Basket Weaving Workshop

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

Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. 81 years ago, Soviet soldiers liberated the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, where over one million people were murdered.

On this day, we honor the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, along with countless others who suffered under Nazi persecution. We remember their lives, their stories, and their humanity.

Holocaust Remembrance Day calls on us to confront hatred in all its forms and to recognize the patterns that lead to genocide. Remembering is not only about the past, it’s about shaping a more just and compassionate future.

This February, we are partnering with the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities and several other community partners to bring Violins of Hope to Iowa.

Violins of Hope is an international collection of historic string instruments connected to Jewish musicians and the Holocaust. Many of these instruments were played in ghettos, concentration camps, and in hiding. Lovingly restored by the Weinstein family, the instruments now travel the world sharing stories of resilience, hope and the enduring power of music. The instruments were restored to be played as part of a living exhibition to honor those who were lost while celebrating the strength of those who endured.

One of several instruments that will be on display at the GAHC+M is the “Auschwitz Violin.” Made in the workshop of Schweitzer in Germany, around 1850, this instrument was originally owned by an inmate who played in the men’s orchestra at the concentration camp in Auschwitz and survived.

Many years later, this violin was donated to Violins of Hope to be fully restored and come back to life. Since then, this violin, now restored to perfect condition, has been played in concerts by the best musicians all over the world. …

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🚜 We are excited to reveal a project that has recently been completed in our permanent exhibition space!

🌾 We have new signage, updated stories, and new artifacts installed in one of our exhibition displays highlighting the agriculture and business contributions brought here by German immigrants. This case has seen minimal changes since it`s original installation in 2009, and it was in desperate need of updating.

🪣 One of our new artifacts is a neck yoke belonging to George Nihart. He grew up in Muscatine after immigrating from Germany around 1884, when he was 2 years old. He used this tool to carry water from the slough to his home for his family. This was once a normal part of daily life, especially for families in rural areas before running water was a commonality. We are honored to preserve stories like these through artifacts and objects belonging to local immigrant families.

✅ Thank you to Edwards Creative for working with us on the design and installation. The content is now easier to read, more accessible to a wider audience, and more visually appealing to visitors. Thank you to @silosandsmokestacks for partially funding this project and for all their hard work preserving the story of agriculture in Iowa. …

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🎶 Our newest exhibition, "Play On! German Influence on QC Music History" is now on display in the 3rd floor gallery. We highlight some of the major names in local music history like Johann Strasser and Ernst Otto, as well as some artifacts and stories on loan from the @bixmuseum.

🍰 Check out our new exhibition and learn about Blues history this Sunday for our Kaffee und Kuchen program with musician Chris Stevens. Programs are included in regular museum admission rates. RSVP is recommended but walk ins are welcome. Link in bio. …

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In 2026, we celebrate the semiquincentennial (250) of the United States! Follow along as we highlight influential German immigrants throughout the history of the United States.

Our first individual is "Molly Pitcher." Mary Ludwig Hays was born in 1754 in New Jersey to German immigrants Maria Margaretha and Johann George Ludwig.

🪣 During the Revolutionary War, she joined her husband at the Battle of Monmouth in 1778. She brought water to cool the canons and helped parched soldiers in their fight against the British. After her husband was wounded, she took over his canon and continued to fire it. Her nickname is said to have arisen from the troops calling for aid – “Molly, pitcher!” She was commended by George Washington and was the first woman to be awarded a military pension from the US Congress.

Molly was a common nickname for Mary in the Revolutionary time period. Historians are not 100% sure that it was Mary Hays, but there are several accounts of women helping the revolution. The name "Molly Pitcher" is considered a collective generic term, serving as a common label for the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of women who served not only as ammunition wives, manning and firing the guns, but also in the army and colonial militia.

Mary Hays passed away on this day, January 22, 1832. She is commemorated by markers in several places, including Monmouth Battle Monument in Freehold, New Jersey, and on her grave in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

📷 Image from the Library of Congress. …

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➡️ COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE
FREE ADMISSION

January 16-18, 2026
Friday & Saturday open 10 am – 4 pm
Sunday open 12-4 pm

Join us for our annual Community Open House and visit our exhibitions free of charge. Including our permanent exhibition, The German Immigrant Experience, interactive children`s space, and rotating exhibition, Play On! German Immigrants and the Quad Cities` Musical Legacy.

🛍️ Stop by for special deals on new memberships and a raffle with a purchase in the gift shop.

🧝👺 Visit us on Sunday 1/18 for a special `Perchten Faire` celebration from 2-5 pm. "Perchten" is an ancient pagan festival, meant to drive out the `devils of winter` in early December with a `Perchtenlauf` or parade of these devil like creatures through the centre of villages.

Originating in central Europe and carried down across the centuries, it`s a tradition strongly associated with the Alpine regions and the midwinter need to drive out bad souls.

Join us on the 4th floor for folk stories, poetry readings, a barter and trade corner market, porridge tastings, and more. Costumes or masks encouraged. German beer available for purchase. 21+. …

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Frohe Weihnachten und ein gutes neues Jahr!

This photo shows a family around the Christmas Tree in their home in 1910. It was donated to us by Collene Root, 2009.070.4A.

What holiday traditions have your family preserved through the generations? Have you started your own traditions? …

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Ever wonder how we install the largest advent calendar in the Midwest?

This is our 10th year of lighting up the building in December with designs made by the 7th grade students at the @creativeartsacademyqc. Each day we unveil a new design with a countdown to Christmas! Drive by in the evening to see all the designs lit up until January 6th.

Thank you @germanyinmidwest and @edscreative for their partnership and support!
#museum #german #asmr #iowa …

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🎄 We will be CLOSED from December 24th-January 1st for a staff break and to enjoy the holidays. Thank you for making 2025 a wonderful and exciting year here at the GAHC+M.

🛍️ The last day to shop this holiday season is tomorrow, Tuesday December 23rd. Get last-minute sweets, ornaments, smokers, nutcrackers and check out our museum exhibitions.

🥒 It is also the last day to pick up your prize pickle here for the Downtown Davenport holiday pickle hunt! If you are unable to make it here, the Main branch of the Davenport Library has more, while supplies last.

🎆 Frohe Weihnachten und ein gutes neues Jahr! …

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