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Arvada Historical Society keeps history alive

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Contributed by: Michael Thompson on 4/11/2007

The Arvada Historical Society was organized in 1972 with the goal of keeping Arvada's rich history alive. Through our many programs, and operating mainly with volunteers, and recently one half-time paid staff member, over the years the Arvada Historical Society has made a large impact on the Arvada community. We:

• Inspired and initiated the establishment of the History Museum at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities.

• Refurbished the historic Arvada Flour Mill and now operate it as a museum, offering tours on a requested basis.

• Secured historic designation for Arvada's Gold Strike Park where the first documented discovery of gold in Colorado took place.

• Published four books on Arvada history and several booklets.

• Worked with the City to create the self-guided History Walk in Olde Town Arvada.

• Offer annual walking tours of the Arvada Cemetery.

• Invite parties of long time residents to come together at the McIlvoy House to tell their stories which are videotaped and put on CDs for future referral.

• Sponsored our 28th annual High School Choral Festival, giving these young people from the five area high schools an opportunity to perform on the stage at the Arvada Center in front of their peers.

With the help of our volunteers, we keep the McIlvoy House and archives open 20 hours a week and during that time we meet numerous requests for historical information about the area. The Arvada Historical Society has an excellent collection of historic photographs and documents. We assist students looking for information for school reports, adults looking for information about their relatives and the family homestead, and individuals from the metro area and beyond looking for information about the Arvada area. We also offer Olde Town walking tours out of the McIlvoy House.

We often collaborate with other organizations. As mentioned, it is because of the City of Arvada that we have the beautifully restored McIlvoy House as a home for our archives. We have a program with the Arvada Center called Arts in Olde Town. Through this program, children have an opportunity to tour the Arvada Flour Mill Museum, enjoy a history walk through Olde Town and partake in a craft or drama class back at the McIlvoy House.

The collaboration between the Arvada Center and the Arvada Historical Society is multi-faceted. One of our goals is to create a computer link between the McIlvoy House Archives and the Arvada Center History Museum so visitors at either place can learn what the other facility has to offer. The Arvada Historical Society also has worked with and continues to work with the Arvada Gardeners, Arvada Festivals Commission, Historic Olde Town Arvada (HOTA), and the Jefferson County Public Library, Standley Lake and Arvada branches. We are grateful to all of them for their support in helping us meet our mission.

The Arvada Historical Society would use this grant to make some improvements at the Arvada Flour Mill. Built in 1925, the Mill needs attention because of its age. Tours of the Mill are a popular request and we want it in good working condition for our visitors.

Mary Jo Giddings
President, Arvada Historical Society
303.421.2032

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Showing 1 of 1 comments

Submitted By: Bill Orchard

posted on 4/12/2007 @ 9:48:57 PM

Rated Story

Great article Mary Jo. Good luck to you. Thanks for the mention. Bill O.

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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Michael Thompson

Arvada , CO

Michael Thompson has posted 16 stories and 2 comments since joining on 12/5/2005. Michael Thompson 's average story rating is 5.

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