MUSCATINE, Iowa – Sandy Stevens wants people to know the many stories that make up the rich history of the Fairport Fish Hatchery.
“People will soon have a great opportunity to learn the history of the hatchery … and its impact on the U.S. economy in the early days,” said Mr. Stevens, an archeologist and president of the Friends of the Fairport Fish Hatchery, a group dedicated to preserving the history of the hatchery. The group also works to inform the public of the adverse effects of pollution and overexploitation on the mussel population and water quality.
Those educational efforts will soon get some big help with the construction of a new Education Pavilion building at the 60-acre Fairport Fish Hatchery, which is located at 3390 Iowa Highway 22, about eight miles from downtown Muscatine.
That education center, now under construction, could be completed in October and open for visitors before this winter, Mr. Stevens said Thursday morning, Aug. 29, during an event announcing the project.
“There’s a lot of stories to be told here. … This is a great place to stop, take a break and learn some history,” he added while giving local media members a private tour of the hatchery and the new Education Pavilion building.
Here’s a look at some of the building’s details:
- The design of the pavilion will pay tribute to the 1910 pump house that was located on the hatchery property. (It was demolished in 2021.) The new building will be partially built with sandstone blocks salvaged from the old pump house.
- The project will cost about $140,000. Much of that cost – about $90,000 – is for the construction of the building, and the rest is for the interior. The Friends group has raised the money for the center through grants, public and private donations, and in-kind services. The building will boast about 320 square feet of space.
- The building is still a work in progress. In fact, a cement truck was scheduled to arrive at the building site Thursday afternoon, and a roof is expected to be placed on the building around Sept. 16, said Jim Elias, a member of the Friends of the Fairport Fish Hatchery.
- The education center will be a main feature of the interpretive trail system created by the Friends at the hatchery.
- Once construction is done, the pavilion will house 12 panels showing some of the history of hatchery, two display cases filled with artifacts, and a timeline panel showcasing some of the historic events at Fairport. Some of that history includes: The hatchery is a warm-water extensive culture station located on the Mississippi River along Iowa Highway 22. It has 20 ponds and nearly 18 acres of water are used to hatch and raise warm-water angling favorites like walleye and bluegill. Adult walleye are captured each year from various areas of the Mississippi River for spawning activities and quickly released after eggs and milt are collected. Adult bluegill are held year-round at the facility and stocked directly into ponds to spawn. Fingerlings are raised in the ponds until they are roughly one to two inches long and then stocked in Iowa’s interior rivers, lakes and ponds. The hatchery was originally established in 1908 with construction culminating in a 1914 grand opening attended by more than 5,000 people. The hatchery is owned and operated by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
- The future panels and display cases are currently on display in the Lucille A. Carver Mississippi Riverside Environmental Research Station building at the hatchery.
- But not all of the history centers around fish. For instance, some of the artifacts that will be on display are from the time when part of the hatchery was used as a German prisoner of war camp during World War II. Two of those artifacts – a violin and a carved wooden box – were made by a prisoner at that camp. Other artifacts that will be displayed include pottery, bottles and other items found at the hatchery site.
- The Fairport Fish Hatchery Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places last October.
The education building displays also will explore the hatchery’s role in the local economy. Much of Muscatine’s economy was driven by the freshwater pearl button industry in the late 1800s and early 1900s. At one time, there were more than 60 button companies or shell blank companies located in or near the city.
However, in the early 1900s, button manufacturers realized the mussel beds near Muscatine and elsewhere were being depleted.
The hatchery was established in 1908 and started out as a freshwater mussel research and propagation station to contribute to the local pearl button industry.
Mr. Stevens said he has a unique view of this history. That’s because his great-grandfather and grandfather each owned button factories in that era. Soon, the new education center will be able to tell some of that history.
“We hope people will stop by and learn some of our history,” added Mr. Stevens.
