Hello. You have just entered My Ushers Ferry Notebook. Now I know you may be sitting there wondering, what is Ushers Ferry?! Ushers Ferry is a historical village. It shows how Iowans lived during the turn of the century, (1890-1910) in a railroad town. Yes, there was actually a man named Usher who ran a ferry buisness. I'll get to that later. Ushers Ferry is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It is open June-Agust Thursday thru Sunday 1-4, & September-October Saturday-Sunday 1-4. There are also Special Event Weekends, which demonstrate events that happend in the past. Two of our most popular events are Buckskinners Rendezvous, and Civil War Weekend. If you would like to know where exactly it is located so that you can visit, email me.
Who is Usher? His whole name is Dyer Usher. He first came to Iowa alone with nothing but a bag of salt and a gun. He swam across the Mississippi to visit a Mesquakie settlement near Dubuque and walked from Omaha and back. He is said to be the first man to come to Iowa. His family later came to join him. Dyer owned and operated a ferry across the Cedar River. In the winter of 1867 Henry cut his "saltbox" house in two pieces and with horses moved it across the river. Later the house was threatened with demolition. It was brought back over and put on a piece of city owned land located on a portion of Henry Usher's original claim. That is how Ushers Ferry got its name. Now Ushers Ferry has over 30 buildings and is still growing.
This year there will be a special treat. The youth volunteers are going to be putting on a play at the Old Country Fair. So come out and watch us make complete fools of ourselves.
For those of you who know me, I do volunteer out there. We have a lot of fun, and learn a lot. We could use a few more people to come out and volunteer, so if you are interested please e-mail me.
1999 Special Events Calender
May 22-23 Antique Engine Show (Hours 10-5)
June 6 Railroaders Reunion (Hours 11-5)
June 19 Grand Celebration of Brass Bands (Hours 11-6)
July 17-18 Civil War Weekend (Hours 10-5 Sat., 10-4 Sun.)
August 14-15 Wild West Weekend (Hours 11-5)
August 28-29 Old Time Country Fair (Hours 12-4)
September 18-19 Fall Art & Craft Weekend (Hours 10-5 Sat., 10-4 Sun.)
October 2-3 Buckskinners Rendezvous (Hours 11-5 Sat., 11-4 Sun.)
October 16 All Things Scottish: Celticfest (Hours 11-6)
October 24 Safe Halloween for Kids (Hours 12-4)
December 4-5 Old Fashion Christmas (Hours 11-5)
Midwest Open Air Museums Coordinating Council MOMCC
