Several Exciting Events Planned for October as Museum Tour Season Comes to a Close

PLATTEVILLE, Wis., October 21, 2021 — The 2021 tour season at The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums will come to a close on October 31. Don't miss your opportunity to tour the 1845 Bevans Lead-Zinc Mine, ride in a 1931 mine train (weather permitting), and explore the refreshed exhibits on the nature, culture, and history of the region. “There’s Nothing New Under the Sun” and “A Tale of Three Minerals” are among the new exhibits that celebrate the museum’s milestone anniversary year — the 50th of the completion of the Mining Museum, the 45th of the opening of the Bevans Mine, and the 40th of the Rollo Jamison Museums The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through October 31st! For information or to reserve a tour time visit www.mining.jamison.museum/tours.

The museum is hosting two fun Halloween events. Visit on Saturday, October 30 between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. for a free train ride as part of Sweets Treats on Main sponsored by the Platteville Main Street Program. City Manager Adam Ruechel himself will drive the museum’s 1931 Whitcomb Mine Train to give children and families a free train ride as a “treat.” Children are invited to visit a craft table before or after their train ride to create a Halloween paper lantern.

Our region is replete with 19th-century ghost stories, many of them passed down by the rowdy, tough, dangerous men whose job it was to mine lead – immigrants from Ireland, Wales, and Cornwall, from Germany and the American South. What more fitting place to experience the spine-tingling chills of ghost stories than 45 feet underground in a real 1845 lead mine at The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums? The Museums continue the annual tradition of Haunted Mine Tours on Saturday, October 30th, from 5-9 p.m. These tours often sell out, so reserve your spot today at www.mining.jamison.museum/programs. 

On October 31, the last day of the 2021 tour season, we are offering a Fall Community Free Day for Platteville residents. The Museum is offering this community free day to thank the citizens of Platteville for their continued support and to commemorate three milestone anniversaries — the 50th of the completion of the Mining Museum, the 45th of the opening of the Bevans Mine, and the 40th of the Rollo Jamison Museums! On this special day, Platteville residents are eligible for free museum admission, including a Guided Mine Tour and Train Ride (weather Permitting). Reservations are required and museum staff will confirm Platteville residency. Register now at www.mining.jamison.museum/programs.

The Museum continues to offer both in-person and virtual programming year-round. Follow The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums on Facebook @MiningJamisonMuseum. For more information on current and upcoming programs visit our website at www.mining.jamison.museum, call (608) 348-3301, or email Museums@platteville.org. 

The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums are located on Main Street in Platteville, Wisconsin, in the heart of the historic Upper Mississippi Valley lead-zinc mining region. Founded in 1964, the museum is a nearly three-acre campus with scenic greenspace, an underground 1845 Bevans Mine, and a 1930s-era narrow-gauge mine railroad pulled by a 1931 Whitcomb locomotive. The mission of the Museums is to continue in the pursuit of excellence in the areas of regional and mining history. To achieve that purpose, the Museums are commissioned to be custodians of the past; to interpret the rich lead and zinc mining heritage of the region, as well as to preserve, interpret, and display the artifacts that define Southwest Wisconsin. The Museums open daily from May to October, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.