Dutch American Heritage Museum

06/01/2026

Have you visited our dog?!😉 We're open every Wednesday-Friday from 10-3. Come see what the dog did--it's an interesting part of history 😊

05/29/2026

If you're out for a stroll this weekend, may I recommend you peruse through our garden? It's stunning--in our unbiased opinion 😉

05/29/2026

Excellent job picking Gelderland for yesterday's province lesson! Given that a lot of Northwest Iowa settlers were from Gelderland, it seems to be one we know a little better. These were primarily worn in the mid-19th century through the mid-20th century. The 1850s-1900s were the peak era for wearing this particular attire. A gradual decline was seen up until the 1940s mainly because mass produced Western clothing made its way into the region. Post WWII was really when wearing this everyday was not as common. There was a textile shortage during WWII and there began to be a rise in riding bicycles. And as anyone who has worn a skirt knows, it doesn't combine well with a bike😅 If there's anything in the museum that you'd like us to post about in the future, send us a message and we'll see what we can do. We love to see the museum come alive! There are so many stories to tell and so much rich history! "The only thing new in the world is the history you do not know."~Harry S. Truman

05/28/2026

Ok, last province lesson! Can you guess the province this is from?

05/28/2026

Great job to those guessing Overijssel province in the village of Staphorst-Rouveen yesterday! Stipwerk is available to purchase in the museum. It's a beautiful art and we've heard from several that it's very calming to do and some may even say addictive 😉 Our last province guess in our series will be listed this afternoon. Good luck and have fun!

05/27/2026

Province Lesson Day 6 of 7: Can you guess the province? You may or may not have seen some of this incredible design around town😉

05/27/2026

Yes, indeed. This is the Walcheren traditional costume from the Zeeland province. These were primarily worn in the late 19th century with some elements such as the oorijzer (metal headpiece) beuk (breast cloth) and lace caps that were worn into the 20th century.
Only 2 costume provinces left in our series to guess! We'll post the next one later today. Good luck!

05/27/2026

05/26/2026

Province Lesson Day 5: I like this little manikin family 😊 Can you guess what province these costumes are from?

05/25/2026