Must-See, Quirky Sites in Dubuque

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Ride the shortest and steepest railroad in the world and enjoy great views of the Mississippi River, historic Dubuque, and three states at the top! The Fenelon Place Elevator is a one hundred and eighty-nine foot tall cable car system on railroad tracks that carries passengers from Fourth Street to Fenelon Place. The elevator was commissioned by J.K. Graves in 1882. Graves worked at a bank atop a steep hill on Fenelon Place, but could not enjoy the town’s traditional hour and a half lunch break because his ride home took half an hour each way by horse and buggy. The Fenelon Elevator solved his inconvenience and has been an affordable tourist attraction and time-saver ever since.

Visit Saint Luke’s Church to take a stained glass tour and see ninety-five stained glass window scenes and motifs designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, a world-famous artist in stained glass. Tiffany stained glass windows are special because they require opalescent, subtly dyed glasses rather than painted, transparent glass. Saint Luke’s Good Shepherd window was created for the Colombian Exposition of 1893, and Tiffany is said to have considered it his finest piece. The Angel Among the Lilies Window is also breathtakingly beautiful, and a must-see for fans of Art Nouveau.

See an 1856 Shot Tower where lead bullets for muskets were produced. The Shot Tower resembles a watch tower, and was later used as one. To make rounded bullets of relatively uniform size, molten lead was poured through a grate at the top of the tower, allowed to fall until it formed a circular droplet, and cooled in a pool of water in the ground. The tower can be viewed along the Mississippi Riverfront.

Washington Park encompasses an entire city block and features a beautiful gazebo centerpiece and many landscaped paths. Walking the paths involves visitors in an 1880’s prank: a statue buried under a sidewalk by teenagers. One year after the park’s creation in 1877, Dr. Henry Cogswell promised to donate a statue for the top of a water fountain in the park. The city was enthusiastic about the idea of a statue honoring the town heroine who had warned a train conductor of a washed out bridge to prevent its derailment. However, the statue Cogswell topped the fountain with was of himself! Vandals buried the statue under a path the night before a sidewalk was lain, and it still lies buried there today.

Enjoy these sites and more during your visit to beautiful, historic Dubuque!

Image courtesy of koratmember / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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