Don’t miss Dr. Leigh Campbell-Hale discussing how oral histories (including some stored at the Lafayette Public Library!) played a key role in researching and writing her new book “Remembering Ludlow but Forgetting the Columbine.”
The book, and the exhibit based on it at the Lafayette History Museum, explore themes of workers’ rights, civil rights, justice, and power.
Place names, or toponyms, mark and define our landscapes. In Boulder, city park names reflect the history of the city and its peoples. Moreover, they present a certain image of the city and its values.
In looking at the history of these places and who or what they are named after, we can learn more about the park and the cities they are in. The histories of places like Barker, Eben G. Fine, Fitzgerald, and Martin Parks reveal the histories of some of Boulder’s earliest settlers and leaders, and asks all of us, what is in a name?
Presented by Kim Jackson. Jackson is a PhD candidate in history at the University Colorado, Boulder. She is studying 20th century American environmental history. She has been involved with the Boulder Parks Naming Project since its inception.
Do you have an object you’ve inherited or thrifted, but aren’t sure how to take care of it or if you should even hang onto it? Bring it to our Know Your Antiques event to ask our experts! We’ll have evaluators present to review ceramics, jewelry and watches, quilts, stringed instruments, Asian art, and more.
Fees
Museum members: $5 per item or $12 for three items
Non-members: $10 per item or $25 for three items
The day will also include free presentations from many of the experts. Full schedule of presentations to come.
*No official monetary appraisal will be given for any object
The Lafayette History Museum’s newest exhibit, Radical Lafayette: The Colorado Coal Strike of 1927-1928, explores an era when the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW, or “Wobblies”) fanned the flames of discontent. All eyes were on Lafayette as the town became the center of the Wobblies’ radical and militant workers’ rights movement. The exhibit features the roles played by women and the KKK.
During the 1927-28 Colorado Coal Strike, protestors—about half of them Latino—regularly marched through the company town of Serene, where the Columbine Mine had continued operating. But on November 21, 1927, the gates to the mine were locked, and when the crowd refused to disperse, state police opened fire, killing six and injuring dozens. No charges were ever brought against the police, predominantly Klansmen whom Colorado Governor Billy Adams had recently designated ‘strike police.
Women were an important part of the union movement. They led marches, organized protests, and spoke at union meetings. Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, one of the women who helped launch the 1927-28 strike, earned the nickname Rebel Girl, a moniker later adopted by the choir of young girls who sang at every union meeting.
Always free. Wednesday through Friday 10 am to 2 pm, Saturdays 8 am to noon.
Join us for our next Library Program! The Lafayette Public Library’s Archives hold fascinating glimpses of Lafayette history and its residents. Join local history librarian Sherlene Searight for an overview of the print and digital resources you may use to explore local history and genealogy.