Historic Fourth Ward School Museum exhibit to strike Comstock-era realities of Virginia City
Submitted by editor on Wed, 04/01/2015 - 10:21am
Event Date:
May 1, 2015 (All day)
In the 19th century, the darker side to life in Virginia City was often overlooked; it just wasn’t proper to talk about. Even today when tales are told of Virginia City, its rich Comstock history, wooden boardwalks, mine tours, paranormal activity and even its nationally recognized special events take center stage. The Historic Fourth Ward School Museum & Archives is changing that with its May – Oct. 2015 exhibit, “Every Man Has The Right To Go To Hell In His Own Way.”
The exhibit takes visitors through the life of Virginia City residents as they lived and worked in this harsh, isolated environment.
“Our goal is to provide a real and raw look at what life on the Comstock was really like,” Barbara Mackey, executive director for the Historic Fourth Ward School Museum & Archives, said. “The exhibit will show the struggles, temptations and consequences of their illicit actions and the repercussions. For any visitor coming to Virginia City for the first time, or someone that has been here many times before, making this your first stop will put everything into perspective.”
Opium and alcohol addiction, prostitution, murder and spiritualism were part of the daily lives within the bustling cosmopolitan, mining community of Virginia City. The exhibit also exposes the misconceptions of how these vices were unfavorably looked upon by the moral and upstanding citizens of the day.
“We still struggle with these same temptations as the towns people did in the 19th century. So the question remains, do Americans have more freedom ‘to go to hell in their own way?’ today or in the 1800s,” said Mackey.
The exhibit runs May 1 through Oct. 31, 2015 at the Historic Fourth Ward School Museum & Archives. Cost for admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children 6-12; children under 6 are free. Visit online at fourthwardschool.org or call 775-847-0975.
About the Fourth Ward School Museum & Archives
Opened on Nov. 28, 1876, the Fourth Ward School was built to honor the nation’s centennial. With the ability to accommodate more than 1,000 students, it boasted state-of-the-art heating, ventilation and sanitation systems, as well as water piped to all floors. From the turn of the century through the 1920s, Fourth Ward teachers educated hundreds of students, but the declining fortunes of the mining district and diminishing population caused the student body to shrink.
By the mid-1930s, less than 200 students attended the Fourth Ward School and the building was in dire need of repairs and was viewed as obsolete. The Fourth Ward School closed its doors after its last seniors graduated in 1936. Rescued by state grants in 1964 and 1984, it reopened in 1986, 50 years after closing. Today, thousands of visitors tour the historic school, view the rotating exhibits, search the archives and learn about the rich history of Virginia City and the Comstock Lode.
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