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"This award provides the stimulus for a major new thrust for the Ham House, which is to tell the story of life at the lead mines," said Jerry Enzler, executive director of the Dubuque County Historical Society, which manages the Ham House.

Lead Mines Living History will explore the role Dubuque and its miners played in the first mining rush in the United States.

"Dubuque was at the center of a nationally significant lead mining phenomenon," he said. "People came from all over the country to mine lead here, and this grant provides the means to tell that dramatic story on the grounds of the Ham House."

In addition to the living history program, the funding will aid creation of an interactive Web site, cable access television programming and lead mining curricula to help schools fulfill local history requirements.

The award comes from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. It is the maximum grant available.

The Dubuque proposal is the only one in Iowa to receive an award from the institute this year, Enzler said.

The grant will be matched by donations and by two smaller grants, one from Humanities Iowa and another from the Iowa Historic Resource Development Program of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.