President ’ s Message
News & Notes
President ’ s Message
By Pamela Baird MVHA President
So much history !
One advantage of having so many small cities on the peninsula is that each community has a unique history that residents want to chronicle , preserve and display . Instead of larger cities that may not detail local history on a more minute level , smaller cities can save and share history made in small increments .
This newsletter is published four times a year by the MOUNTAIN VIEW HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION P . O . Box 252 , Mountain View , CA 94042 www . mountainviewhistorical . org
MVHA Board of Directors
President : Pamela Baird Vice-President : Robert Cox Secretary : Jamil Shaikh Treasurer : Melissa Rusch Past President : Nicholas Perry Historical Data : Gill Lane Membership : Lisa Garcia Newsletter : John Cortez Director-at-Large : Carol Donahue Director-at-Large : IdaRose Sylvester Director-at-Large : Vacant
Newsletter Design & Layout by Nicholas Perry
MVHA Board of Directors Email : info @ mountainviewhistorical . org
Pamela Baird
Better yet , many local cities have small museums ( sometimes located in historic properties ), or history centers located in public buildings ( the Mountain View History Center is located in the Library ). Board member Carol Donahue and I recently visited the New Museum in Los Gatos . The facility is located in the former city library building . Last year the museum opened a Los Gatos History Project section . The museum has done a great job of detailing the founding of the city , local colorful characters and a timeline of events . This exhibit closes December 31 and is worth a visit . For more information see : www . numulosgatos . org / exhibitions-2 / 2022 / lghpuncovering-untold-stories .
A recent visit to the San Mateo County History Museum in Redwood City was a real treat . The restored 1910 courthouse contains both permanent and changing exhibits . The history of the county is well detailed . If you plan to visit , allow several hours to view everything . The building is a real architectural gem with a dome filled with beautiful stained glass panels and a mosaic tile floor . The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . For more information visit : www . historysmc . org / exhibits
New Museum of Los Gatos
San Mateo County History Museum Dome
Closer to us is the Los Altos History Museum . This great resource contains a wonderful interactive permanent exhibit covering the local history of Los Altos ( and some of Mountain View as well ). The upcoming exhibit ( November 9-February 25 , 2024 ) will provide fun viewing : the history of El Camino Real To learn more , visit : www . losaltoshistory . org / exhibit / el-camino-real /.
Our neighbor to the north , Palo Alto , will soon have its own museum facility . Their collection will be displayed in the historic Roth Building , designed by the respected architect Birge Clark . The museum is a public-private partnership with the City of Palo Alto . It is planned to open by the end of 2024 . For more information visit : www . paloaltohistorymuseum . org / themuseum .
There are many other options for learning about the history of the surrounding area . Whatever the source , there is much that can be learned by a visit to an actual location or sitting at your computer visiting websites . So , start searching , it ’ s so interesting what one can learn !
— Pamela 2