Area Attractions
The Muscatine History & Industry Center exhibits artifacts from Muscatine’s pearl button industry. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, Muscatine was home to more than 45 major button factories, producing nearly 40 percent of all pearl buttons manufactured worldwide. Located in historic downtown Muscatine, the Muscatine History & Industry Center displays a variety of items from the button factories and the clam-shelling industry, plus exhibits from HNI Corporation; The Stanley Group; and Bridgestone Bandag, LLC.
The Musser Public Library, also located in downtown Muscatine, is home to the Oscar Grossheim collection of more than 55,000 glass plate negatives. Oscar Grossheim – a Muscatine native – impacted the photography industry by creating a portable camera. This camera, and Grossheim himself, captured the interest of George Eastman (of Eastman-Kodak) who was working to perfect a portable camera of his own. Many of Grossheim’s photos chronicling Muscatine’s history are available to view and purchase on the library’s website.
The Norbert F. Beckey Bridge, connecting Muscatine to the state of Illinois, was the first bridge over the Mississippi River to be lit with LED lighting. The Bridge Lighting Project, completed in the spring of 2008, adds a festive glow to Muscatine’s riverfront. The bridge is capable of displaying 16.7 million color combinations and is visible from dusk into the early morning hours.
The Muscatine Art Center is actually two adjacent facilities, the Laura Musser Mansion and the contemporary Stanley Gallery. The Musser Mansion, built in 1908, offers visitors a glimpse into the lives of a wealthy local family at the turn of the last century and exhibits a fine art collection befitting the family’s varied interests. Established as a museum in 1965, a gift of Musser’s heirs, the lovingly maintained mansion features many distinctive architectural details reminiscent of the Edwardian period. The Stanley Gallery features nationally recognized artists and exhibits important collections on an ever-changing basis.
A few miles east of town is the Pine Creek Grist Mill, located within Wildcat Den State Park. The mill, built in 1848, is one of the finest examples of mid-19th century mills left in the country. Work began in 1996 to restore the mill and its equipment; today the mill is once again operational. Pine Creek Grist Mill is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and hosts thousands of visitors each year who come to learn more about Iowa’s early pioneers.
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