Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
E-NEWSLETTER JULY 2019 JOIN THE MUSEUM!
IT'S EASY JUST CLICK HERE LOTS OF BENEFITS
PLUS YOU WILL BE SUPPORTING YOUR MUSEUM
Museum Events
NEW! Marin History Trivia
Test your knowledge of local history!
This month's trivia Question: Calling all golfers: In 1964, Peacock Gap Gold Club hosted the Marin Invitational
Tournament of the Stars - who were three of the celebrity golfers?
Email your answer to: [email protected]. First two correct answers win a ticket to a MHM lecture.
Last Month's trivia question:
What entertainer passed out honors at Marinship?
Correct answer: Bing Crosby
Winners: Dave Braff Diane & Henderson Glischinski!
Speakers Series
Lt. Sam Robinson, Public Information Officer, San Quentin Prison
Thursday July 25, 2019 7:00p.m. Elks Lodge 1312 Mission Ave, San Rafael
San Quentin, From Then to Now The prison's origins date to the California Gold Rush, a period that roughly spanned from 1848 to 1852. With the influx of fortune seekers came an increase in crime and in 1852, 20 acres of land were acquired at San Quentin. Convicts began constructing the building later that year and the cell blocks were completed in 1854. San Quentin State Prison originally held 250 inmates including female prisoners, which continued until 1933. Lt. Sam Robinson, PIO at San Quentin for five years, runs at least two tours of the institution each week for college classes, law enforcement groups, documentary filmmakers, and public figures who want to take a look inside California's first prison. He also responds to media inquiries about inmates on death row, a task unique to San Quentin. Please join the Marin History Museum and Lt. Sam Robinson for a very convicting presentation.
$10 suggested donation. Free entry for Elks with ID card. San Rafael Elks Lodge at Mission Ave at C Street in San Rafael. 1312 Mission Ave. Look for hidden driveway. Parking in the rear of mansion. Follow one-way signs.
Please RSVP [email protected] • www.marinhistory.org • 415-382-1182
Feature Article
Marin's "Mammoth 4th of July Celebrations"
What are your Fourth of July plans this year? Maybe head to the Larkspur parade? Go to the Marin County Fair? Although some Fourth of July activities have endured through the years, many have evolved. As early as the 1900s, some may have witnessed "patriotic exercises" in Larkspur in the morning, organized by the Junior Order United American Mechanics. Activities would have included a raising of the flag, a prayer, reading of the Declaration of Independence, singing the national anthem and later, a baseball game, bowling, races, and boating. At night, you might have attended the Grand Ball in San Rafael at Masonic Hall on Fourth and Lootens Place. There, you would have witnessed a traditional military ball while some might have preferred heading to Toner's Bar across the street where liquor flowed more abundantly. Starting in 1910, Larkspur would host a Carnival. One of its most notable features was lighting fires on the top of Mt. Tamalpais and other surrounding hills so that "the reflection from these fires [would] illuminate" the area. Later in the century, Fairfax would become Marin's biggest Fourth of July center with an annual celebration starting each year on July 3. In 1928, the "main event" on opening day included the "coronation of the queen," an outdoor play that the San Anselmo Herald described as "surpass[ing] anything of the kind ever before attempted." On the 4th, after the parade led in 1936 by Charles Redding, pageants of varied sorts would take place In 1934, an "All-American Outdoor Girl" would be chosen from "Marin's most charming maids" whereas in 1936, "youngsters under ten of age" would dress up as Skippy, Tillie The Toiler, Maggie, and Jiggs. On the 5th, you might finish your weekend-long festivities in Fairfax with the amateur hour in the pavilion.
In the second half of the century, you might go watch fireworks at Neil Cummins school playground in Corte Madera, an event initiated by Fred and Elva Banducci in 1953. You could also head to Stinson beach where an "Independence Day" dance would begin at 9 pm at the Community Center. After 1957, fireworks would become illegal throughout the county except for Sausalito, limiting the Twin Cities' activities. To enjoy a parade in Corte Madera or Larkspur, you will have to wait until 1966, when the old parade was revived, to enjoy a similar celebration.
Larkspur and Corte Madera Fireworks ad Source: Daily Independent Journal, July 2, 1956
July 4, 1966, Twin Cities Fourth of July Parade on Magnolia Avenue Image courtesy of Paul Penna
Special Opportunity
Do you love books about history as much as we do?
Come help us meet our goal of entering our final 500 books into our online database.
In only 1-2 hours a week, you'll learn more about Marin's history and will leave a lasting gift to our museum.
Contact Jo Haraf ([email protected]) for the bookish details.
Faces of Marin
Fred and Elva Banducci
Remember fireworks at Corte Madera Park back in the 1950's and 60's? If so, Fred and Elva Banducci are the ones to thank for those memories. When working for an insurance company in San Francisco, Elva met her husband, Fred, and was immediately smitten. After their marriage the Banducci's moved to Corte Madera where they raised their three children. Always active civically, they took their small Palm Hill neighborhood fireworks display and organized it into a larger community display. The CM Volunteer Fire Department and Banducci secured one of the first state permits to run the event. The Corte Madera fireworks show came to an end in the early 1970's and since 1974 has been done by the Marin County Fair. Elva Banducci died in 2014 just shy of her 100th birthday, her beloved Fred passed in 1975. Thank you, Banducci's, for all the fun!
