Martinez Museum

In the first photo here, Alex Galicia continues mopping the finish on the newly-installed, filled and sanded Library floor at the Martinez Museum. Then a second coat was applied to the floor. And the next photo shows the beautiful, final result.

After the newly installed hardwood in the Library of the Martinez Museum has been nailed down, had the gaps & nail holes filled and has been sanded, it is time to apply the top coat -- a synthetic varnish in a satin sheen.

There are many steps required for installing the hardwood floor in the Martinez Museum Library. After the filler is spread over the new floor to fill the nail holes and gaps, it is allowed to dry. Then it must be sanded off before the floor can be varnished.

Now that the new floor boards in the Martinez Museum Library have been installed, the nail holes and cracks between the wood strips must be filled with oak-colored putty.

Here is the newly installed red oak floor in the Martinez Museum Library. It is looking great but there are more steps required to complete the job: nailing, filling (the nail holes and cracks), sanding, sealing and varnishing.

When conversion of the kitchen at the Martinez Museum into a storage room is complete, the material on the floor that Volunteer Kathy Braun is assessing will be moved into the new storage area. The Historical Society would be delighted if you were able to contribute to the fund for reflooring the library, the kitchen conversion, roof repairs, new back door, and new piping at the Museum by clicking here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/renovate-the-martinez-museum

A stack of archive boxes in the Museum Library will be moved into the former kitchen which is being converted into a storage room. That will free up working space in the Library. And volunteers like Kathy Yates (pictured below) will once again be able to reach the items on the shelves behind.

Replacing the worn-out linoleum in the Library of the Museum requires a decision on whether to use modern vinyl -- or installing the same hardwood used in the rest of the building. However, though the internet contains many beautiful examples of period linoleum, finding a modern day supplier is nearly impossible.

Volunteer John Curtis is crouching on the deteriorated linoleum in the Library of the Martinez Museum. When fundraising is complete, the linoleum will be replaced with hard wood or new vinyl flooring. The floor levels between the dining room and the library must be matched to avoid creating a tripping hazard.

The linoleum floor of the Library in the back of the Martinez Museum is worn out with holes in several places -- as pointed out by volunteer Keith Park. The GoFundMe campaign that has been set up will provide the funds to replace the linoleum. https://www.gofundme.com/f/renovate-the-martinez-museum...

The Martinez Historical Society would like to ask if you can support our fundraising campaign to renovate the back rooms in the Martinez Museum. Please visit this link for more information on how you can help: https://www.gofundme.com/f/renovate-the-martinez-museum...

Martinez Museum now open, by Appointment! Dear Martinez, we are pleased to inform all lovers of history and house museums that the beloved Martinez Museum (100...5 Escobar St, downtown Martinez) is now open by appointment. To schedule a visit, please contact Museum Director Andrea Blachman by email at [email protected], or by phone at (925) 387-5385 Thank you for your continued support, Martinez!

Calling all Martinez Historians! We invite all Martinez individuals --- families, adults, children, business people, frontline and essential workers, first-resp...onders, etc. --- to help us record life in Martinez during the 2020 Coronavirus/Shelter-in-Place Your contributions will be saved in the Martinez Museum and shared with visitors to the museum interested in learning about these strange times. On one side of an 8.5 x 11 inch piece of paper please draw, paint, sketch or create a collage that shows: 1. What your day looked like during the Shelter-in-Place 2. What you missed most during the Shelter-in-Place 3. What you liked best about Shelter-in-Place 4. What was the best/worst/strangest thing that happened to you 5. What your summer plans look like 6. What you look forward to after the Shelter-in-Place is over 7. Anything else about life during the Pandemic Shelter-in-Place that you’d like to share Suggestions: Photographs of activities, cartoon-like sketches, collage, sketch or drawing of life during the Shelter-in-Place, etc. On the other side of the 8x10 piece of paper please record your memories and/or thoughts about life during the Shelter-in-Place. Write a narrative, a poem, a song or a story about your experiences during the 2020 Pandemic/Shelter-in-Place. Please include your name and age and send your documentation of Life in Martinez During the 2020 Pandemic Shelter-in-Place to: Martinez Museum PO Box 14, Martinez, CA 94553 Thank you!

Dear Martinez citizens, far and wide: if you had planned to purchase your own copy of the recently published (and spectacularly popular) new cookbook "A Little ...of This and a Little of That", for an Easter or Mother's Day gift for a loved one, but the global slowdown has prevented you visiting our local business to do so: fear not, cookbooks can still be purchase remotely! Cookbook co-author Mary Goodman says anyone wishing to purchase a copy can do so by contacting her at the number or email below. This is a cookbook that we are sure you will not want to miss out on, as it features a dazzling variety of decades-old family recipes from Martinez residents, truly a one-of-a-kind book that the Martinez Historical Society is proud to promote. Mary says that "We decided on the name because that’s the way Martinez cooked! It’s a culinary peek into the history of our town." Cookbooks are $20 each and are currently available by calling Mary Goodman at 916-893-8648, or email at [email protected] During these anxious weeks of sheltering-in-place, what better way to pass the time than cooking? You are sure to find a new favorite recipe in "A Little of This and a Little of That"!

Dear Martinez Museum docents and visitors, After consulting with the President of the Martinez Historical Society, it is with regret that we have made the decis...ion to close the Martinez Museum due to the current Coronavirus pandemic situation. The Martinez Museum will be closed effective Friday, March 13, 2020, until further notice. However, we will be open by appointment so that researchers and out-of-town visitors can have access to our research library and the museum during the Covid-19 crisis. People interested in making an appointment to visit the museum can do so by calling Andrea Blachman at 925.387.5385 or sending an email message to [email protected].

For anyone who remembers Downtown Martinez the way it used to be, or for the recently arrived who would like to know more about our historic business district: ...there is a new display at the Martinez Museum in the Olden Days room entitled "Downtown!" which you must see! The Museum is located in the historic Borland Home at 1005 Escobar Street, in Downtown Martinez. This new exhibit is a celebration of the vibrant and lively Martinez business area over the years. We have used photographs and a few artifacts to highlight the types of businesses located in downtown Martinez, where they were located and where that information is available. We hope that the display will bring back happy memories of shopping in the many Martinez stores. We are encouraging docents and visitors to record their memories of shopping Downtown in a memory book that is available near the display. In addition to the photos in the Olden Days Room, we have scattered photos of many of the downtown businesses in the 3 rooms downstairs.

The Martinez Museum Needs Volunteers! Do you love History, Martinez, and helping visitors make the connection between the two? If so please consider becoming a ...volunteer at the Martinez Museum, located at 1005 Escobar Street in downtown Martinez. The Museum is a showcase for our rich local history and is entirely volunteer-run. For more information on how to become a Martinez Museum Volunteer please contact Mary Goodman at [email protected], or 916-893-8648