If you’ve driven or walked past Dubuque’s Washington Park in the days leading up to Christmas, you’ve probably noticed the life-sized nativity scene set up along Locust Street. between 6th and 7th Streets. The nativity has been a treasured Dubuque Christmas tradition since 1941, according to Auleen Eberhardt who was involved with the nativity in its very beginning.
The first “Christmas Crib” was displayed in a store front window of the lower Main St. Frommelt Awning Co. During WWII, the nativity display was erected near a massive Christmas tree that served as a memorial to Dubuque servicemen and women. Edward Graham, then president of Dubuque’s Downtown Association, encouraged the Catholic Mothers Study Clubs to purchase life-sized statues to enhance the nativity display.
In 1977, the twenty-two-year-old Dubuque Community Christmas Crib statues were in bad shape and were replaced with “brand-spanking new plastic figures.” A successful fund drive by the Dubuque Community Christmas Crib Committee and the Catholic Mothers Study Clubs raised more than $1,500 for the purchase of new nativity figures.
Back in 1988 there were questions about the constitutionality of Dubuque’s nativity holiday tradition. Folks were worried that a Supreme Court ruling on the separation of church and state might call for evicting the nativity from Washington Park. Eberhardt said, “That park has always been a haven for protests and rallies. Therefore, this is my rally for the Christ child. I believe this park is open to all…and I can’t see why there should be any reason to complain about our crib there.” A 1989 Supreme Court decision allowed local city legal experts to determine that the nativity was allowed on public property because it was not government sponsored and because other religious traditions could be allowed to erect similar displays in the park.
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