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History Center in the Carnegie Building?
Across the U.S., historic Carnegie library buildings have found new life as history museums. In California alone, 22 Carnegie libraries are now history museums, preserving and sharing the stories of their communities. So, why not St. Helena’s own Carnegie library?
At a January meeting of the St. Helena City Council, Susanne Salvestrin, vice president of the Society, made an appeal to the council to consider allowing us to use the Carnegie Building as a temporary History Center.
While we look forward someday to having a permanent History Center, we are running out of room in our borrowed space at the library. We need a place where we can have space for exhibits, educational programs, staff and storage; a place where students and community members, families and visitors can have access to and experience with our collection. We need a place where we can launch a capital campaign to fund our future permanent home. The Carnegie Building has the potential to be our temporary home. To see the possibilities, please take a look at these drawings: Carniege-Floor Plan-Collections-Exhibits, Carnegie-Floor Plan-Upstairs.
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St. Helena History Center
The Adams Street Property Vision, from the General Plan Update in 2010 shows a Community/History Center at the corner of Adams St. and Library Lane. We’ve produced two videos that make the case for a dedicated History Center in St. Helena. Watch Preserving Our Stories and a shorter version: It’s About Time!
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Museum for a Day, 2014
Who are these people? Give us information about this photo and pick up your historical prize at Museum for a Day, 2014!
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Kids and animals on Dowdell Lane
Recently, we came across this photo. Information on the back reads “Dowdell Lane, 1927 or 1928.” We’d love to know more about it. Does anyone know who these cute kids are or where on Dowdell this might have been taken?
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Harvest, circa 1880
This photo, taken around 1880, shows a vineyard crew bringing in the harvest on Spring Mountain. Charles Lemme bought the property in 1876 from Patrick Sheehan for $75 in gold coin. He owned 280 acres on the mountain and named his vineyard “La Perla” (the pearl).
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Basketball in St. Helena
This photo of the Keller Bros. team, a St. Helena City League team, dates from about 1939 or 1940. The coach is Jack Rannells, who also coached varsity basketball at St. Helena High School from 1934 to 1944. On the far left is Carlo Forni. Do you recognize any of the other players? Send us an email or leave a post on our Facebook page.
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Mystery Home, circa. 1880
Do you recognize this house? The photo was recently given to the historical society. But it came with no information. The house appears to be Victorian era; the photo taken possibly about 1880. While the street is unpaved, there are sidewalks and newly-planted trees along the street. Please contact us if you have any information on the home, people or location.
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Advertising in St. Helena
This ashtray from Mickey’s Bar on Main Street in St. Helena, circa 1950, is one of many items on exhibit at St. Helena Library this month in the display case behind the Information Desk. From Victorian trade cards, used to advertise goods and services in the late 1800s, to calendar plates from the 1910s, a thermometer from Vasconi Drugs in the mid-twentieth century, and much more, St. Helena’s merchants have used a variety of advertising methods over the years. Check it out next time you’re at the library. Or leave a comment on our Facebook page.
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Stuck in the mud
In February, 1921, dump trucks loaded with magnesite from White Rock Mine in Pope Valley attempted the trip to the railroad in Rutherford. They got stuck in the mud at Angwin, as this photo, courtesy of the Harold Smith Sr. family, shows. A much cleaner cousin of these trucks, a 1918 Pierce Arrow, was on display at Museum for a Day on March 25th, 2012.
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Roxy Theater
Do you recognize this theater on Main Street in St. Helena? Today it’s the Cameo Cinema, but throughout its history it has had other names: the Liberty and, in this photo, the Roxy. The theater marquee shows that a double feature is playing: “Sail a Crooked Ship” and “The Minotaur.” The photo, which was taken in 1961, is in the St. Helena Historical Society photo collection. The theater will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2013.
