Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society

Museum volunteer Jim Dreisback kindly assisted ED/Curator Holly Hoods by bringing his tall ladder to take down a large basket that was suspended from the gallery ceiling. Made from twined willow, this enormous Pomo granary basket dates to c.1880. We took it down so that the edge can be repaired by an experienced Native basketweaver. The utilitarian basket will be one of many styles and shapes displayed in our collaborative 8 month-exhibition, "From Diggers Bend to River Rock: the People and History of Dry Creek Rancheria," opening at the Healdsburg Museum in September 2021.

Any Geyserville history fans out there? We sure are! The Bosworth & Son Store (home of the Geyserville Museum) posts Geyserville pictures and history. We are currently enjoying their series of posts on street names. Make sure to give them a like to see their future posts! #History #Geyserville #GeyservilleHistory #SonomaCountyHistory

In honor of National Library Week, April 4 - 10, 2021, we salute our wonderful colleagues at the Healdsburg Regional Library and the Sonoma County Library. We share this Dec 25,1902 Healdsburg Tribune article about the modernization of the Healdsburg Library, then located in the original City Hall: The Healdsburg Public Library is being reorganized and put on an up-to-date footing. The trustees several weeks ago engaged Mrs. Mary D. Graebe, who is assistant cataloguer at the ...Stanford University, to introduce modern methods in the library, and the lady is doing splendid work. She is classifying the entire library, in all the details necessary to put it in systematic order. One feature will be a new loan system, and books are being called in now in order to make this change. In this system each book will contain a pocket, and as it stands on the shelf it will have a card in the pocket. The borrower’s card is also in the form of a pocket, and when a book taken out the card is transferred to the borrower’s case, and this is filed by the librarian. By this means the librarian can ascertain with ease where any book is that is out of the library and when it should be returned. The classification system is that originated by Mr. Dewey of the New York State library school; and is known as the decimal classification. Under this system the books are arranged ten general heads, 000 standing for general works, periodicals, etc., 100 philosophy, 200 religion, 300 sociology, 400 philology, 500 natural science, 600 useful arts, 700 fine arts, 800 literature, 900 history. This does not include fiction, which stands by itself, and is arranged alphabetically by author, the works of each author being in turn arranged alphabetically. The juvenile books have been segregated and will be arranged by themselves in accordance with the above classification. More than one hundred new books have been added to this department. A card catalogue will be one of the features of the new arrangement. Each book will be entered under the author and title, also under the subject, if of sufficient importance. These cards will be arranged alphabetically, like the words in a dictionary, and for this reason it is called a "dictionary catalogue." One consignment of new books has arrived, and the others that have been ordered will soon arrive and will be catalogued by Mrs. Graebe before she finishes her labors here. She is instructing Mrs. Leard in the details of the new system, and without doubt the patrons of the library will be greatly pleased with the result of her work. Several new movable book stands have been ordered, to permit the better arrangement of the library under the new system. Newspaper files have also been purchased, and it is the intention of the Board to preserve files of the local papers, binding them in permanent form from year to year. These files will form valuable historical data of the progress of the city in the future.

Jim and Meredith Dreisback, Kay Robinson and Holly Hoods had a great morning yesterday volunteering at Oak Mound Cemetery. Our Museum team created and added a QR code to the map kiosk at the entrance to the cemetery, so visitors with cell phones can now scan the code to go right to the Healdsburg Museum webpage for gravesite information. (Pictured) The four of us worked on marking numbers on the concrete around the graves. It's a multi-step process. Not too hard, and the work... is productive and rewarding. When it's safer to gather, as our County opens up, we will coordinate with the cemetery owners to schedule a couple of weed whacking and tree trimming days. As you may or may not know, our City's cemetery is privately owned. The old sections are not Endowed. Many of these graves have no local relatives to maintain them. We pitch in because we care about the ancestors of our historic community. If you'd like to support our efforts at Oak Mound Cemetery by donating to the Healdsburg Museum Oak Mound Cemetery fund or by volunteering, please email [email protected] or leave a message at 431-3325.

Happy Passover (Chag Sameach), Happy Easter, Happy Spring!

On November 1, 1945, the first issue of EBONY magazine was published. Founded by John H. Johnson, this publication pioneered the representation of Black America in the mainstream media. In 1954, Smith Robinson of Healdsburg was highlighted in EBONY for his outstanding leadership in the local community (population 4,000) and his outreach to the Adopted First Battalion of the 7th Army Infantry. Seeing our recent post about "Smitty" Robinson for Black History Month, Melinda La...nghart Hill just shared this copy of the EBONY magazine from her parents' collection, autographed by Smith himself. Thanks, Melinda! #BlackHistoryMonth #healdsburghistory #ebonymag

Jim Mulligan, descendant of early residents Cyrus Alexander and Rufina Lucero de Alexander for whom Alexander Valley is named, has just donated a valuable edition of the 1877 New Historical Atlas of Sonoma County, CA. This atlas is a treasure of local historical maps and lithographic illustrations of 19th Century Sonoma County. Pictured is the illustration of the "Rufina Alexander ranch" from the atlas (after Cyrus Alexander died in 1872) and an undated later photo from the Museum collection of Rufina and four of her children including Margarita (Margaret) Mulligan. We'll value the atlas even more for its connection with the Alexanders and Mulligans. Thank you, Jim Mulligan.

