The National Pearl Button Museum @ The History and Industry Center — Attraction in Muscatine

We were pleasantly surprised at the quality and breath of the museum. We made the side trip to the national Pearl Button Museum based on the reviews and were not disappointed. It is much more than just a museum of pearl buttons. It is an historical museum of the Midwest in the early 20th century. They have an amazing Collection of photographs, movies, equipment, and artifacts of the era. What made her visit so special is that we went on the tour with Vada as our guide. She was fun, knowledgeable, entertaining and enthusiastic. We would not of had nearly the experience without going on the tour with Vada. it is well...

Stopped here after seeing several buildings labelled as Button Factory. Saw a sign for National Pearl Button Museum so had to stop and find out what this was all about. We had Mary guide us around. Well worth having a guide! She took us through the beginnings of the industry all thru the end of it and the changes towards plastic. Fascinating. Never knew there were so many fresh water mussels here, not to mention how big some of them were. Great information, and displays are well done. Be sure to also go upstairs and see a bit of the current industry of the area. What a gem to discover this unique and important...

Okay - so, personally, I wouldn't give this five stars, since I'm not into the history of buttons, but I'm willing to bet that this is the best and most comprehensive museum on the history of pearl/shell button making in the entire world. It was an interesting little stop on our trip, and the person manning the information desk was really knowledgeable and very enthusiastic. It's a good place to stop for info on the general history of Muscatine as well. It was probably at least 4 stars, even without being that interested in the...