Visit us at
historic McIlvoy House, 7307 Grandview Avenue — Open Tuesday-Saturday
11am-3pm
Tour the Arvada Flour Mill -
call 303-431-1261 for more information.
WELCOME!
to the Arvada Historical Society. We are located in Arvada, Colorado,
on the northwest border of Denver, in Jefferson county Our history began
when Lewis Ralston discovered gold here in 1850, at the confluence of
an unnamed tributary of Clear Creek (now known as Ralston Creek) - the
first documented gold strike in Colorado. By the early 1860s, the land
was being farmed, watered by ditches essential to agriculture in our
semi-arid region. Benjamin Wadsworth and Louis Reno platted the town,
and Wadsworth established the first post office in 1870. Agriculture
was the mainstay of the town, which at one time was renowned as the
"Celery Capital of the World."
In May 2005, the Arvada Historical Society, founded in 1972, moved
into the historic McIlvoy House. We are excited that our collections
of historic photographs, documents, books, and newspapers, among others,
are now available to the public. Come visit us at 7307 Grandview Avenue
- we'll put on the coffee pot and chat about Arvada, or perhaps look
through the photos. Maybe you'll recognize a face or place. There's
nothing better than a visit from a neighbor to make our day!
Our dedicated volunteers are organizing and cataloging the collections,
and we plan to begin posting information from the archives here at our
website.
We invite you to browse our website and learn more about the history
of this community, Arvada, that we call home. Visit often, and remember
to bookmark this site!
Tea Time at the McIlvoy House Valentines Day
Saturday, February 13 from 1-3pm.
Bring
your friends or someone special and enjoy a light luncheon tea and an
elegant performance by solo harpist, Sierra Clute. This will be Sierra’s
second production at the McIlvoy House. She is a wonderfully talented
high school student who has been playing the harp since the fourth grade.
The tea will include a light lunch of tea, scones, finger sandwiches,
salad and desserts. You will also receive a small gift. For those of
you who haven’t been to the McIlvoy House, 7307 Grandview Avenue,
it is the perfect cozy setting for an afternoon with your favorite person/people.
Tickets are $20 per person, paid reservation required.
Hurry and make your reservations, as space is limited!
Call The McIlvoy House, 303-431-1261, or stop by the House to purchase
tickets.
Proceeds will benefit the Arvada Historical Society
Sixth Annual Cemetery Tour a popular success
Members
of the Arvada Historical Society portrayed and displayed prominent characters
from Arvada's history who are buried in the town cemetery, which originated
with the burial of two babies in 1863. Past characters have ranged from
pioneers to the area who developed the town from a few scattered farms,
to prominent business people and educators from the more recent history.
Click here to see some photos from this
year's tour, and learn who the characters were this time. Follow the
links below for some highlights of previous tours.
Arvada Historical Society Annual Breakfast and Business
Meeting a Success!
Arvada Historical Society members gathered for the 2009 annual meeting
at the Shrine of St. Anne Catholic Church in Olde Town Arvada. Click
here for photo highlights.
Arvada school, built 1882, now visible on Olde Wadsworth Blvd.
Exterior of the early Arvada brick school, 5650 Wadsworth Boulevard,
Jefferson County, Colorado, includes students and teacher on entry
stairs in front of the brick building. Shown are: Miss Nettie E. Stilling,
teacher; Clara Swadley, Mary Juchem. Nanny Bacon, Clara Bacon, Della
Allen, Lila Mitchell, Laura Swadley, Laura Jolly, Ruth Graves, Emma
Bacon, Sally Swadley, Maud Jolly, Jennie Mitchell, Dolly Bacon, Frankie
Bacon, Esther Bacon, Robert Swadley, Ollie Graves, Baron Bacon, Bent
Allen, Charlie Graves, Harry Emerson, Fred Emerson, Horace Reno, LeClare
Reno, George Bacon, John Jolly, Bob Graves, Herbie Reno, Arthur Ostrander,
and Bert Ostrander. The one room school has a hipped roof, arched
double door entry, four side sash windows with brick voussoirs and
stone keystones.
Students and teacher identification from "More Than Gold, A History
of Arvada, Colorado, During The Period, 1870-1904" by the Arvada
Historical Society.
Source: Ethel Dark