In the early 1930s, Rudolph Franke purchased 10-plus acres in Happy Valley near where Los Arabis Road is today. The property was initially used as a summer retreat. Mr. Franke later added a pool, a pavilion for hosting larger parties, and then built a year-round family home in 1937. Additional parts of the original Franke […]
Oral History: Bill Wakeman
Bill’s parents bought land in the center of Lafayette and built a house in 1918. In this interview he talks about growing up here in the 1920’s and early 1930’s. Lafayette School was easy to get to, but after that he had to take the Sacramento Northern train to Mount Diablo High School in Concord. […]
Oral History: Fern Powell Davis – September 14th, 1976
Summary: An Interview with Fern Powell Davis by Angela Broadhead and Bronwen Heuer. Mrs. Davis, a retired teacher and school librarian, talks of the 1930′s, 1940′s and 1950′s in Lafayette. Mrs. Davis was born on March 17, 1899; she was interviewed in her home on Sept. 14, 1976. Oral History: Q: Fern, The Lafayette Historical […]
From the Archives: LHS Potluck, April 12th, 1977 (Lou Borghesani and Mickey Meyers)
Summary: Lafayette in the 1930s and 1940s – speech by Mickey Meyers and Lou Borghesani to the Lafayette Historical Society, April 12, 1977. Transcript: LHS Annual Potluck 4-12-77 Mickey Meyers (Introduction by Lou Repetto) Lou Repetto: We have with us tonight two gentlemen whom I’ve had the pleasure of knowing for 28 years… that’s my […]
