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  • Visit
    • TOURS
    • Accessibility
    • HOURS & LOCATION
    • BECOME A MEMBER
    • ADMISSION
    • GIFT SHOP
  • Exhibits
    • The German Immigrant Experience
    • German Expressionist Prints
    • The Prints of David and Sarojini Johnson
    • Past Exhibitions
  • Learn
    • GAHC From Home
    • Internships
    • Resources
    • Translation Services
    • Book Discussionsโ€‹
    • Travel
  • Events
  • About
    • About Us
    • Collections
    • DEAI Statement
    • Staff
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Newsletter
    • Contact Us
  • Private Events
  • Donate

About Us

Mission

The mission of the German American Heritage Center is to preserve and enrich for present and future generations knowledge of the German immigrant experience and its impact on American culture.

Vision

Our focus is cultural programs and immigrant contributions. We reach out to other cultural groups and demonstrate the contributions made by immigrants from many countries and from varied backgrounds to the ethnic palette which is the United States.

Miller’s Hotel c. 1870

History

In the mid-to-late 1800s millions of German citizens left their homeland and settled as immigrants in the United States. The 1900 U.S. Census documented that over half the citizens in Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota were German immigrants or their descendants. Scott County, where the first passenger railroad crossed the Mississippi River, was the entry point for many immigrants to the upper Midwest region and points west. In 1900, Joseph Eiboeck, a veteran German newspaperman, described Davenport as, โ€œthe most German city, not only in the State, but in all the Middle West, the center of all German activities in the State.โ€

Founded on August 1, 1994 as a private, not-for-profit organization, the German American Heritage Center (GAHC) seeks to preserve the heritage of our German speaking ancestors for present and future generations and to enrich our knowledge of the German immigrant experience.

Today GAHC, a National Historic Site, has evolved a museum that includes a large permanent exhibit and two rotating special exhibits. Within the permanent exhibit, visitors enjoy an orientation theater, six education stations, and two restored hotel rooms. Visitors enjoy an interactive experience as you learn about immigrantsโ€™ journey by sea, train and foot, to their final destination at the German American Heritage Center building, which was originally a very busy hotel for thousands of immigrants in the 1860s. One of the highlights in the exhibit is called โ€œStep into my Shoes.โ€ Visitors will find footprints of a child, woman, and man at this section. They can step on any set of the footprints, which then triggers the corresponding character to appear before them on a screen and talk about their personal experience as an immigrant. Throughout this exhibition and the two rotating temporary exhibitions, visitors enjoy exploring many artifacts on display. The museum also provides educational programs, workshops, and classes relating to the German American experience and culture; assists in the coordination of festivals to foster an understanding of German American heritage; provides for cultural exchange through genealogy workshops and production of cultural presentations to the public; and partners with other heritage groups on programs, exhibits, and events.

The GAHC building was built in the 1860s, and was originally the Standard Hotel where thousands of German immigrants stayed in the 1800s when they arrived in the area. The building was purchased in 1995, partially restored in 1999, and reopened to the public in May, 2000. In October 2009, GAHC debuted a newly expanded space including a new large interactive permanent exhibit called the โ€œGerman Immigrant Experience,โ€ two traveling exhibit spaces, and large program facilities. GAHC offers several new programs based on the new permanent exhibit and two new temporary exhibit spaces.

The German immigrant experience is an integral part of the history and fabric of life in Iowa, in the region and in the nation. The German American Heritage Center (GAHC) was formed in 1994 to document and celebrate this heritage.

The Germania House was among the earliest of many โ€œGast Hausโ€ buildings in the area. This structure is the last remaining immigrant hotel of that period in the region and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The GAHC saved the building from deterioration and potential demolition by raising $1.3 million to restore the exterior of the building and to restore the first and second floors of the four story building for use as a historical center. That work to save this historic treasure and to utilize it as the German American Heritage Center was completed in 2004.

For its collection, the German American Heritage Center and Museum considers gifts of objects and archives materials related to German and German-American culture or history, including:

  • Objects brought by German immigrants, preferably before 1920.
  • Objects made or used by German immigrants in the United States.
  • Other objects made or used in the United States which represent the German-American experience.
  • Photographs related to German-American history and experience.
  • Archival material related directly to the history and operation of German American Heritage Center and Museum.

ย 

Unfortunately due to limited space capacity we are very selective when accepting donations. We are unable to accept any books or bibles at this time.

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German American Heritage Center and Museum

germanamericanheritagecenter

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Museum exploring the German immigrant experience and history of Davenport and Iowa!

Open
Back from the collections with this photograph of a man outside of Tony Hertzner's Bar, Davenport, Iowa. 1880-1900's. There is not much on the photo or the business as far as we know, we just think you might enjoy this photograph too!

