The Iowa Historian is a monthly publication of the State Historical Society of Iowa. If you would like to subscribe, please send us a blank e-mail.
Historical Museum Expands Popular Tours
In response to continuing public demand, the State Historical Museum is extending the run of its popular “History Hunter” vault and battle flag tours through the end of the year.
Originally
developed in December 2004, the vault tours explore the museum’s subterranean,
climate-controlled storage facility where more than 100,000 artifacts of its permanent
collection are housed. Curators offer entertaining and educational presentations
about the artifacts and how the museum collects, catalogs, preserves, studies,
and displays them. Curators also lead tours through the Battle Flag Preservation
Laboratory where more than 200 battle flags are being conserved and prepared for
display in the museum and the State Capitol Building.
The museum maintains many types of artifacts, including Civil War battle flags,
natural history artifacts, textiles & clothing, quilts (including the famous
Mary Barton Quilt Research Collection), political campaign & Iowa Caucus materials,
and Native American artifacts.
In
the Battle Flag Preservation Laboratory, museum technicians are stabilizing and
preserving U.S. national colors, regimental flags, banners and Calvary guildons
from the Civil War that were housed — some for more than 100 years —
in four display cases in the Capitol rotunda. Most are silk flags with painted
decorations and gold fringe.
Additional “special” vault tours will focus on topics such as the
Civil War, quilts and Victorian Life, highlighting those related artifacts in
the collection. The schedule of tours through the remainder of 2005 is:
October 15
General Vault Tour, 10:30 a.m.
Battle Flag Lab Tour, 1:30 p.m.
October 29
Special Vault Tour, “Victorian Life,” 10:30 a.m.
November 12
Special Vault Tour, “Civil War,” 10:30 a.m.
November 19
General Vault Tour, 10:30 a.m.
Battle Flag Lab Tour, 1:30 p.m.
December 17
General Vault Tour, 10:30 a.m.
Battle Flag Lab Tour, 1:30 p.m.
December 27, 28, 29
General Vault Tour, time TBA
Battle Flag Lab Tour, time TBA
December 28, 29
Special Vault Tour, “Quilts,” time TBA
Special Vault Tour, “Civil War,” time TBA
All tours take place at the State Historical Museum, 600 E. Locust, Des Moines. Both the General Vault Tours and the Special Vault Tours cost $12 for adults, $8 for children 3 to12 years old, and children 2 and under are free. Proceeds are used for the care and preservation of the collection.
The battle flag tours cost $20 for adults, $18 for State Historical Society members. Due to the highly sensitive nature of the work involved with stabilizing and preserving Iowa’s historic battle flags, each tour will be limited to 10 participants age 12 and older.
Reservations for the General Vault Tour, Battle Flag Lab Tour or Special Tours can be made by calling the Iowa Museum Store, (515) 283-1757. Or if you’d like to arrange your own group vault tour, call (515) 281-3809.
