Programs and
Special Events
Upcoming Events
Spring Community Free Day
Date: May 1
Time: All Day, Reservation Required
Cost: FREE for Platteville residents
Celebrate with us! This year the Museums are commemorating three milestone anniversaries - the 50th of the completion of the Mining Museum, the 45th of the opening of the Bevans Mine, and the 40th of the Rollo Jamison Museums! To thank the citizens of Platteville for their continued support, The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums is excited to offer TWO community free days: season opening day, May 1; and season closing day, October 31. Museum admission, including a Guided Mine Tour and Train Ride (weather Permitting) is FREE to Platteville residents. Reservations are required.
2021 Walk Down Main
Date: May 4, 2021 | Virtual /Live Hybrid Event
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Cost: Virtual Presentation/Walk Only, $10 Presentation/Walk/Dinner, $45/Single or $80/Couple
Discover the influences of architect Henry Kleinhammer around downtown Platteville during the hybrid virtual/live 2021 Walk Down Main. View a virtual presentation by James Hibbard via Zoom with live Q&A and take a self-guided walking tour of 14 featured buildings. Co-hosted by the Platteville Main Street Program and The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums. Image courtesy of UW-Platteville's Southwest Wisconsin Room and The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums.
2021 Miners Ball
Date: September 17th, 2021
Time: 5 p.m.
Cost: $50
The Friends of the Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums are pleased to carry on the tradition of this classic Platteville dance celebration started by engineering students in the 1930s. This formal event for couples of all ages invites everyone passionate about the history of Platteville to dress up, to enjoy a great dinner, and to swing to the music of a Big Band orchestra— just like generations of young engineers in training did starting back in 1926.
Fall Community Free Day
Date: October 31
Time: All Day, Reservation Required
Cost: FREE for Platteville residents
Celebrate with us! This year the Museums are commemorating three milestone anniversaries - the 50th of the completion of the Mining Museum, the 45th of the opening of the Bevans Mine, and the 40th of the Rollo Jamison Museums! To thank the citizens of Platteville for their continued support, The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums is excited to offer TWO community free days: season opening day, May 1; and season closing day, October 31. Museum admission, including a Guided Mine Tour and Train Ride (weather Permitting) is FREE to Platteville residents. Reservations are required.
Past Events
Winter Lyceum (7 of 7): “The Mining Museum’s Bevans Mine Adventure 45 Years Later”
The Platteville Mining Museum had only been in existence for a short time when staff and leadership began making plans to re-discover the 1845 Bevans Mine in the museum's backyard and to open it safely to the public using the latest in mine safety technology and Platteville-trained talent. On March 28, 2021, the Museums celebrated the legacy of our region's unique history through the words of actual local folks who not only had the know-how and commitment to make the Bevans Mine opening a reality, but who made this community mining project the City of Platteville's celebratory project in honor of the American Bicentennial and Platteville Sesquicentennial in 1976.
Winter Lyceum (6 of 7): “Kaiten: Japan’s WWII Human Torpedo That Stunned the U.S. Navy”
Mike Mair Presented “Kaiten: Japan’s WWII Human Torpedo That Stunned the U.S. Navy.” WWII ended 50 years earlier when a stunning discovery in 1995 led to a 25-year journey for Mike Mair of Platteville. John Mair, a U.S. Navy veteran, had never revealed to Mike and his siblings the horrific sinking of his ship USS Mississinewa (AO-59) on November 20, 1944. Mike interviewed nearly 300 U.S. and Japanese veterans, reviewed naval records, made scuba dives on Mississinewa while writing the book “Kaiten.”
Winter Lyceum (5 of 7): “The Archeology of the Southern Driftless Area”
Driftless Pathways archaeologists Robert “Ernie” Boszhardt and Danielle Benden presented a virtual tour of the Native American cultural landscape in Wisconsin’s southern Driftless Area. Boszhardt and Benden summarized the 13,000 year human history of this region, from the end of the last Ice Age until Euro-American contact. This program illustrated the story of how Native Americans successfully adapted to an ever-changing landscape for millennia, as demonstrated in the camps, villages, effigy mounds, cave art and artifacts that people left behind.
Winter Lyceum (4 of 7): “Curiosity Paving the Way for Perseverance”
Becky Williams Presented “Curiosity Paving the Way for Perseverance.” Understanding the past habitable conditions on Mars is a primary scientific driver for NASA’s Curiosity rover. During the last eight years, Curiosity has traversed across diverse terrain within Gale crater and drilled the Martian surface over two dozen times. Dr. Williams provided an update on the latest scientific findings and shared spectacular snapshots from the rover’s journey. She presented an overview of Perseverance, NASA’s robotic mission to Mars, which landed at Jezero crater on February 18, 2021.
