National Pearl Button Museum at the History & Industry Center

National Pearl Button Museum at the History & Industry Center Explore the story of the Gold Rush of the Midwest, and learn how the unassuming button put this quiet river town on the map.

Free parking available in the Merrill Hotel ramp on 2nd Street, across from the museum. The museum says "History and Industry Center" above the awning. Our second floor has a view of the river and is available for event rental. Call, email, or drop by the museum to learn more about our affordable pricing!

Though we hate to admit it, there are other great museums around here. If you love history and science, Eastern Iowa and...
08/24/2026

Though we hate to admit it, there are other great museums around here. If you love history and science, Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois are a treasure trove to be discovered. This Summer my wife and I have visited some pretty cool places and some amazing museums, all within easy driving distance of Muscatine. I recommend you check these out: The Herbert Hoover Presidential Museum in West Branch, the Airpower Museum near Ottumwa, the scale model of our solar system in Oskaloosa, the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois, the Sawmill Museum in Clinton, and the Anne Franck exhibit at the Danville Station Museum in Danville, Iowa. I guarantee that you will learn something you didn't know. For example, I bet you didn't know that two museums, within an hour of here, recently won Guinness Book of World Records recognition. We visited those, too, and will share those in our next post.
https://www.irm.org/
https://www.thesawmillmuseum.org/
https://hoover.archives.gov/
https://antiqueairfield.com/museum/
https://www.facebook.com/p/Danville-Station-100064328453900/
https://www.mahaskachamber.org/blog/discover_the_wonders_of_the_solar_system_walkway_at_lacey_recreation_complex/

Saturday was a beautiful day, and a nice one to spend at the newly reopened Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Muse...
08/10/2026

Saturday was a beautiful day, and a nice one to spend at the newly reopened Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch. The National Pearl Button Museum, along with 20 other museums and cultural organizations from around the midwest, were invited to host a table to share Muscatine's story with hundreds of visitors from around the country. Other organizations included : The National Mississippi River Museum, the African American Museum, the Lincoln Highway Association, Silos and Smokestacks, the John Wayne Birthplace Museum, the Iowa Quilt Museum, the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion, Brucemore Mansion, the Sawmill Museum, the Harry S. Truman and Abraham Lincoln National Historic Sites, Effigy Mounds National Monument, the Kalona Historic Village, and the Iowa 80 Trucking Museum.

The National Pearl Button Museum's pollinator garden is living up to it's name. We have spotted bees, butterflies, and h...
08/07/2026

The National Pearl Button Museum's pollinator garden is living up to it's name. We have spotted bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds all Summer, and this morning, under the leaves of this common milkweed, is a future Monarch.

If you love Iowa, and Iowa history, please come to the National Pearl Button Museum on Tuesday, June 23rd at 6:30 pm for...
05/01/2026

If you love Iowa, and Iowa history, please come to the National Pearl Button Museum on Tuesday, June 23rd at 6:30 pm for a presentation by Kevin Mason about his new book Retracing the Dragoon Trail in Iowa- Environmental Transformation along the Des Moines River. Kevin is a historian and creater of the Iowa history website Notes on Iowa.

Address

117 W. 2nd Street
Muscatine, IA
52761

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+15632631052

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when National Pearl Button Museum at the History & Industry Center posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to National Pearl Button Museum at the History & Industry Center:

Shortcuts

Share

Category