One poster display at Burke History Day on Nov. 5 tells about the professional wrestlers who have come out of Burke over the years. Photo by Tim Peterson.
Burke — Burke History Day 2016, put on by the Burke Historical Society, was all about getting community members to become more engaged in the study of history themselves.
Titled “Finding Your History,” the day-long event on Nov. 5 at the Burke Centre Library included half a dozen special research workshops in addition to poster displays, stories from Silas Burke himself and children’s activities.
Chris Barbuschak from the Fairfax library started the day with a session on searching old newspaper archives through online databases.
Lexie Station gave an instructional talk on using FamilySearch, an extensive, free database operated by the Mormon Church, to search and store one’s family tree.
Other workshops included a children’s program about the Silas Burke House and Huldah Coffer House, and interpreting maps and aerials.
The next meeting of the Burke Historical Society is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 20, in the fellowship hall at Abiding Presence Lutheran Church, 6304 Lee Chapel Road in Burke. Author Paul N. Herbert will discuss his latest book “Treason in the Rockies.”