V is for… John D. Vaughan!
John David Vaughan (1842 – 1900) was the first superintendent of the Union Printers Home, as well as serving on the first Board of Trustees for the Home. He served as superintendent during the first few months of the Home’s opening, from its dedication in May 1892 through July of that year, before a new longer-term superintendent (Superintendent Schuman) could be selected.
Vaughan had trained as a printer from a very young age, working in several Eastern US cities, until the Civil War began, when he enlisted in the US Navy. After the war and then a trip to Asia, he came back to the States and became deeply involved in the International Typographical Union and other labor organizations – he was a member and president of several different local unions over time, and was selected as a delegate for numerous ITU conventions. He ended up in Colorado due to involvement in mining, and settled in Denver until his death in 1900. He was one of the most well-loved members of the ITU during his time, and was highly influential in the start of the Union Printers Home. Our archival collections even contain an oil portrait of him in an ornate gilded wooden frame!
Elena “Ellie” Hinkle was born and raised in Colorado Springs and has had a passion for its history since she was very young. After completing her MLIS in Archives Management at Simmons University (Boston, MA) in 2021, she moved back to Colorado Springs in hopes of finding work in a local history institution. Little did she know that her dream job was awaiting her – and a few months later, she became the Director of History & Archives at the Union Printers’ Home! Ellie managed much of the initial cleanout and preservation of the artifacts found in the buildings on the property, and is now working to preserve and make available to the public the rich and fascinating history of this incredible property and institution.