The History Center

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The History Center The History Center preserves and tells the story of Linn County, Iowa. The first museum was located at Eighth Ave and First Street in Cedar Rapids.

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 to 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

10/15/2026

A piece of time in the world. Back to a simpler time where kids were just kids.

Reminder! The museum will be closing early tomorrow for a private event!
10/09/2026

Reminder! The museum will be closing early tomorrow for a private event!

ANNOUNCEMENT! The museum will be closing at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 10th for a private event.

Do you have a special event coming up? Contact [email protected] to plan your party here at the historic Douglas Mansion.

10/09/2026

Do you have your tickets for Spooky Legends of Linn County? We highly recommend pre-purchasing your tickets to guarantee entrance.

Family Craft: Paint a Pumpkin!
Kick off your evening with a fun fall craft before Spooky Legends of Linn County! Children can paint and decorate their own pumpkin to take home as a festive keepsake. This activity is perfect for families and a great way to get into the Halloween spirit before the ghost stories begin.

Pumpkin painting starts at 6:00 p.m.
Program starts at 7:00 p.m. on The History Center lawn

Tickets are $6.00 general admission
This is an outdoor event. Please bring a lawn chair.

Spooky Legends of Linn County is generously sponsored by an anonymous donor.

ANNOUNCEMENT! The museum will be closing at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 10th for a private event. Do you have a spe...
10/07/2026

ANNOUNCEMENT! The museum will be closing at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 10th for a private event.

Do you have a special event coming up? Contact [email protected] to plan your party here at the historic Douglas Mansion.

Address

800 2nd Avenue SE
Cedar Rapids, IA
52403

Opening Hours

Tuesday 12pm - 4pm
Thursday 4pm - 8pm
Friday 12pm - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+13193621501

Website

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