You've probably driven by it a million times on your way to Eagle Point Park... but did you know the Dubuque Old Log Cabin is believed to be the oldest building in Iowa?

Not just the oldest building... it's also believed to be the oldest building west of the Mississippi River.

It was built in 1827 and its original location was 2nd and Locust Streets in Dubuque. (Right down from St. Raphael's Cathedral.)

It was built by a trapper named Louis Arrandeaux in a style called 'dogtrot,' which was developed in countries like Sweden, Germany, Finland, and Russia. There's a fireplace on each side and the breezeway in the center allowed for good airflow.

Before the cathedral was built, Father Samuel Mazzuchelli would say mass from the south room of the cabin.

Ansel Briggs, Iowa's first governor also spoke at the cabin in 1846.

So how did it get to its current location? It was first moved to Eagle Point Park back in 1915 and Dubuquers used it as a pavilion before it was moved from the park to its current location in 1965.

It's a part of the Mathias Ham Historic Site, which includes the famous Ham House and Humke School. You can drive by all three buildings on Shiras Avenue in Dubuque, just off of Rhomberg Avenue, and you can visit the River Museum website to learn more about it.

Now you'll have some trivia to stump your friends and family with regarding the history of Dubuque!

~Chris Farber

 

READ ON: See the States Where People Live the Longest

Stacker used data from the 2020 County Health Rankings to rank every state's average life expectancy from lowest to highest. The 2020 County Health Rankings values were calculated using mortality counts from the 2016-2018 National Center for Health Statistics. The U.S. Census 2019 American Community Survey and America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2019 data were also used to provide demographics on the senior population of each state and the state's rank on senior health care, respectively.

Read on to learn the average life expectancy in each state.

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