Book Talk: The Women of Smeltertown At El Paso County Historical Society

I love El Paso history, and one of the places I go to check out history of our area is the El Paso County Historical Society. The Society is housed in the Burges House at 603 W. Yandell, just outside of downtown. They not only have an amazing storehouse of local historical documents, they also have events that highlight El Paso history.

The Society is going to be holding an event that will explore the women of Smeltertown, the little community that sat in the shadow of ASARCO. Authors Dr. Mimi Gladstein and Carol Eastman wrote a book on the subject and they will be reading excerpts and discussing the history of the women who lived in Smeltertown and their continuing legacy in El Paso.

The event is free and open to the public. While you're there, you can also find out more about the Historical Society.

The Burges House was built in 1912 by a prominent El Paso attorney, Richard F. Burges. Burges was City Attorney in 1908, and wrote the city charter. He was elected to the Texas House of Representative in 1913. The home still has a number of original features, and you can take a guided tour to see this architectural treasure by contacting the Society. Because they are a non-profit, if you visit, a donation would be greatly appreciated, and let's be honest, a couple of bucks to tour this amazing home is well worth it.

The best thing about the Historical Society is they have an amazing resource room that you can use that houses photos, journals, documents, and books that you can use to do genealogical research or just browse through to find out more about El Paso history. It really is an ideal want to find out more about the city and the people who lived here.

WHAT: Book Talk: The Women of Smeltertown
WHEN: Saturday, March 2, 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
WHERE: El Paso County Historical Society, 603 W Yandell Dr.
INFO: (915) 533-3603