National Historic Landmark · prison · Dubuque, Iowa

Dubuque County Jail

Building in Dubuque, Iowa. Added to the National Register in 1972, and a National Historic Landmark.

Open to visit National Historic Landmark Listed 1972 John F. Rague

Photos via Wikimedia Commons · 3 in the Commons category

What it is

The Dubuque County Jail is a historic building at 36 East 8th Street in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. Completed in 1858, the jail is an example of the uncommon Egyptian Revival style. It is architecturally a highly original work of John F. Rague, who also designed the 1837 Old Capitol of Illinois and the 1840 Territorial Capitol of Iowa. The building was designated a National Historic Landmark for its architecture in 1987. It served as a jail for more than a century, became a museum in 1975, and was converted into county offices in 2016.

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The record

Property type	Building
Address	36 E. 8th St., Dubuque, IA
County	Dubuque County
Listed	Jun 27, 1972
Listed for	Architecture, Social history
Level of significance	National
Reference number	72000473
Architect	John F. Rague
Type of place	prison
Designations	National Historic Landmark
Contributing resources	1 building
Standing	Yes

The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗

Visiting

Address	36 E. 8th St., Dubuque, IA
Coordinates	42.5013° N, 90.6646° W · Directions ↗
Also in Dubuque	69 listed places in Dubuque →
Nearest national park unit	Effigy Mounds National Monument · 48 miles · on Park Atlas
Federal campgrounds nearby	Grant River 11 miles · Blanding Landing 20 miles

This one you can go inside. Hours and admission change with the season; the website above has the current schedule.

At a glance

State: Iowa
County: Dubuque County
Listed: 1972
Type: Building
Landmark: Yes
Architect: John F. Rague

Cell signal

Verizon: 5G (fast)
AT&T: 5G (fast)
T-Mobile: 5G (fast)

Outdoor coverage as modeled by carriers in FCC filings as of 2025-12-31. This product uses FCC APIs and/or Data but is not endorsed or certified by the FCC.

Official links

Sister site

Park Atlas

Every unit of the National Park System, with its fees, hours, alerts and campgrounds.

Open Park Atlas →

This record is built from National Park Service sources, re-read every Saturday, and Wikidata, re-read on the first Saturday of each month. Register Atlas is independent and is not affiliated with any agency, and a listing does not mean a place is open to visitors. How the data is built →

Explore

Drawings & photographs

5. GENERAL VIEW FROM NORTHWEST, DUBUQUE CITY HALL IN BACKGROUND

Dubuque County Jail, 36 East Eighth Street, Dubuque, Dubuque County, I

1. GENERAL VIEW OF NORTH FRONT AND WEST FACADE

2. NORTH ELEVATION

3. WEST ELEVATION

4. WEST FACADE, DETAIL OF TYPICAL WINDOW

6. DETAIL OF NORTH (FRONT) ENTRANCE

7. GENERAL INTERIOR VIEW OF THREE-TIERED PRISON BLOCK

Measured drawings and photographs from the Library of Congress. Public domain. All 8 records ↗

Map

Nearby in Dubuque County

All listings in Dubuque County →

Building · under 0.1 km

Dubuque County Courthouse

Dubuque YMCA Building

Local history books for Dubuque

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Hidden History of Dubuque
Susan Miller Hellert, 2016
Find at Bookshop.org
Dubuque during the California gold rush
Robert F. Klein, 2011
Find at Bookshop.org
The Dubuque Shot Tower
John Adelmann, 2011
Find at Bookshop.org
Dubuque
James L. Shaffer and John T. Tigges, 2000
Find at Bookshop.org

Guidebooks to historic places and travel in Iowa

Archaeological Guide to Iowa
William E. Whittaker and Lynn M. Alex, 2015
Find at Bookshop.org
WPA Guide to Iowa
Federal writers' project, 2013
Find at Bookshop.org
Grant Wood's Iowa
Wende Elliott and William Rose, 2013
Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

When was Dubuque County Jail listed on the National Register?

Jun 27, 1972. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.

Source: National Park Service

Who designed Dubuque County Jail?

John F. Rague.

Source: Wikidata

Can I visit Dubuque County Jail?

Yes. Dubuque County Jail is recorded as open to the public.

Source: Wikidata

Where is Dubuque County Jail?

36 E. 8th St., Dubuque, Dubuque County, Iowa. The nearest national park unit is Effigy Mounds National Monument, 48 miles away.

Source: Effigy Mounds National Monument

Are there historic photographs or drawings of Dubuque County Jail?

Yes. The Historic American Buildings Survey at the Library of Congress has drawings or photographs of it.

Source: Library of Congress

Where is the nomination form for Dubuque County Jail?

The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.

Source: National Archives

Are there campgrounds near Dubuque County Jail?

Two federal campgrounds are within reach. The closest is Grant River, 11 miles away. Blanding Landing is 20 miles away.

Source: Campsite Atlas

Is there cell service at Dubuque County Jail?

FCC coverage maps show Verizon 5G, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G at the listed point. Coverage indoors and behind old masonry is another matter.

Source: FCC Broadband Map

Sources

Location, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Listing dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet where it carries the listing. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 72000473. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA. Drawings and photographs are Historic American Buildings Survey records at the Library of Congress, public domain.