On May 22, 1919, a small fire at the Douglas Starch Works created an explosion which impacted Eastern Iowa. Homes, schools and shops were damaged. Windows were shattered, and businesses slowed. Forty-four people lost their lives. George Douglas, owner of Brucemore Mansion at the time, owned the Starch Works, and Brucemore is producing several events to remember the disaster, and celebrate the community’s strength of rebuilding following difficult times.
The first event will be a community conversation on themes of race, labor, and immigration, involving staff from Brucemore, the African American Museum of Iowa, National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library, and the University of Iowa Labor Center. Monday, April 15 at 6:30pm at the Cedar Rapids Public Library.
More information at the mansion’s main site, www.brucemore.org, or a the special website for the observation, www.DouglasStarchWorks.org.
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