Programs and
Special Events
Upcoming Events
Mini Fall Festival
Date: October 3, 2026
Time: 1 p.m - 4 p.m.
Cost: Free plus tickets $1 each!
Come join the Museums for our first mini harvest festival! Free kids crafts and games as well as pumpkin decorating, a museum scavenger hunt, and fall treats like cider, cookies, and donuts available for tickets!
At 3 p.m. the drawing for the Pick & Gad Raffle will take place and the winner will be announced! As well as prizes for the scavenger hunt!
Pick & Gad Raffle
Drawing: October 3, 2026 (Fall Festival)
Support the Friends of The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums and win valuable cash prizes by purchasing a ticket for the annual Pick & Gad Raffle! Pick up your tickets at the Museum or from a board member. The prize drawing will take place at the Mini Fall Festival at 3 p.m.
Haunted Mine Tours
Date: October 17, 2026
Time: 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Cost: General (13+) $20, Seniors (65+) $16, Youth (8-12) $12
Platteville’s spookiest Halloween tradition has returned with ghost miners around every corner! Descend deep into the past and experience an underground mine illuminated by candles and lantern light as you discover historical truths that are stranger than fiction. Tour every half hour starting at 5 p.m. Registration recommended.
Fall Community Free Day
Date: October 31, 2026
Time: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Cost: FREE for Platteville residents
To thank the citizens of Platteville for their support since 1964, The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums offers two community free days: one in spring and one in fall. Museum admission, including a Guided Mine Tour and Train Ride (weather permitting) will be free to Platteville residents with proof of residency. Registration is suggested.
Friends of The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums Annual Meeting and Program
Date: TBD
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Cost: FREE for Members and 2025 Donors
2027 Miners Ball
Date: February 13th, 2027
Location: Velzy Commons in Ullsvik Hall
Ticket Deadline: February 1st for dinner tickets. Dance tickets will remain available at the door day of.
Friends of The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums Spring Pasty Fundraiser
Order Deadline: TBD
Pick up: TBD
The Friends of the Museum Cornish Pasty Fundraiser is back for another round of deliciousness! Enjoy the authentic and award-winning taste of Cornish pasties from the Walker House in Mineral Point. These 7-ounce pasties will be offered frozen, to be baked at home for a piping hot meal and accompanied by your favorite condiment (we recommend chili sauce!). To make pasty pick-up more convenient, distribution will take place on a TBD date as a drive-thru operation in the spacious outdoor area between A&W Restaurant and the Millennium Cinema at 111 Millennium Drive, Platteville.
Museum After Dark
Date: 2027 Date TBD
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Cost: $20 General, $18 Seniors
Get ready for a new social happening at the museum! Who hasn't walked through a museum and thought, I wish there was music? Well, if you haven't before, now you will and we have the event just for you. On this special night, music boxes and piano rolls will be played for your entertainment while you socialize and experience the museum in a new way!
Snacks and beer from 7 Hills Brewing Company will be available for anyone attending over the age of 21.
Wisconsin Science Festival
Date: October 15-25th
The Wisconsin Science Festival is a statewide celebration of science, technology, engineering, art, and math with activities for people of all ages, backgrounds, and interests throughout Wisconsin.
Come back later to see what the 2026 theme will be and programming offered by the museum!
Mini Golf at the Museum
Date: March 7, 2026
Time: 10 AM - 2 PM
Cost: $5/children 12 and under | $10/adult
Past Events
Platteville Historic
Re-enactment
Dates: September 11-13, 2026
Friday, September 11 (School Day): 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Saturday, September 12: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday, September 13: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Location: Mound View Park, Platteville
Cost: Free Will Donation
Held since 1998, the 3-day Platteville Historic Re-enactment showcases the history of America’s Upper Mississippi Valley from 1750 to 1840, featuring educators, artisans, and re-enactors all taking part in the celebration. The 28th Annual Historic Re-enactment presents a hands-on living history experience for the general public, as well as thousands of students whose visit enhances their educational curriculum. No registration necessary.
Young Pioneers Mini-Camp
Dates: July 13-14, 2026
Time: 1-3 p.m.
Cost: $40 per Student | Registration Required
Young Pioneers Mini-Camp is a fun two-day camp for students entering 2nd through 5th grades. Travel into the past and discover life in our region in the pioneering period of the early 19th century. Prospect for minerals, create unique crafts, cook over a fire, play historic outdoor games, and more.
