CalendarLET’S TALK GREEN PLAQUESBy Donna Stewart

Volume 11, Issue 8 November/December 2011

The Heritage Society of Pacific Grove

Dedicated to Maintaining the Beauty and Individuality of Pacific GroveNEWSLETTER

The Heritage Society has been providing green plaques to homes for free

for over 30 years. To date, 717 plaques have been awarded. The late Evelyn and Bill Butner spear-headed the project. Vanessa Bredthauer, Lowell Battcher and Steve Honegger have been involved in the process since the late Bill Stone designed the plaques in 1978. Adam Weiland was also involved for over 20 years.

What happens when a homeowner requests a plaque? What qualifies a house for a plaque? The home is usually built prior to 1927, is largely intact and retains its original character and architectural integrity. If the house has been remodeled, it must still retain its original character and architectural integrity. The vetting process is extensive, as we check the assessor’s books,

Sanborn Maps and all tax records. Occasionally we go to local libraries and City Hall for more extensive research.

If the board approves the request for a plaque, the new plaque takes several steps to complete, an expensive and time-consuming effort. We process up to 20 requests a year. Clear heart redwood is used. Vanessa does the lettering, Lowell does the routing of names and numbers, Steve applies an epoxy sealer and Jerry Boyajian puts the background green paint on. Steve paints the letters and numbers in yellow and applies three coats of varnish. All this work is done on a volunteer basis.

What about a replacement plaque? When the plaque was initially issued, the home would have qualified as above. If the house was renovated since the original plaque was requested

and no longer retains the original architectural integrity, a new plaque will not be issued. To avoid the need for a replacement plaque, we suggest that the plaque not be placed in direct sunlight. It should be mounted under an eave or porch, and cleaned and dusted often with a damp cloth. Before the epoxy starts to break down, the plaque can be lightly sanded and a light coating of varethane applied. We are rarely able to recondition a plaque and, if approved, we will make a new replacement plaque.

We would like to inform everyone that effective immediately, the Heritage Society will charge $35 for a replacement plaque. For the time being, there will be no charge for the original plaque. If you have any questions, contact the Heritage Society at 372-2898.

FEBRUARY “GLIMPSES OF CARMEL”

LECTUREPacific GroveFebruary 10

“GROVE PARK INN ARTS & CRAFTS CONFERENCE”Asheville, North Carolina

February 17-19

APRIL“GOOD OLD DAYS”

Pacific GroveApril 14-15

MAY2010 CALIFORNIA

PRESERVATION CONFERENCEOakland, California

May 3-6

Monica Hudson will be the speaker at our February 10

lecture.

February Lecture to Highlight Carmel HistoryBy Jeanne McCombsThe Her it age Societ y

Lecture Series will present Monica Hudson speaking

on “Glimpses of Carmel-by-the-Sea” On Friday, February 10 at 7:00 p.m. at the Pacific Grove Performing Arts Center, 835 Forest Avenue. Admission will be free to Heritage Society members; $10 for individual non-members and $15 for family/couple non-members.

Longtime Carmel resident Monica Hudson will reflect on her years on the Monterey Peninsula as she talks about her 2006 book “Carmel-by-the-Sea,” part of the “Images of America” pictorial series. Ms. Hudson moved to the ranch at Point Lobos from her native

creates custom tours through her historic waling tour company, California Legacy Tours.

Come listen to this natural storyteller as she delves into Carmel’s past.

Switzerland in 1972 as the bride of John Hudson, a member of one of the area’s pioneering families. She has enjoyed a long career with California State Parks and is a sought-after guide in interpreting the cultural and natural history, architecture and art of the Monterey Peninsula. She gives regular tours for the Monterey Regional Parks District and

Having A Wonderful

Time—Wish You Were

Here

Many thanks to Karen Cotter of Valley Village, California for donating

a fascinating album of 50 antique postcards and photos to the Heritage Society. The cards all feature photos of scenes in Pac i f ic Grove a nd other Monterey Peninsula locations dating from the early years of the twentieth century. Just for fun, we have reproduced several of the cards here, along with the messages written on them by happy tourists. To view the entire collection, visit the Heritage Society’s museum located at Ketcham’s Barn, 605 Laurel Avenue. It is open to the public from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays.

Band Concert on Beach, 1915. “I am having a perfectly lovely time in Pacific Grove. My chum lives near the ocean and Monterey Bay and we go down to the beach so often. The woods around

here are perfectly grand. How I wish you could enjoy them also.”

Bathing Scene at Pacific Grove, 1908. “Dear little Thyra: How do you think you would like to paddle around in the sand and wade on the ocean beach? Everyone here seems to like it, including

your cousin Mollie.”

