Residents have the chance to learn more about forgotten towns in Guthrie County and the surrounding area and share their own photographs and memories this Thursday.

The Stuart People Active for Library Service, or PALS, is sponsoring Humanities Iowa Speaker Rosa Snyder who will present, “Off the Map: Stories of Abandoned and Disappearing Towns Around Iowa.” Snyder will share photos and stories of several Iowa towns including Dale City in Guthrie County, and Ortonville and Zook Spur in Dallas County. Snyder says her curiosity and desire to share history with others are what drive this program, “You know towns are mirrors of our past. And I hope from my program, to be honest, I hope that some of the people in the crowd will go, ‘Hey, let’s find out more about the towns in our county and let’s put some signage up so that they’re not forgotten.’ Because if you don’t do that, their names and their memories are gone forever.”

The event will take place at 2 p.m. Thursday in the Stuart City Hall Council Chambers and is free to the public.