Heritage Day
Date: July 4, 2026
Time: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Cost: FREE Family Activities; Regular Admission for Guided Mine Tour & Train Ride
Heritage Day is a July 4th community celebration of Platteville’s rich history and bright future that draws more than 700 visitors annually. Visitors will enjoy a day of games, historical demonstrations, special exhibits, live music, and food, including custom ice cream flavors produced by Pioneer Sweets of UW-Platteville.
Jute Bag Making Class
Date: Thursday June 18th
Time: 4:30 PM-7:00 PM
America at 250 Community Conversation
Date: Thursday May 21st
Time: 5:00 PM-7:00 PM
Exhibit Display Opening and Reception
Date: Monday, May 11th
Time: 5:00 PM-7:00 PM
Join us on Friday, May 11th, for the opening of a new exhibit display and a short talk with our three Visiting Curators, Emma Arneson, Lydia Reuter, and Ashley Weis.
Winter Speaker Series - Series Pass
Date: December 4, January 15, February 5, March 19
Time: 6:00 PM
Cost: $6/person or $20/series pass (includes all 4 talks)
Join us for four evening talks by local specialists with knowledge of and ties to miners that made our area so significant during the 19th and early 20th century.
If you purchase a pass and miss a talk, you will receive the video recordings of all previous talks in the series.
Winter Speaker Series - Mary Elise Antoine
Date: March 19, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM
Cost: $6/person or $20/series pass (includes all 4 talks)
Join us for an evening talk by Mary Elise Antoine who was the Curator of Collections and Research at Villa Louis. During her tenure she conducted the research that directed the restoration of the Villa Louis site. Additionally, Mary Elise Antoine has researched and written articles and books focused on cultural history. Her talk will focus on her recent research about the Ho-Chunk who lived in the lead mining district and their systematic loss of those lands.
Winter Speaker Series - Brian Preston
Date: February 5, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM
Cost: $6/person or $20/series pass (includes all 4 talks)
Join us for an evening talk by conservationist and descendant of 19th century miners in the Lead and Zinc Mining District. His talk will cover family history from Sylvester Bills Preston and Anna West Preston. Sylvester Bills Preston and wife Anna West Preston claimed a section of land in Mosalem Township in 1835, purchasing it in 1847, as soon as the land parcels were made available. Originally from Maryland, the Preston family came to Dubuque via Mineral Point, Wisconsin, where Sylvester erected and operated a copper smelter. Brian Preston and his Aunt Gerda Preston Hartman still live on some of the land claimed by Sylvester and Anna. They will discuss life on a mining claim, much of which is now part of the Mines of Spain State Recreation Area in Iowa.
Winter Speaker Series - Rudy Pruszko
Date: January 15, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM
Cost: $6/person or $20/series pass (includes all 4 talks)
Join us for an evening talk by cave and lead mine expert, Rudy Pruszko. He has studied the mining and historical activity in the Driftless area while exploring the caves and mines throughout the tristate area.He has conducted presentations on the history and geology of our area. His talk will focus on the farmers who mined during their offseason to make ends meet.
Winter Speaker Series - Cory Ritterbusch
Date: December 4, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM
Cost: $6/person or $20/series pass (includes all 4 talks)
Join us for an evening talk by restoration ecologist, landscape designer, planner, and former archivist for the Chicago Academy of Sciences, Cory Ritterbusch. His talk will inform about the history of the short-lived settlement of Gratiots Grove, an important early mining community located south of Shullsburg, Wisconsin.
Exhibit Display Opening and Reception
Date: November 7, 2025
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Friends of the Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums Fall Plant Sale
Date: September 20, 2025
Time: 9 a.m. Rededication | 9:30 - Noon Plant Sale
Location: The Mining and Rollo Jamison Museums Back Yard
We received our signs for the Pollinator garden and we want to highlight them at a rededication ceremony! Please join us at 9 AM for this ceremony and then explore the tables of plants for sale that were divided from the gardens last spring and nurtured by master gardeners over the summer. This is your opportunity to take a plant in remembrance of Gail and Wesly Kopp from their memorial pollinator garden. A Master Gardener will be on site to help with plant identification and tips on how to best care for them. All proceeds go to the Friends of The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums.
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HOURS
In Season: May - October
Open Wednesday - Sunday
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Guided Mine Tours: 10:30 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:30 p.m., & 3:00 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