Thursday, January 18, 2018

Ames Historical Society 2018 Lecture Series

The Ames Historical Society begins its annual lecture series Tuesday, February 20, 2018 and continues through June.  See all the topics below.

The Long Years: Iowa Agricultural College, Faculty Unrest, and Student Rebellion, 1883-1890

Ames Public Library Auditorium
Free and open to the public

Presented by Douglas Biggs, Professor of History, University of Nebraska-Kearney
The 1880s were long years at Iowa Agricultural College.  The small school of barely 300 students, isolated on the prairie two miles west of Ames, saw four presidents in the seven years from 1883-1890.  The turnover was a sign of deep divisions over curriculum and the perception that the college was straying from its intended purpose of agricultural education. The students were divided and openly rebellious over issues of student conduct, required chapel attendance and the introduction of the Greek system.  By 1890, some important agricultural interests in the state wondered if the idea of an agricultural college was even worth continuing.  Biggs will discuss the controversies during these unquiet times.
The 2018 Lecture Series is presented in partnership with Ames Public Library.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018 - 7:00pm
 

History, It's About the People: The Women of Cranford

Ames Public Library Auditorium
Free and open to the public

Presented by Marilyn Gibbs Alger, current co-owner with her brother, Monte Gibbs
Cranford Apartments in Campustown were founded by a small group of Iowa State faculty women just two years after women won the right to vote. Seeing the need for housing for single faculty women, they pooled their resources and hired a female architect. In the fall of 1922, the Faculty Women’s Housing Company - Cranford Apartments - was open for business and occupancy at 103 Stanton. The building still houses thirty apartments and two business establishments. Our speaker has been researching Cranford for three years and will share some of its history and stories of the remarkable Women of Cranford.
The 2018 Lecture Series is presented in partnership with Ames Public Library.

Tuesday, March 27, 2018 - 7:00pm
 

Iowa in the 1980s: Teen Edition

Ames Public Library Auditorium
Free and open to the public

Presented by Pamela Riney-Kehrberg, professor of history, Iowa State University
When seeking information about the past, some researchers have learned that school yearbooks can provide invaluable information. Prof. Riney-Kehrberg was interested in the effect in Iowa of the 1980s Farm Crisis and the decade of economic downturn – specifically – how did Iowa’s teens see it?  In this talk, she will explore the teen experience of the 1980s and the way in which high school yearbooks can be used to research the history of Iowa’s young people. Examples from the Ames High Spirit will be presented.
The 2018 Lecture Series is presented in partnership with Ames Public Library.

Wednesday, April 25, 2018 - 7:00pm
 

Peopling Iowa: First Generation Immigrants in Story County

Ames Public Library Auditorium
Free and open to the public

Presented by Mark Barron, Iowa State University public historian
The story of immigration is an integral part of Iowa's history.  Based on the work of Iowa State University history students, Public Historian Mark Barron will discuss how first generation immigrant groups arrived into Story County, where they settled, and how they helped transform the landscape of Central Iowa. Please join us as we explore the history of Story County's first European settlers.
The 2018 Lecture Series is presented in partnership with Ames Public Library.

Wednesday, May 23, 2018 - 7:00pm
 

The Manhattan Project's Secret Weapon: Dr. Wilhelm

Ames Public Library Auditorium
Free and open to the public

Presented by Teresa Wilhelm Waldof, author of The Boy from Pumptown: The Story of the Scientist Who Solved the Manhattan Project's Uranium Problem
Once the United States declared war against Japan and Germany after the December 1941 Pearl Harbor attacks, one thing became abundantly clear: the atomic bomb project would need to move forward at a breakneck pace. For the project to succeed, millions of pounds of purified uranium were needed, but the metal did not exist in those quantities. Since uranium’s discovery more than 150 years earlier, no one had successfully purified it. Dr. Harley Wilhelm, a chemist at Iowa State, was recruited to work on this problem. In September 1942, Wilhelm went to Chicago carrying a secret cargo: the world’s first ingot of purified uranium. The man who grew up as a southern Iowa sharecropper’s son was an unlikely character to change world history. His life, from country “bumpkin” to prolific inventor and Manhattan Project scientist, is an untold story, one which enabled the United States to win the war.
The 2018 Lecture Series is presented in partnership with Ames Public Library.

Tuesday, June 26, 2018 - 7:00pm
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Story City Historical Society‎ Winter Soup & Chili Supper and Presentation




Stop by the Carriage House Museum on Thursday January 25th for the Historical Society's Winter Dinner and Presentation. A free-will donation soup and chili dinner will be provided, including spicy and mild chili, broccoli & cheese soup, oyster soup, chicken noodle, vegetable beef, Norwegian flat bread, hot cocoa and desserts.

Following the meal will be a presentation of 8mm films from 1949 showing views of Story City, including a 4th of July celebration, views of downtown, and a high school football game
.
Dinner will be served from 5:30-6:30pm
Welcome and announcements 6:30pm
Presentation 6:40pm