Historic Reno Preservation Society

As our communities rely more heavily on interactive virtual opportunities to gather, Washoe County Library System is working toward restructuring existing relationships with partnering organizations. With appreciation of the long-standing collaborative efforts the library has enjoyed with Historic Reno Preservation Society and the creativity and flexibility of the featured guest presenters, we are proud to continue online this series highlighting Reno history.

View some of our past presentations below.

The Life and Works of Frederic J. DeLongchamps

Anne Simone and ZoAnn Campana highlights the work of DeLongchamps, who had a long career as an architect in Reno and the surrounding area.

Mrs. Mackay and the Bonanza King: A Chautauqua Presentation

Veronica Fraser gives a Chautauqua-style presentation presentation of Louise Mackay, wife of 19th century miner and industrialist John Mackay.

The Great Truckee River

Scott Carey discusses the history of the Truckee River, including the floods of 1955 and 1997 and the significance of the waterway to the Native American people of the Great Basin.

Reno’s Hebrew Cemetery and Jews in Northern Nevada

Sharon Honig-Bear provides this look at Reno's Hebrew cemetery and the early days of Jewish presence in Nevada.

Suffrage, Women's Rights, and Historic Preservation in Nevada

In 2020, the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office received a federal grant through the National Park Service, with the goal of identifying places and properties associated with women’s history and the suffrage movement in our state. Project coordinators ZoAnn Campana and Alicia Barber will discuss how they went about writing the context and how it can be put to use.

The Archaeology of Burning Man

Carolyn L. White discusses her work analyzing the various aspects of life and community in and around Burning Man and Black Rock City.

Before Reno and Sparks: Early Communities in the Truckee Meadows

Like much of Nevada, the Truckee Meadows between 1855-1868 was dotted with small settlements. Most of these briefly boomed and just as quickly died. Some never boomed at all. Reno and Sparks simply beat the odds. This talk by Betsy Morse looks at a few of the early communities that today can only be found in historical archives.

Adaptive Reuse and Revitalization of the Downtown Post Office

Bernie Carter, managing Member of 50 South Virginia and founder and visionary behind Reno Midtown development, will tell us how the ideas, plans, and restoration of the downtown post office came to be.

Fact, Fiction, and Howard Hughes

Geoff Schumacher, author of a biography of the billionaire, explains how truth is stranger than fiction in the life of Howard Hughes.

Alice Ramsey's Journey

Debbie Hinman tells the story of Alice Ramsey, who made history as the first female cross-country motorist, driving from New York to San Francisco in 59 days in 1909

A Taste for History

For this Historic Reno Preservation Society event, Sharon Honig-Bear has fashioned a presentation based on her past four years of Edible Traditions columns, which appear in Edible Reno-Tahoe magazine.

Alsos: The Search for Hitler's A-Bomb

German scientists split the atom in 1938, and by all accounts their nuclear program was two to three years ahead of any other country. As war breaks out in Europe, Einstein writes to Roosevelt warning him about the development of a Nazi atomic bomb and imploring the president to begin a similar effort. In 1943, as part of the Manhattan Project, a clandestine group of scientists and military personnel are tasked with finding and capturing German nuclear scientists and their labs before Hitler can change the outcome of the war. 

The Westside Slugger: Joe Neal's Lifelong Fight for Social Justice

The Westside Slugger is the powerful story of civil rights in Las Vegas and Nevada through the eyes and experience of Joe Neal, a history-making state lawmaker in Nevada. Neal rose from humble beginnings in Mound, Louisiana, during the Great Depression to become the first African American to serve in the Nevada State Senate.

John L. Smith is a longtime journalist and the author of more than a dozen books on some of the most significant characters in Las Vegas history. In three decades as a daily columnist with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, he has garnered many state and national awards for his work. 

150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad: What a Difference it Made

The introduction of steam technology in general and railroads in particular changed the American West. That change dramatically affected the character of America. Presenter Daniel Thielen, director of Nevada State Railroad Museum, discusses the various ways the world changed when the rails joined the country.