Black History Month has prompted us to dig deeper into the lives of Healdsburg’s early Black residents. We discovered that (at least) two early former residents of Healdsburg, Alexander G. Denison, and William H. Harper, attended the Colored Conventions of California. The first Convention of the Colored Citizens of the State of California was held in Sacramento over three days in November 1855. The meeting was attended by 49 people representing Black residents from 10 Califo...Continue reading

We love museums!!! If you feel similarly, you can be an advocate by reaching out to your legislators to let them know that you value museums! Remember, they represent you. Follow link in bio to access various letter templates and find your representatives. Today on Museum Advocacy Day, 600 museum advocates are urging Congress to support sustained funding for museums in crisis due to pandemic-related closures. Add your voice.... #Museums #MuseumsAdvocacy #MuseumsAdvocacy2021 #MuseumsMatter #Healdsburg #HealdsburgMuseum See more

Sharing some history from our friends in Geyserville:

Our 2021 Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society Board was voted on and elected in January. We held our first Board meeting by Zoom this week. Grateful to work with these talented and caring community members. Top row: President Jon Eisenberg, Asst. Treasurer Bob Pennypacker, Rich Passalacqua, Treasurer PJ Lenz, Bo Simons Center: Kim Lloyd, Jerry Eddinger, Past President Eric Ziedrich, Anita Kratka ... Bottom Row: Aleena Decker, Secretary Kay Robinson, Lockie Gillies, Vice President Susan Sheehy

Evidently February 18th has been declared "National Drink Wine Day." People have been drinking wine in Healdsburg for generations without even knowing there was a special day for it! We'll celebrate with a shoutout to historic Simi Winery. Simi Winery ("Montepulciano") was the very first winery to establish a Tasting Room in Healdsburg. Opened by Fred and Isabelle Simi Haigh in 1934, after Repeal of Prohibition in 1933, the Tasting Room resembled a huge wine barrel. Photos courtesy Healdsburg Museum Collection.

December 10th, 2020 marks the centennial anniversary of Sonoma County's last lynching. Explore this monumental event in Healdsburg and Sonoma County's history in our new digital exhibition, "Crime of the Century: The Lynching of 1920." Visit healdsburgmuseum.org/digital-exhibition

Sharing a heartfelt and historic message from our new vice mayor Ozvaldo Jimenez. Congratulations to our new City Council members Ariel Kelley and Skylaer Pilacios. Kudos and big thanks to outgoing Council members Joe Naujokas and Shaun Mc Caffery for their outstanding dedication and service. **********************************************... Healdsburg community, Tonight, we all wore white to honor and recognize the suffrage movement for the struggle of women's right to vote. Our council is now governed by a female majority and its truly telling of the shift in our small town of Healdsburg. I am grateful for the commitment to service that our outgoing council members Joe Naujokas and Shaun McCaffery have served. They were and will always be part of my first city council. I also want to thank David Hagele for his motion to support Evelyn Mitchell as Mayor and myself as Vice Mayor. I never would have thought in 6 months I would have been nominated by my colleagues for such a position. I am in apreciation and gratitude to them for believing in me. I have worked hard and diligently for our Healdsburg and now as Vice Mayor I will continue to work even harder for you all. Looking forward to working in collaboration with Ariel Kelley and Skylaer Palacios you all are the future and I so much look forward to working with you both. The future is female! Best, Vice Mayor Ozzy Jimenez of Healdsburg He/ Him/ El

Happy Repeal Day! This photo shows the celebration at Italian Swiss Colony winery, rejoicing at the news of Repeal of Prohibition. Prohibition lasted from 1919 - 1933. Repeal of Prohibition in the U.S. was accomplished with the passage of the 21st Amendment to the Constitution on December 5, 1933. Cheers. We're sure you can figure out some way to commemorate this day in history.

Hurray! Today is a milestone birthday for Diane (Schmidt) Carriger, our dear friend and longstanding, outstanding Museum volunteer. Diane is the 2017 Recipient of the Langhart volunteer appreciation award for all that she has done to enrich our organization. She is a star. Diane is involved in nearly every aspect of the Museum and Historical Society activities. Her ancestors have lived in Dry Creek Valley since 1856. Diane's involvement with the Museum has been adapted to home-based projects while we are coping with COVID closure. We sure miss seeing her and our volunteers in person. Please send your warmest happiest wishes her way on her birthday. We love you, Diane.

One hundred years ago today, Sonoma County Sheriff James Petray was killed in Santa Rosa with two other lawmen while attempting to arrest three dangerous fugitives from San Francisco. The men, George Boyd, Terry Fiits and Charles Valento, members of the notorious Howard Street gang, were subsequently arrested and jailed for kidnapping and gang rapes. However they did not live to see justice at the hands of the court system. Instead they were pulled from the County Jail in the... night five days later and lynched in the Sant Rosa Rural Cemetery by a group of masked men. This was the last lynching in Sonoma County. No one was ever charged in the murders. The unknown perpetrators were widely viewed as heroes. Sheriff Petray was a beloved Healdsburg pioneer resident whose death was avenged by his loyal Healdsburg friends. The centennial anniversary of the Crime of the Century is this month. The Healdsburg Museum will present a virtual exhibition on December 10th, the anniversary of the lynching. Stay tuned.

"Farm to Pantry" is an organized community of volunteers dedicated to providing fresh, healthy and affordable food to everyone. Some gleaners from Farm to Pantry arrived yesterday morning to pick excess persimmons to share with local families. They gleaned 266 lbs of persimmons from one backyard tree. Happy that good fruit won't go to waste. If you have produce that you can share or want to learn more, visit farmtopantry.org. #farmtopantry #gleaning