A traveling museum exhibit from The Alexander Levi Heritage Project

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Welcome to the virtual exhibit site for "From Distant Places to Dubuque's Shores: 175 Years of Jewish Life."

The recent 175th Anniversary of the city of Dubuque, Iowa is inextricably connected to the 175th anniversary of the arrival of Alexander Levi, a French Jew of Spanish origin. Levi, who began his American career as a fur trader, later became a merchant, land-owner and miner whose success helped spark the city's growth. To celebrate the contributions of Jewish Dubuquers from Levi's day to the present, The Alexander Levi Heritage Project created an interactive museum exhibit,   "From Distant Places to Dubuque's Shores: 175 Years of Jewish Life." Funded initially, in part,  by a competitive award from the City of Dubuque, with additional funding provided by Humanities Iowa/The National Endowment for the Humanities, this exhibit is currently installed at The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium (an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution) at The Port of Dubuque. The installation ran from August 2008 through August, 2009 at The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque. 

In September 2009, the exhibit was installed at the Library & Archives reading Room at the Iowa State Historical Museum in Des Moines (600 East Locust
Des Moines, Iowa 50319, hours Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m, phone: 515-281-6200). It will move in December, 2009 to the Caspe Gallery at the Iowa Jewish Historical Society in Des Moines.  Download and read "Family & Community History - a Serendipitous Quest," a lecture by Karin Pritikin, delivered October 25th at the Iowa Jewish Historical Society.

Go Beyond the Exhibit: Historical Library Materials Make the Connection 

The Library and Archives Reading Room in Des Moines has installed its own exhibit using selected archives, special collections and library holdings to complement the new exhibit “From Distant Places to Dubuque Shores: 175 Years of Jewish Presence.” The  materials relate to the life of Alexander Levi and illustrate the richness and diversity of SHSI documentary collections available to historians, students, genealogists and others in their research. Visitors may view the exhibit through Dec. 3, 2009, in the Library and Archives Reading Room at 600 E. Locust, Des Moines. Reading Room hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (closed Sundays, Mondays and official state holidays). There is no fee.

The State Historical Society of Iowa has a dual mission of preservation and education. As a trustee of Iowa’s historical legacy, SHSI identifies, records, collects, preserves, manages, and provides access to Iowa’s historical resources. As an advocate of understanding Iowa’s past, SHSI educates Iowans of all ages, conducts and stimulates research, disseminates information, and encourages and supports historical preservation and education efforts of others throughout the state.

The mission of the Iowa Jewish Historical Society is to collect, catalogue, house, and preserve the history of the Jewish people of the state of Iowa and to deepen community understanding of Jewish history and culture through educational programming and exhibitions.

Copyright 2008

The Alexander Levi Heritage Project.           

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