We started out in Lafayette visiting some of the old homes and hearing stories of the families that lived in them. And drove down Main Street, where all of the old businesses are so well preserved. Many of them have been remodeled and brought up to date, but the old external architecture still remains.
Then we made our way to the Lafayette cemetery to look at graves of friends and family. Many of the graves in this cemetery are for people who were born in the 1800's, and many of them immigrated from other countries and made their homes here.
This is the Lafayette war memorial, containing the names of many of the Lafayette residents who fought for our country.
Lafayette and Louisville were both coal mining towns in the late 1800's and early 1900's, and their mining history is still a large part of both of the cities. Both of the cities are located in Boulder County, which in recent years has become very popular among young families. Housing prices in these areas have soared, and the cities have been revitalized. It is fun to see the mix of old and new, and to see the appreciation for how these cities were founded.
We visited the Lafayette Public Library to see some of the artwork that is a tribute to the coal miners that started these cities.
This is a mosaic mural on the side of the library. Three of the miners were relatives.
As you get closer to the mural, you can begin to see the individual tiles that make it up.
At the entrance to the library there is a fun modern statue depicting everyday life in modern day Lafayette.
Another indication of the changes in Lafayette is a small wind turbine that stands outside of the library. It has this sign that talks Lafayette's energy production changes over the years.
When we left Lafayette, we made our way west to Louisville. Our first stop was the Louisville historical museum. It is a Sunday, and it was closed, but this little museum contains a lot of artifacts from the coal mines in this area.
We then visited a few of the houses that Steve's dad remembers from his childhood. He had a hard time finding them, and said that they hardly even resemble the houses from his childhood. They have changed a lot over the years.
And our final stop was the Louisville cemetery. It's always fun to see what you can find in an older cemetery.
When our tour was over, we stopped at the Post brewing company for lunch. Steve's dad remembers that this used to be the Lafayette VFW. He remembers attending several events here over the years, so it was a very fitting lunch stop on our morning history tour.
The Post specializes in gluten free fried chicken, so of course we had to try it. The sides we selected were green chili mac and cheese and collard greens. It also came with biscuits, gravy and some spicy home made pickles.
Steve and I don't eat a lot of fried chicken, so this was a real southern treat for us. A huge thank you to Steve's parents for sharing their morning with us and sharing some very interesting history as well.
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