Stop by this month to learn more about German Immigrants in the Quad Cities. 
We are open Tuesday-Saturday 10 AM - 4 PM
Sunday 12 PM - 4 PM
Closed on Monday

This month we are offering FREE admission on Saturdays during #QCMuseumMonth @visitquadcities

Back from the collections with this photograph of a man outside of Tony Hertzner`s Bar, Davenport, Iowa. 1880-1900`s. There is not much on the photo or the business as far as we know, we just think you might enjoy this photograph too!

Stop by this month to learn more about German Immigrants in the Quad Cities.
We are open Tuesday-Saturday 10 AM – 4 PM
Sunday 12 PM – 4 PM
Closed on Monday

This month we are offering FREE admission on Saturdays during #QCMuseumMonth @visitquadcities
…

Open
๐ŸฅƒOtto Koechert was well known in the Tri-City area. He immigrated from Germany in 1870. It is unclear what Otto did in his free time, he most likely spent time with friends, perhaps spending Sunday afternoons at Schuetzen Park. As time went on, he frequented the saloons more often, and enjoyed alcoholic beverages, often overindulging. According to newspapers, he was "working as a clerk during the first few years of his residence, but showing no ambition and gradually drifting from bad to worse...One who knew him says that he would remain intoxicated for days at a time, until he apparently tired of that condition and would have a sober spell for a few days."

Otto died on March 10th, 1891, in the Germania House, his place of residence. His body found by the proprietress, who noted that he didn't even take off his shoes before falling into bed.  His death was likely result from a stroke induced by overindulgence of alcohol.

712 W. 2nd Street โ€” a historic address that has stood witness to the dramatic and sometimes chilling evolution of Downtown Davenport since the Germania House was first built on this site in 1862. From a string of barbershop murders and a fire at a mental hospital to ghostly sightings at City Hall and sรฉances on a college campus, this former hotel has seen it all. And it has its own dark and fascinating tales to share.

๐Ÿ‘ปAccording to staff, Otto is our resident ghost. You can share your respects to him on our Darker Side of Davenport Walking Tours this month. The walking tours continue tomorrow at 6pm. 

๐ŸŽŸ๏ธReserve your tickets here: https://events.humanitix.com/darker-side-of-davenport-walking-tours-6386427j

๐ŸฅƒOtto Koechert was well known in the Tri-City area. He immigrated from Germany in 1870. It is unclear what Otto did in his free time, he most likely spent time with friends, perhaps spending Sunday afternoons at Schuetzen Park. As time went on, he frequented the saloons more often, and enjoyed alcoholic beverages, often overindulging. According to newspapers, he was "working as a clerk during the first few years of his residence, but showing no ambition and gradually drifting from bad to worse…One who knew him says that he would remain intoxicated for days at a time, until he apparently tired of that condition and would have a sober spell for a few days."

Otto died on March 10th, 1891, in the Germania House, his place of residence. His body found by the proprietress, who noted that he didn`t even take off his shoes before falling into bed. His death was likely result from a stroke induced by overindulgence of alcohol.

712 W. 2nd Street โ€” a historic address that has stood witness to the dramatic and sometimes chilling evolution of Downtown Davenport since the Germania House was first built on this site in 1862. From a string of barbershop murders and a fire at a mental hospital to ghostly sightings at City Hall and sรฉances on a college campus, this former hotel has seen it all. And it has its own dark and fascinating tales to share.

๐Ÿ‘ปAccording to staff, Otto is our resident ghost. You can share your respects to him on our Darker Side of Davenport Walking Tours this month. The walking tours continue tomorrow at 6pm.

๐ŸŽŸ๏ธReserve your tickets here: https://events.humanitix.com/darker-side-of-davenport-walking-tours-6386427j
…

Open
Save the Date for Christkindlmarkt Quad Cities! This free annual event celebrates the holiday season with a focus on German heritage. Like traditional winter markets around the world, the Quad Cities Christkindlmarkt is an indoor/outdoor artisan craft and gift market with live music, local foods, and local performances.

๐Ÿ—“๏ธ Saturday December 13th, 2025 10 am โ€“ 6 pm.
๐Ÿ“ 712 W 2nd Street Davenport, IA 52802

๐Ÿ›๏ธ The museum is free and open to the public all day long.
๐ŸŽ… ๐Ÿ‘น Special appearances by Santa and Krampus!
๐ŸŽถ Live music throughout the day.
โ„๏ธ Get Christkindlmarkt merch, try our homemade Glรผhwien or a German beer, and shop local vendors!

๐Ÿ›๏ธ Interested in being a vendor? Complete our vendor application by November 1st. https://forms.gle/3BozYeDu5XE6RiJM6

Save the Date for Christkindlmarkt Quad Cities! This free annual event celebrates the holiday season with a focus on German heritage. Like traditional winter markets around the world, the Quad Cities Christkindlmarkt is an indoor/outdoor artisan craft and gift market with live music, local foods, and local performances.

