsen featured high-end chocolates and hard candies. They sold “satin finish” candies that were shiny and glossy, making them more lavish than their competitors.

February’s featured artifact commemorates a group of friends’ night out at a popular local venue.

For 30 years, Melody Mill was the place to be on Friday and Saturday nights. Whether for a fun evening with friends or a romantic date with someone special, young people flocked there to hear music and dance the night away.

Within our collection is a small piece of petrified wood with a nail sticking through it. Written in black on the plaque it’s connected to is, "UNION GUNBOAT CAIRO Sunk by Floating Torpedo on Yazoo River, Mississippi December 12, 1862."

Built in January of 1862, the USS Cairo had a short-lived career as a Union gunboat. It patrolled the Mississippi and its connecting waterways, searching for Confederate supply lines, guns on the shore, and clearing the river of underwater mines, known at the time as torpedoes.

Almost as soon as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was identified in December of 2019, scientists raced to develop a vaccine to combat it. Pfizer’s vaccine was fully approved by the FDA in August 2021 after initially receiving Emergency Use Authorization in December 2020 – just one short year after the emergence of the deadly virus.

With Dubuque’s rich millwork history, it’s no surprise that this scrolls saw, dating to circa 1890,  is in the DCHS collection. Scroll saws can be used to cut intricate curves and joints, including dove tail joints.

Dating to around 1920, this root beer bottle from the Christian E. Kleis’ bottling company of Dubuque is made of transparent green glass and embossed with "CHR. E. KLEIS CO. DUBUQUE IA. CONTENTS 24 - FLUID OZS. M 2714 ROOT 20."

This flag, or wall hanging, is a memorial to Dubuque’s Carl B. Heller, who served as a private in World War I. Born on October 5, 1898, Carl was the only child of Frederick and Elizabeth (Kirch) Heller. He enlisted one month before the United States officially entered World War I and joined the 133rd Infantry Regiment, 34th Division, with other newly minted soldiers from Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and the Dakotas. The unit completed basic training at Camp Cody in New Mexico, where 18-year-old Carl received the nickname “Baby Private.”