Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum

We are in the middle of National Cherry Month! Here is a view of the Tikvica fruit stand in Sunnyvale, circa 1939. Nick Tikvica immigrated from Croatia in 1908 and built a successful business shipping Sunnyvale cherries all over the U.S. The museum remains closed, but we are preserving historical photos for posterity.

Happy Chinese New Year! These cups are part of the museum's permanent exhibit about businesses on Murphy Avenue. The Tao Tao Restaurant is one of the longest-existing businesses on that downtown street. The museum remains closed, but Murphy Avenue restaurants are open for outdoor dining while the street is closed to traffic.

February is National Cherry Month! The Tikvica family from Croatia became famous for their "fancy pack" cherries, which they shipped all over the U.S. from their orchard in Sunnyvale. Here is a photo of Nick Tikvica and cherry pickers in 1915. The museum remains closed, but we are preserving Sunnyvale history.

Today is National Bubble Gum Day! In 2017, the museum hosted a special exhibit of Chinese bubblegum card artwork from the private collection of local resident Cynthia Liu, see below. Her father, Mei Wu, was the first person in Taiwan to commercially produce bubble gum. Wu commissioned artist Lian Ji Jing to create illustrations from classic Chinese literature for collectable cards that were included with the gum packages. The museum remains closed, but our website includes photos from this exhibit on this page: https://heritageparkmuseum.org//prog/chinese-bubblegum-art

Today is World Wetlands Day! Sunnyvale's wetlands along the Bay are a mix of tidal brackish water and fresh water from streams and rain. Speaking of which, we have rain at last! The plants in the museum flower beds are soaking up the water. Ranunculus, pansies, cyclamen, and camellias are in bloom, as is the magnolia tree at the side entrance. The museum remains closed, but the grounds are open during daylight hours. Wear a mask and keep your distance from those not in your household.

Whether it is glassware, china, silver, jewelry, or other precious items you would like to donate to the museum, please CALL FIRST. Since the pandemic caused us to cancel two garage sales in 2020, we have been short of storage space. Call 408-749-0220 and leave a message, or email us at [email protected] if you have treasures for our collections.

Just one week until the Museum Store will reopen! The layout inside the store has been reconfigured to create more space for safe, distanced shopping. You will find a plethora of books as well as unique gift items for children and adults alike. The Museum Store will be open on Thursdays and Sundays from 1pm to 4pm starting November 5th.

Today is Navy Day! For years, Moffett Field Naval Air Station was a fixture in Sunnyvale! The poster for the last air show at Moffett was part of our temporary exhibit "Early Milestones of Moffett Field" in 2013. The museum remains closed, but the museum store will be open on Thursdays and Sundays from 1pm to 4pm from November 5th on.

Today is National Canning Day! This undated photo shows the Libby's Cannery in Sunnyvale in the early 20th century. Canning the locally grown fruit was the most important industry in Sunnyvale at that time. This photo was on display at the special Cannery Workers Reception that was hosted by the museum in February 2018 during the special exhibit "Canneries of Sunnyvale". The museum remains closed, but the museum store is opening on November 5th for socially distant shopping. The store will then be open on Thursdays and Sundays from 1pm to 4pm, so please plan on visiting!

The museum store has been expanded into the foyer to ensure a safe shopping experience with ample space for social distancing. The store will be open on Thursdays and Sundays from 1pm to 4pm from November 5th on. Remember to bring a mask!

October is National Apple Month! In the Holiday Sale of our museum store, you can find treasures like this apple baking dish. The store will be open on Thursdays and Sundays from 1pm to 4pm from November 5th onwards.

October is American Archives Month! This photo from before the pandemic shows volunteers cataloging and archiving museum artifacts. This work has slowed down during the pandemic, but the space has been redesigned to allow for distanced research activities, and we are still accepting historical artifact donations by reservation. The best way to contact us is by email: [email protected]

Today is Indigenous Peoples' Day. The City of Sunnyvale occupies land that used to belong to the Ohlone people. You will find this collection of locally excavated Ohlone artifacts on display in our Mural Room once the museum is open again. The museum remains closed, but our collection is preserved.

Christmas in October?! - Not quite yet, but the volunteers in the museum store are getting ready to open for business on November 5th! Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks. The museum is still closed to visitors, but the store will have limited opening hours for your holiday shopping.

This is World Space Week! These models of Lockheed missiles are on display in our permanent collection. Sunnyvale was at the center for development of the early space program in the U.S. The museum remains closed, but we are preserving our collection for future visitors!

This week is National Newspaper Week! The Sunnyvale Daily Standard started publishing their paper in 1959. The September 14, 1959 front page features mainly articles directly concerning the community. Click on the photo to enlarge it if you want to read all the details. The museum remains closed, but our team of volunteer archivists continue to protect Sunnyvale history for you.

October is National Pizza Month! This photo from our archives shows DJ's Pizza at 176 Murphy Avenue, ca. 1960. Today, Gumba's Pizza continues the tradition of pizza baking in downtown Sunnyvale at the same location. The museum remains closed, but we keep preserving history for future generations.

Today is National Lace Day! The lace tablecloth on the dining table in the museum's permanent exhibit came all the way from Ireland. It is one of the many pieces descendants of the Murphys donated to the museum for its collections to illustrate life at Bay View Ranch The museum remains closed for now, but our artifacts are kept safe for when we can allow visitors again.

Today is the 12th anniversary of the museum dedication ceremony! Sunnyvale City Mayor Tony Spitaleri and Museum Director Laura Babcock were cutting the ribbon on September 27, 2008. The museum remains closed to the public, but we are getting ready for limited numbers of visitors.

Today is World Pharmacists Day! This undated photo shows Padre Pharmacy on Murphy Ave. in Sunnyvale. The museum remains closed, but we are still working to preserve Sunnyvale history for future generations!