Remember UsIn Your Holiday Giving

Upcoming Events

Elsewhere“Grove Park Inn Arts

& Crafts Conference,” February 17-19, 2012, Asheville, North Carolina. The most important weekend of the year for Arts & Crafts enthusiasts. Workshops, lectures, shows, tours. Registration is $10 per show or $145 for a Conference Events pass. Visit www.arts-craftsconference.com for details.

“Old Roots, New Growth—Cultivating Communities,” 2012 California Preservation Conference, May 3-6, 2012, Oakland Marriott City Center. Over 30 sessions, tours, workshops on issues facing California’s historic, cultural and natural resources. Visit www.californiapreservation.org/conference.html for details.

Lovers Point and the Breakwater, 1915. “This is the point I was trying to describe but this is far from doing it justice, as it’s much prettier than this.”

View on Scenic Drive Near Pacific Grove, 1907. A Chamber of Commerce message on the back reads, “Come to Pacific Grove, where Nature has planned new pleasures for every day. Splendid

fishing, boating, bathing, submarine gardens, glass bottom boats, 100 miles of incomparable scenic automobile drives, primeval forest, seashore beaches. Ideal summer and winter resort.”

As you make your annual charitable donations at the end of the year, don’t forget the Heritage Society of Pacific Grove. Help us maintain the beauty, historic integrity and individuality of Americas “Last Hometown.”

Contributions to the Heritage Society are tax deductible. You can mail your donation to us at P.O. Box 1007, Pacific Grove, CA 93950. Or, you may donate online at www.pacificgroveheritage.org using your MasterCharge, Visa, Discovery, American Express, or bank card.

THE Heritage Society

of Pacific Grove

P.O. Box 1007Pacific Grove, CA 93950

Nonprofit Org.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPermit No. 30Pacific Grove,

CA 93950

Newsletter StaffEditor

Jean ProckTypesettingA Volunteer

Contributing EditorsDon Beals

Jeanne McCombsDonna Stewart

Send your submissions to: Jean Prock

The Heritage Society of Pacific GroveP.O. Box 1007

Pacific Grove, CA 93950 www.pacificgroveheritage.orginfo@pacificgroveheritage.org

Return Service Requested

NewMembers

Steve BeanCheryl Butner

Cynthia and Mark GarfieldMike and Karen Gunby

Erica HerroClemencia Macias

Mary McCauleyCaroline Moyer

Hans Ruygrok and Julie Burford

F. and C. SammisJanice Spence-Sharpe

Membership Count:1437

Birdhouse on Display

The Asilomar Whistle Stop birdhouse created by Heritage Society President

Steve Honegger for this year’s Heritage Houses for the Birds competition was purchased by Pacific Grove City Manager Tom Frutchey. Mr. Frutchey then donated it to the Heritage Society. The birdhouse is now on display at Pacific Grove City Hall.

Marine Ecologist Explains “Death

and Life of Monterey

Bay”

Marine ecologist Stephen Palumbi delivered an enlightening lecture on

October 28 on the health of our Monterey Bay, past and present. His talk was part of the ongoing Heritage Society Lecture Series.

Although oceans are in trouble worldwide, the Monterey Bay is good shape. However, 80 years ago it was a polluted “industrial hellhole,” largely because of the sardine industry. Dr. Palumbi told the compelling story of how the bay was ruined and then recovered, thanks to the efforts of dedicated individuals.

When Europeans arrived here in the 18th century, they found a stunning abundance of sea

life. Between 1789 and 1811, sea otters were hunted nearly to extinction for their soft fur. For the next 100 years, hunters exploited the populations of seals, sea birds, whales and abalone.

When the sardine fishing and canning industry began in 1910 it caused terrible pollution, as a million pounds of fish were processed and 100,000 pounds of fish entrails were dumped into the water every day for 25 years. Dr. Julia Platt, a marine biologist living in Pacific Grove, fought to prevent the canneries from ruining the bay. In 1931 she established Hopkins Marine Life Refuge.

The sardine industry collapsed in the late 1940s. Doc Ricketts, an ecologist who studied the Monterey Bay and wrote “Between Pacific Tides,” was the only person who realized that the collapse was related to a cyclic cooling of coastal waters, not just to over fishing. The closure of the last cannery in 1967 marked the lowest point for the bay. Then Julie Packard’s Monterey Bay Aquarium opened and made viewing ocean wildlife more profitable than hunting it. Today, the ecology and health of the bay are better than at any

time in the last two centuries. Dr. Palumbi closed by

cautioning the audience that biodiversity is the key to a healthy bay, and that business diversity is also essential so that no one industry can dominate and ruin Monterey Bay. His book, “The Death and Life of Monterey Bay,” can be purchased in Pacific Grove at The Works bookstore and at the Natural History Museum gift shop.