Nevada - Mystery Dinner - February 26 and March 5, 2011

The Nevada Historical Society is taking reservations for "The Watersdown Affair" presented on February 26 and March 5th.  The Society is taking reservations for eight actors and additional "observers" for the two performances.

Held at the Dyer-Dowell Victorian House, the mystery allows actors and observers to enjoy hor d'oeuvres and dinner while participating in the mystery and solving it.   Reservations by calling 382-6703 or 382-4876.

Ames Historical Society Displays at Ames Public Library

The Ames Historical Society has a display area in the Ames Public Library where it highlights some of its materials and topics.  For example, the current display shows 19th century autograph books.

The display case is located between the non-fiction books stacks and the Iowa Collection.  Stop in and see their displays!

Slater - Annual Meeting and Luncheon February 16, 2011

The Slater Area Historical Association is having its Annual Meeting and Luncheon on Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at the Heritage Hall.  Luncheon is from noon to 1:00 pm followed by the meeting at 1:15.  The public is invited. (Click on the picture to the left for more details.)

Future events include the Spring 2011 reception for the Slater Panorama and the Summer 2011 In the Good Ol' Summertime Exhibit.

Ames Historical Society Lecture Series 2011

The Ames Historical Society 2011 Lecture Series will begin Tuesday, January 25 with The Life and Legacy of Jack Trice presented by Dorothy Schwieder.  All four of the lectures in the series will be at 7 pm on the last Tuesday of the month.  Location:  Ames City Auditorium, 520 Sixth Street, Ames.  A $2 donation is requested at the door.

For information about the other lectures, click on the picture to the left for more details and click it again to see a larger version or go to the Ames Historical Society website.

Story County Historical Alliance Meets with County Supervisors

Once a year the members of the Story County Historical Alliance meet with the Story County Supervisors to describe the accomplishments of our groups.  The Ames Historical Society hosted this years meeting on Tuesday, November 23, 2010.  Thank you to Supervisors Jane Halliburton, who is retiring as Supervisor after 24 years, Wayne Clinton, and Paul Toot, the newest Supervisor, for their interest and support.

Among the highlights of the last year were:

• The Roland Historical Society has digitized the Roland Record (1895 to 1975) so it can be searched and browsed online.
• The Slater Area Historical Association Hall of Heroes room showcases 200 5" X 7" photos of service personnel.
• The Gilbert Historical Society held Gilbert Stories Night (40s and 50s) and a Reunion of Gilbert Girls Basketball (6 on 6) for people to share memories
• The Ames Historical Society will mark its 30th anniversary with Ames Reads (and Remembers) Farwell Brown.
• The Ames Historical Society has received an Historical Resource Development Program grant from the State Historical Society of Iowa for digitization of their World War II information.
• The Ames Historical Society will have their 6th Winter Lecture Series on the last Tuesdays of January through April.
• The Story City Historical Society will become an official site of the Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area.
• The Story City Historical Society hosted the Abraham Lincoln traveling exhibit in May.
• The Cambridge Historical Association working with the American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary has identified veterans in the Cambridge Cemetery for the Memorial Day services. 
• The Cambridge Historical Association has created a separate website listing current Cambridge events.
• The Maxwell Community Historical Society has worked with a school class in researching Maxwell artifacts.
• Several members of the Maxwell Community Historical Society were on the Honor Flights to Washington, DC.

 In addition to these accomplishments by the groups, the groups have worked together to promote Story County's history through projects such as the Take a Historic Drive Through Story County Iowa map and the Story County Historical Alliance website.

Ames Reads (and Remembers) Farwell Brown - December 18, 2010

The Ames Historical Society and the Ames Public Library are sponsoring a celebration honoring Farwell T. Brown on Saturday, December 18, 2010, from 1 to 4 pm at the Farwell T. Brown Auditorium.  See more details at the library or the Historical Society.

Roland Record Now Available Online!

The Roland Historical Society has made the Roland Record viewable and searchable online for free.  Their microfilms of the Roland Record were digitized by Newspaper Archives and thanks to the Roland Historical Society are freely available.  You can see and search the newspaper here.

The archives begin with the February 28, 1895 issue (shown at the left, click on the picture and then click it again to see a larger version) and continue through March 6, 1975 for a total of 27,367 pages.  Pages can be viewed and saved in PDF format.

These Roland newspapers contain many items from other Story County locations.  For example, Cambridge is mentioned 1,295 times, most of the mentions implying Cambridge, Iowa.

Thank you to the Roland Historical Society for making this great resource available!