Winter Lyceum (3 of 7): “From Beetown to Atlanta: The Tale of a Civil War Drum”
Jeff Schave Presented “From Beetown to Atlanta: The Tale of a Civil War Drum.” In August of 1862, Burt Sumner and James Hayden traveled from Beetown to the county seat of Lancaster to enlist and answer President Lincoln’s “Call to Arms.” Serving in Company “C” of the Wisconsin 25th Regiment as musicians, they would march through Tennessee, Mississippi, and Georgia. As a silent witness to these events, Burt Sumner’s snare drum has not had the opportunity to share its stories and experiences. This presentation gave voice to this rare and unique artifact, and thus shared with pride “A Drums Tale.”
Winter Lyceum (2 of 7): “Black History: The Legacy of Slavery and Freedom in Wisconsin”
Dr. Eugene Tesdahl, Clayborn Benson, and Wilbur Arms, presented “Black History: The Legacy of Slavery and Freedom in Wisconsin.” They explored the rich African American history of southwest Wisconsin. The panel was a collaboration between the Wisconsin Black Historical Society and Museum of Milwaukee and the Mining and Rollo Jamison Museums of Platteville. Panelists explained ways bold Americans like America Jenkins, Paul Jones, and Rachel endured illegal enslavement in Wisconsin and reinvented themselves as free Wisconsinites. Learn how the Shepard, Greene, and Grimes families built Pleasant Ridge in 1850, a free black community west of Lancaster. Consider why their legacy reverberates across Wisconsin and beyond still today.
Winter Lyceum (1 of 7): “Rollo Jamison: 40 years in Platteville”
Patrick Daniels Presented “Rollo Jamison: 40 years in Platteville” on February 7, 2021. Forty years ago, Rollo Jamison, who had spent his lifetime “saving history,” donated his one-man museum to the City of Platteville. In this presentation, Patrick Daniels talked about Rollo’s life in Beetown, Wisconsin; finding a new home for the collection, moving the collection to Platteville, and the early days of the Rollo Jamison Museum, including the first Heritage Day which was a grand opening celebration culminating in a dedication of the museum on June 14, 1981. A recording of this event will be available on our Virtual Programs page soon.
Winter Pioneer Camp
Holiday Horse Drawn Carriage Rides
Date: December 4th, 11th, 18th
The Museums celebrated the holiday spirit with horse-drawn carriage rides through downtown Platteville. Participates enjoyed the scenery and holiday lights around town while learning about local history and key architectural landmarks with the sights and sounds of a beautiful team of draft horses. If you missed the opportunity in 2020 or want to enjoy the experience again watch for information next November.
Friends Annual Meeting & Program: Slavery in Platteville, Part 3
The final lecture in a three-part series by Historian James B. Hibbard: "Black Lead Miners in Platteville: The Story of William Maxwell." This presentation highlights William Maxwell's career as a Black lead miner. Maxwell holds the distinction of establishing his own lead diggings in Platteville, where he employed four other miners. He was also the first Black man in Grant County to successfully use the court system to collect a debt. A link to the recorded program will be added soon.
Friends Annual Meeting & Program: Highlights of 2020 & Plans for 2021
The Friends of The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums Annual Meeting. Friends Board and Museum staff presented highlights of the Museums’ 2020 accomplishments; revealed exciting plans and milestones for 2021; introduced museum staff members, including the new collections care team; and recognized and thanked the Museums many volunteers. A link to the recorded program will be added soon.
Slavery in Platteville, Part 2: The Rountree Family
Date: Thursday, October 22nd
Time: 7:00 p.m
Cost: FREE, Registration required
The second in a series of three presentations by historian James B. Hibbard. This presentation chronicles Platteville founder John H. Rountree’s ownership of slaves. It will look in depth at the circumstances surrounding Rountree’s slave ownership, his treatment of them, especially “Sister Rachel,” and how he eventually became an antislavery Republican. A Q&A with the speaker will follow each talk. For the health of our visitors, the presentation will be held via Zoom.
Slavery in Platteville, Part 1: The Mitchell Family
Date: Thursday, September 17th
Time: 7:00 p.m
Cost: FREE, Registration required
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HOURS
The Museums are closed for the tour season. Cultural programs and special events are offered year-round, go to our Events page for more information. The Museum will open for tours in May 2021.
In Season: May - October | Open Daily | 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Off Season: November - April | Closed Except for Seasonal Programs
405 East Main Street, P.O. Box 780 Platteville, WI 53818
(608) 348-3301