“Iowa's Pearl Button Industry" at the German American Heritage Center -- April 28.
Sunday, April 28, 2 p.m.
German American Heritage Center, 712 West Second Street, Davenport IA
Presented by Dustin Joy, director of Muscatine's National Pearl Button Museum, Iowa's Pearl Button Industry continues the popular "Kaffee und Kuchen" series at Davenport's German American Heritage Center, the April 28 program designed to explore the fascinating history behind the state's formerly massive export, as well as its lingering legacy.
In 1905 Muscatine, Iowa produced 1.5 billion pearl buttons, or about one-third of the world’s total. This manufacturing achievement was remarkable from a town of 15,000. More remarkable, perhaps, was the fact that the whole industry was started by a single German immigrant, John F. Boepple. It was he who recognized the extraordinary value of the freshwater mussels living in the Mississippi River and began making beautiful mother-of-pearl buttons from their shells. Ultimately, these fascinating creatures, harvested by the hundreds of millions built the economic foundation of Muscatine, albeit with little regard for the environment.
Located at 117 West Second Street in Muscatine, the National Pearl Button Museum tells the story of how one quiet river town on the Mississippi became known as the Pearl Button Capital of the World in the early 1900s, with everything from Button Queens to union organizers, in a historic downtown storefront. Founded as Historic Muscatine by a group of locals interested in preserving Muscatine’s unique history in 1993, the museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit that functions as the town’s history museum. Over the years, its collection has grown through the dedicated work of a series of directors and staff, as well as item donations from community members and local button manufacturing companies. The biggest bequests came from McKee and Weber Button Companies when they closed their doors in 2020.
Iowa's Pearl Button Industry will be presented at the German American Heritage Center on April 28, with the 2 p.m. “Kaffee und Kuchen” program preceded by coffee and cake at 1:30 p.m. Admission is free for Heritage Center members and $5 for non-members, and more information and reservations are available by calling (563)322-8844 and visiting GAHC.org.
