Fourth Ward School Museum Opens Anniversary Exhibit, Welcomes Author

On Saturday, May 2, the Historic Fourth Ward School Museum hosted several special events, bringing community members together to honor and celebrate Virginia City history.

During the morning, the school opened its doors to donors as a thank you for their continued support, offering them an exclusive first look at the new Changing Gallery Exhibit entitled, “The Building That Refuses to be Forgotten.” This new exhibit shares the school’s 150-year legacy and was curated by Fourth Ward School Assistant Archivist Jessica Johnson, with support from Archivist Sherry Griffin-Grundy.

“We connect the past to the present, and in doing so, we create understanding that lasts,” said Fourth Ward School Museum Executive Director Nora Stefu. “Our programming continues to grow in that same spirit. Through calligraphy, printmaking, and filmmaking, we invite people to engage with history, in a hands on and creative way… We are not just preserving history, we are creating experience around it.”

The Fourth Ward School building was inaugurated on November 28, 1876, and welcomed its first students in January 1877. Because of this timeline, the exhibit will remain active for the next two years to celebrate the anniversary.

Johnson noted that the exhibit is really about the people and the community that turned the building from a historic school into a landmark that would not be lost to time, like so many other buildings in Virginia City.

“There's a really great timeline in there of all the various efforts -- the fundraising efforts that began, and then fell short, and then began again,” Johnson explained. “They were undeterred despite failure, despite adversity, and the fact that this building was able to be made into the historic institution that it is today is such a tribute to the community of people throughout 150 years.”

The exhibit includes several interactive elements, including a scavenger hunt as well as QR codes throughout that share stories from past students and supporters, plus a QR code for current guests to share their own reasons why this Comstock history is important to them.

Later that afternoon, the Fourth Ward School welcomed author Robin Flinchum to share snippets and research from her new book, “The Redemption of Julia Bulette: Murder, Myth and the Hunt for a Serial Killer in Early Virginia City.”

Julia Bulette is one of the most well-known figures in Comstock history, yet there is still so much mystery surrounding this famous courtesan. Flinchum has spent the past decade-plus working to connect more dots in order to bring more understanding and life to Julia’s story.

Guests enjoyed hearing about Flinchum’s creative process and gaining new insight. If you missed this presentation, Flinchum will be sharing her book again on October 1 at the Gold Hill Hotel, among other Nevada stops during 2026.

For more information about the Historic Fourth Ward School Museum exhibits and upcoming events, visit fourthwardschool.org.