๐Ÿ—“๏ธ Saturday December 13th, 2025 10 am โ€“ 6 pm.
๐Ÿ“ 712 W 2nd Street Davenport, IA 52802

๐Ÿ›๏ธ The museum is free and open to the public all day long.
๐ŸŽ… ๐Ÿ‘น Special appearances by Santa and Krampus!
๐ŸŽถ Live music throughout the day.
โ„๏ธ Get Christkindlmarkt merch, try our homemade Glรผhwien or a German beer, and shop local vendors!

๐Ÿ›๏ธ Interested in being a vendor? Complete our vendor application by November 1st. https://forms.gle/3BozYeDu5XE6RiJM6
…

Open
This month is busy at the museum! Check out our upcoming events and register online here: https://events.humanitix.com/host/german-american-heritage-center-and-museum
๐Ÿ›๏ธ Darker Side of Davenport Walking Tours
๐ŸŽŸ๏ธ QC Museum Month
๐Ÿฐ Kaffee und Kuchen Lecture Series
๐ŸŽž๏ธ Darker Side of Davenport "Sitting Tour"
๐Ÿ“œ QC Archives Fair

This month is busy at the museum! Check out our upcoming events and register online here: https://events.humanitix.com/host/german-american-heritage-center-and-museum
๐Ÿ›๏ธ Darker Side of Davenport Walking Tours
๐ŸŽŸ๏ธ QC Museum Month
๐Ÿฐ Kaffee und Kuchen Lecture Series
๐ŸŽž๏ธ Darker Side of Davenport "Sitting Tour"
๐Ÿ“œ QC Archives Fair
…

Open
October 6th is #GermanAmericanDay! Today we celebrate German-American heritage. Recognized as a National Holiday by Ronald Reagan on October 6th, 1987, this holiday recognizes the first Germans who settled in Pennsylvania, establishing Germantown. 

30 years ago, William J. Clinton made Proclamation 6834, affirming Reagan's recognition of October 6th as German American day, stating; "Since the earliest days of the settlement of North America, immigrants from Germany have enriched our Nation with their industry, culture, and participation in public life."

You can learn more about German Heritage in America by visiting us! 
Tuesday-Saturday from 10pm-4pm, Sunday 12pm-4pm, we are closed Monday.

Photos from German American Heritage Center and Museum Collection.
You can find Proclamation 6834, in full, on the American Presidency Project's website.

October 6th is #GermanAmericanDay! Today we celebrate German-American heritage. Recognized as a National Holiday by Ronald Reagan on October 6th, 1987, this holiday recognizes the first Germans who settled in Pennsylvania, establishing Germantown.

30 years ago, William J. Clinton made Proclamation 6834, affirming Reagan`s recognition of October 6th as German American day, stating; "Since the earliest days of the settlement of North America, immigrants from Germany have enriched our Nation with their industry, culture, and participation in public life."

You can learn more about German Heritage in America by visiting us!
Tuesday-Saturday from 10pm-4pm, Sunday 12pm-4pm, we are closed Monday.

Photos from German American Heritage Center and Museum Collection.
You can find Proclamation 6834, in full, on the American Presidency Project`s website.
…

Open
โญ๏ธ October is #QCMuseumMonth! We're excited to offer free admission on Saturdays in October and an extra 10% off in the gift shop. Check out our exhibitions, attend an event, and see what's going on at the museum for the month of October. 

๐Ÿ“ฑ Sign Up FREE with the QC Museum Month 2025 mobile pass to track your journey, take advantage of deals, and become eligible for a giveaway prize basket at the end of the month! Learn more and sign up here: https://qcmuseumweek.com/

The mobile pass is not required to take advantage of the free admission and discounts at the GAHC+M. 

#qcthatswhere #downtowndavenport #museum #quadcities

โญ๏ธ October is #QCMuseumMonth! We`re excited to offer free admission on Saturdays in October and an extra 10% off in the gift shop. Check out our exhibitions, attend an event, and see what`s going on at the museum for the month of October.

๐Ÿ“ฑ Sign Up FREE with the QC Museum Month 2025 mobile pass to track your journey, take advantage of deals, and become eligible for a giveaway prize basket at the end of the month! Learn more and sign up here: https://qcmuseumweek.com/

The mobile pass is not required to take advantage of the free admission and discounts at the GAHC+M.

#qcthatswhere #downtowndavenport #museum #quadcities
…

Open
๐ŸŽฅ We're looking forward to a rare opportunity to see Casablanca (1942) on the big screen as we wrap up From Hitler to Hollywood: Film Series at the Last Picture House 

Join us on Wednesday, October 1st at The Last Picture House in Davenport for a viewing of this iconic film followed by a discussion in the theater. 

