McMenamins History Pub: History of Scams and Mud, Blood and Ghosts

Photo by Merve Şahin

McMenamins History Pub invites you to explore Oregon and Pacific Northwest history.

Enjoy an evening with local experts, scholars, first-person experiencers and historians who dive into topics from Lewis and Clark to shipwrecks, hop growing to women pioneers and beyond.

McMenamins History Pub is like attending a college lecture with a stiff drink and full menu of tasty food.

Here are the upcoming events.

Upcoming McMenamins History Pub Events

History of Scams

Join McMenamins History Pub and Loren Pankratz, Ph.D. for the history of scams. The origins of these tricks can be traced back to Europe in the aftermath of the Black Plague. From the frauds and swindles of the early 20th century to rampant internet scams of today, learn the history of deceit and the social settings necessary for these schemes to spread across the centuries. 

The event takes place Monday, September 25 at Kennedy School, 5736 N.E. 33rd Ave. in Portland.

Tickets are $5 in advance and $6 at the door. All ages are welcome. Doors open at 6 p.m. Presentation begins at 7 p.m. For more information, visit the McMenamins website.

Mud, Blood and Ghosts

In this history talk, Julie Carr tells the story of her great-grandfather, Omer Madison Kem, a spiritualist, three-term Nebraskan congressman, and founding member of the Populist Party. In Oregon, Omer owned a power company and became a fanatical eugenicist, who advocated for the forced sterilization, a racist ideology later executed by the Nazis.

Julie’s Carr’s presentation focuses on the ties between the American eugenics movement, the ghosts of spiritualism, and contemporary U.S. fascism and white supremacy.

This event also features a screening of Carolina Ebeid’s short film of archival images. 

The event takes place on Monday, October 30 at Kennedy School, 5736 N.E. 33rd Ave. in Portland.

Tickets are $5 in advance and $6 at the door. All ages are welcome. Doors open at 6 p.m. Presentation begins at 7 p.m. For more information, visit the McMenamins website.

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