Congregation Israel (Leadville, Colo.) Records

On July 13, 1884, Horrace Tabor conveyed property, as a gift, to "David May for the Benefit of the Congregation Israel." The congregation was organized primarily by Germanic Jews under the practice of Reform Judaism. The temple cost $4,000 to erect and was dedicated on September 19, 1884. A separate Jewish cemetery was also created. Of Leadville's population of 30,000 in the early 1800s, there were around around 300 Jewish residents. Many Jewish families in Leadville left after the silver panic in 1893 and in 1937 the temple was converted into a single family residence and then into a three unit apartment house in the 1960s. William Korn formed the Temple Israel Foundation in 1992 and the temple was restored and became a museum in 2012. The records contain copies of the deed and founding documents.