Many thanks to those of you who have renewed your memberships….to paraphrase Blanche in “A Streetcar Named Desire,” the Historical Society is “dependant on the kindness of our friends.” I hope that you are receiving our newsletters and program announcements and will take full advantage of what we offer to our members. And please let […]
It Was Fifty Years Ago Today….Taxes and Traffic and Schools, Oh My….
This being the month we annually dance with the IRS, we thought you’d be interested in the tax situation in the county half a century ago. The State Board of Equalization issued a press release on taxation results for fiscal 1963-64, which noted that assessed property valuation in Contra Costa County was $1,042,992,000, making the […]
What’s in the works for Summer Programs from LHS
Save Wednesday, July 2 at 2:30 for a commemoration of the July 17, 1944 Port Chicago explosion. Wayne Korsinen, local World War II Historian and Isabel Jenkins Ziegler, Supervisory Museum Curator at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine NM will provide historic and current perspectives on this significant local disaster. Nilda Rego, Contra Costa Historian and author […]
Those Trees!
Remember in January we asked you if you knew where the trees that had been in front of the temporary Post Office were now? Helene Kremer had an idea, but it wasn’t correct. Those trees have grown up in the back of the Springhill School playground! And are still shading generations of Lafayette kids today!
Please join us for Lafayette Historical Society’s First Speaker Series Presentation of 2014!
Come listen to Steve Minniear speak about sailors, Seabees, and the stories behind all those old buildings you used to see in and around the Interstate 580/680 intersection. Between 1942 and 1946 over 300,000 sailors lived, worked, trained, and transited through what is now Dublin, California. Camp Parks, Camp Shoemaker and Shoemaker Naval Hospital played […]
President’s Message
As we gaze at 2013 in a rearview mirror, we look forward to an exciting New Year in 2014. As you may recall, we experimented with the days and times of our Speaker Series events last year. Each of the programs was very successful, and different folks were able to make each of the talks, […]
Eagle Scout Creates Lafayette Historical Walking Tour iPhone App
Acalanes High School junior Marc Davis, a member of Troop 204 of Lafayette, recently completed a unique Eagle Project. Recalling his memorable docent-led walking tour of Lafayette in third grade, a rite of passage for all Lafayette third graders, Marc decided to make that experience available to all residents of Lafayette through his passion for […]
Do These Trees Look Familiar?
Long time resident, Sue Cross brought this interesting bit of Lafayette history to our attention! In 1978 the temporary Lafayette Post Office was located in a trailer while the new (and current) Post Office building was under construction. In order to soften the look of the trailer four large pots with little trees were placed […]
Lafayette Historical Society iPhone App
Earlier this year we were approached by a Boy Scout who was preparing to do his Eagle Scout project. That young man was Marc Davis. He wanted to make an app for us that would allow people to use their smartphones to go on our walking tour of Lafayette landmarks. Recently, he completed that […]
Who is Mamie Joseph?
While looking through archives and databases at the Lafayette Historical Society, two photographs of a mystery woman have surfaced. One includes Mamie Joseph in a traditional class photo at the Moraga School, with all participants looking solemnly at the camera. Mamie is named with 17 other identified students, while three of her classmates remain unknown. […]
