Swing Dance on the Comstock: What Was Dancing Life for Kids on the Comstock in the Heydey of Swing?

Posted on by Taylor Hamby
by Taylor Hamby Just as the doors of the Fourth Ward School in Virginia City closed as a schoolhouse in 1936, a new door was swinging open for youngsters all across America: swing dance! Whether you did “Swing”, “the Jitterbug”, “Lindy Hop”, “Balboa” “Jive” or “Shag”; if you were a teenager or young adult in the mid-1930s through the 1940s, swing was the thing! While there were many regional and musical variations of this then-emerging dance style, each were often upbeat and relatively i...
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Black History & Women’s History in Virginia City

Posted on by Director
In honor of Black History Month and as a lead into Women's History Monthin March, we'd like to recognize the black women and girls who were members of the Storey County community and identified in the 1870 and1880 U.S. censuses.  Each of the women were certainly striving to make aliving in the mining community and care for their families.  It shouldalso be noted that some of the women may have been enslaved just a shorttime before the 1870 census. In the 1870 census, thirty-two bla...
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End of Year Campaign 2021

Posted on by Director
Dear Member,With 2021 coming to a close, as many of you know there is a whole new effort now beginning as we plan for our 2022 season and address certain maintenance issues in the off-season.   For the past two years we have reached out to you, our dedicated members and supporters, to contribute to important projects here at the Historic Fourth Ward School. This year our campaign is for the installation of heating in parts of the museum: our main exhibit is of cours...
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