The History Center began in 1969 as the Linn County Historical Museum Association, formed by several local residents who were interested in permanently preserving the history of Linn County. In the 1990’s we became a professionally accredited museum and named that museum “The History Center.” The organization officially became the Linn County Historical Society. In 1997, a capital campaign began t
o build a new museum at the recently purchased site at First Ave and Sixth Street in downtown Cedar Rapids. The site was formerly Rapids Chevrolet. The new museum was officially opened on June 15, 1999. After careful consideration in 2014, the board of The History Center decided to purchase the Douglas Mansion, which had been donated by the Linge family to the city of Cedar Rapids. The opening of this new location in 2018 will be a new opportunity for The History Center to provide quality programming and exhibits within a building that is a historic treasure itself. You can learn more about our organization and our upcoming move to the Douglas Mansion by visiting our website: historycenter.org
