After hosting civil rights trolley tours in August and a bike tour earlier this month, the Putnam Museum and Science Center will offer Civil Rights Highlight tours with admission on Thursday, November 7, and Thursday, November 14.
Putnam Curators Christina Kastell and Nora Moriarty will give 15-minute tours of the "Common Ground: Our Voice, Our Stories" exhibit.
Digital Marketing and PR Coordinator Jessica Beshears said the exhibit was installed earlier last year and provides a more comprehensive overview of Quad Cities' history.
"This is really what we've been working towards for a long time," Beshears said. "The ability to talk about these incredible stories that we have archives and writings on, but not always the time to be able to give to the public."
The exhibit includes information dating back to the cities' first Indigenous people until recent events from last year, such as COVID outbreaks and flooding.
During the tours, stories and artifacts shared will focus on local community civil rights efforts, including recent work in the Black Lives Matter movement and LGBTQ+ community.
"These stories, they're just so important to know the context that we're coming from to really assess where we're at and move forward as a community," Beshears said.
The tours will be a part of the museum's "Thursday Nights at the Putnam," an addition that began earlier this month where the museum remains open until 8 p.m.
Time slots available for the tours are 5:30 p.m., 6:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. During this time, general admission is discounted by $5.
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