Charlie Barboni
Charlie Barboni, of Hicks Valley, West Marin, started his fair career with 4-H at age 9, then served as the youngest director for the Sonoma Marin Fair. His joined the Marin County Fair in 1972, organizing the fair's first petting zoo. Under Charlie's coordination and supervision, the competitive exhibits grew from 4,000 to more than 14,000 entries in nearly two decades. Over four-plus decades, Charlie has been the manager of the Marin County Fair and was appointed to the Western Fairs Association (WFA) Hall of Fame — the highest achievement in the county fair industry (1/1/2018). "Charlie truly embodies the qualities of someone who has grown up in and dedicated his life to the fair industry," said Director of Cultural Services Gabriella Calicchio. "Charlie is immersed in the industry as a teacher, mentor, beloved manager, brilliant designer, and visionary, and has been for over 45 years."
Community Events of Interest
Wednesday, July 3 7:00pm Mill Valley Library Shipwrecks of Marin with Brian Crawford
Marin County's steep, rock-bound shores, treacherous currents and frequent fogs have been the doom of hundreds of ships for over 400 years. Local historian Brian K. Crawford has done extensive research fleshing out the details of famous wrecks and identifying more than a hundred wrecks not documented elsewhere. Many of these tales are full of danger and heroism, of pathos and high adventure. Terrified passengers cling to overturned steamers or clutch at rocks in the pounding seas. Seamen clamber up cliffs to escape certain destruction. The vessels range from Spanish treasure galleons to garbage scows, and clipper ships to floating dry docks. In this illustrated lecture, Crawford tells stories of seven of the most significant wrecks on the Marin coast.
Registration recommended. Visit the Reference Desk to register. For more information, call (415) 389-4292 x3 or visit millvalleylibrary.org
Saturday, July 27 9:00am San Anselmo Historical Commission Walking Tour -Seminary Area The Seminary Area. Visit one of San Anselmo's oldest neighborhoods. The tour will highlight the quiet beauty of San Francisco Theological Seminary, its history and architecture. Meet at Montgomery Chapel, Richmond Road & Bolinas Avenue. This tour does involve stairs and uphill walking and is not suitable for strollers or very young children. Refreshments will be served along the way.
Meet at Montgomery Chapel, Richmond Road and Bolinas Avenue at 9:00 a.m.
For information:sananselmohistory.org/events/stroll-through-history/
From the Collection
Model ferry boat Sausalito, c. 1950.
Marin County dentist and model builder Dr. Thomas I. J. Snead received national publicity in 1951 for his model of the ferry boat Sausalito. Constructed over a three-year period using tools from his dental practice, the 65-inch-long model is scaled to one quarter inch per foot. The original vessel, built in 1894 by the North Pacific Coast Railroad to transport train cars across the bay, measured 256 feet long and 60 feet wide. The Sausalito later operated in tandem with the San
Rafael to ferry passengers between San Francisco and Sausalito. On November 30, 1901, the two boats collided in dense fog near Alcatraz Island, despite clanging fog bells. The Sausalito struck the San Rafael broadside, penetrating ten feet into its passenger-filled dining room, killing five people and a horse. Within twenty minutes of the accident, the wrecked San Rafael disappeared in 120 feet of water. Parts of the Sausalito survive today as a private clubhouse just west of the Antioch Bridge. The model Sausalito is currently on loan to the Sausalito Historical Society and can
be viewed inside Sausalito City Hall at the southern entrance the public library.
Later this month, the model will travel to the Railroad & Ferry Depot Museum on the Tiburon waterfront, where it will remain on exhibit for the next year.
In the News - 100 Years Ago
San Anselmo Herald
July 1919
VOLUNTEER JOB OPPORTUNITIES
We can use your help! Have a little time on our hands and looking to help a local non-profit? Below is a list of some of the volunteer positions we need to fill.
Please let us know if any of these look interesting to you by emailing [email protected] or calling 415-382-1182. We would love to hear form you!
Writer
We are starting to create a lot of content for our eNewsletters, social media sites, and future traveling exhibitions and publications. If you like to do historical
research and write short articles, we could use your help.
Editor Along with writers, we need editors to give the final article its blessing before it
goes to print. This volunteer job can be done from home or on site. Let us know if you have that required eagle eye and grammatical tenacity to tackle this job.
Photographer
Capture the moment for us! Your photos of the Museum's special events and exhibitions will be invaluable for public outreach, future fundraising campaigns and our institution's historical record. We could use your help documenting our history!
Don't see your area of interest?
Call us and we work with you to create your perfect volunteer experience!
Are you a student looking for community service hours? Know a student who needs hours before graduating?
The Marin History Museum is a 501(c)3 and can grant students their
community service hours.
Let us know and we'll take care of it!
Marin History Museum
Marin History Museum Craemer Family Research and Collection Facility
45 Leveroni Ct Novato CA 94949
Please call for an appointment 415-382-1182
Mailing Address: PO Box 150727, San Rafael, CA 94915
