The Dubuque Freight House is a historic building located in

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Il ...

, United States. Built by the Chicago, Burlington and Northern Railroad (CB&N) in 1901, this was the third and last freight house built by a railroad in the Ice Harbor area. with The other two facilities were built by the

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also co ...

(1872) and the

Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986. The company experienced ...

(1874). These other two railroads were older, larger, and monopolized the bridge and tunnel that crossed the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

. The CB&N was fortunate that their freight house was located along the water's edge in that the river boats could tie up next to the building and load and unload cargo, and the railroad put box cars on ferries that docked in the Ice Harbor. The Dubuque Boat and Boiler Works were headquartered on the west end of the facility for 20 years beginning in 1952. Founded in 1852 as the Iowa Iron Works, they provided engines, boilers and other equipment for river boats, and water craft for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

, and the

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

. The building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1979. It is now a part of the

National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium is a museum located in Dubuque, Iowa, USA. The museum is a property of the Dubuque County Historical Society, which also operates the Mathias Ham Historic Site. The museum has two buildings on it ...

References

Railway stations in the United States opened in 1901 Buildings and structures in Dubuque, Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Dubuque, Iowa Railway freight houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Transportation buildings and structures in Dubuque County, Iowa {{Iowa-struct-stub