Set against the shadow of World War II, Casablanca is more than a timeless romantic drama: it is also a film deeply tied to the lives of those who lived its story off-screen. Directed by Michael Curtiz, himself a Hungarian รฉmigrรฉ, and brought to life by actors like Paul Henreid, Conrad Veidt, and many supporting cast members who fled Nazi Germany, the movie carries an authenticity that goes far beyond Hollywood fiction. Their own exile, displacement, and resistance to fascism mirrors the struggles of the characters they portray, giving the film an emotional tension and urgency that still resonates today. In Casablanca, the line between cinema and lived history blurred, creating not just a love story, but a document of exile, courage, and survival in the face of tyranny.

๐ŸŽŸ๏ธ Tickets are $15 and available online or at the door. We will have a 3:00 and 6:00 showing on Wednesday the 1st. https://events.humanitix.com/film-series-at-the-last-picture-house 

๐Ÿบ Try a pint of Erbe '48, a Mรคrzen brewed for us by Twin Span Brewing. A dollar from ever beer purchased goes back to the museum. 

Artwork by Bruce Walters.

๐ŸŽฅ We`re looking forward to a rare opportunity to see Casablanca (1942) on the big screen as we wrap up From Hitler to Hollywood: Film Series at the Last Picture House

Join us on Wednesday, October 1st at The Last Picture House in Davenport for a viewing of this iconic film followed by a discussion in the theater.

Set against the shadow of World War II, Casablanca is more than a timeless romantic drama: it is also a film deeply tied to the lives of those who lived its story off-screen. Directed by Michael Curtiz, himself a Hungarian รฉmigrรฉ, and brought to life by actors like Paul Henreid, Conrad Veidt, and many supporting cast members who fled Nazi Germany, the movie carries an authenticity that goes far beyond Hollywood fiction. Their own exile, displacement, and resistance to fascism mirrors the struggles of the characters they portray, giving the film an emotional tension and urgency that still resonates today. In Casablanca, the line between cinema and lived history blurred, creating not just a love story, but a document of exile, courage, and survival in the face of tyranny.

๐ŸŽŸ๏ธ Tickets are $15 and available online or at the door. We will have a 3:00 and 6:00 showing on Wednesday the 1st. https://events.humanitix.com/film-series-at-the-last-picture-house

๐Ÿบ Try a pint of Erbe `48, a Mรคrzen brewed for us by Twin Span Brewing. A dollar from ever beer purchased goes back to the museum.

Artwork by Bruce Walters.
…

Open
Check out our Fall Kaffee und Kuchen calendar for upcoming programs for October and November. Link in bio.

1:30 Coffee and Cake
2:00 Program
Free for members! RSVP online preferred, but walk-ins welcome. 

๐Ÿ•ฐ๏ธ October 12th - Wonderfully Weird Objects from the @putnammuseum Collections with Christine Chandler
๐Ÿง™โ€โ™€๏ธ October 26th - The Wicked and the Weird: Stories from the Quad Cities with John Brassard Jr. (@strangeanddreadfulthings)
๐Ÿš‚ November 9th - The Danville Station Museum and Anne Frank with Janet Hesler 
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช November 23rd - The Belgian Connection: Belgium's Influence Abroad and in the Quad Cities

#programs #history #halloween #quadcities #iowa #illinois #events #fall #autum #museum #kaffeeundkuchen #german #midwest

Check out our Fall Kaffee und Kuchen calendar for upcoming programs for October and November. Link in bio.

1:30 Coffee and Cake
2:00 Program
Free for members! RSVP online preferred, but walk-ins welcome.

๐Ÿ•ฐ๏ธ October 12th – Wonderfully Weird Objects from the @putnammuseum Collections with Christine Chandler
๐Ÿง™โ€โ™€๏ธ October 26th – The Wicked and the Weird: Stories from the Quad Cities with John Brassard Jr. (@strangeanddreadfulthings)
๐Ÿš‚ November 9th – The Danville Station Museum and Anne Frank with Janet Hesler
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช November 23rd – The Belgian Connection: Belgium`s Influence Abroad and in the Quad Cities

#programs #history #halloween #quadcities #iowa #illinois #events #fall #autum #museum #kaffeeundkuchen #german #midwest
…

VISIT US

German American Heritage Center & Museum
712 W 2nd St.
Davenport, IA 52802

HOURS

Tuesdays โ€“ Saturdays open 10 am โ€“ 4 pm
Sundays open 12 โ€“ 4 pm
Closed Mondays

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German American Heritage Center & Museum
712 W 2nd St.
Davenport, IA 52802
Tuesdays โ€“ Saturdays open 10 am โ€“ 4 pm
Sundays open 12 โ€“ 4 pm
Closed Mondays

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