Community Outreach Program

As part of the City of Vallejo's Participatory Budgeting process, the Museum is seeking funding to implement a three-part community outreach program that will increase awareness among Vallejoans about the city’s past and the important contributions made by many of our city’s residents.

The first part of the project consists of the design and fabrication of ten “pop-up” exhibit panels that will be loaned to local schools, community centers, senior residence facilities, libraries, retail centers, churches, Farmers Markets, City festivals, or other high-traffic areas of the city. These panels will reflect ten different themes of Vallejo and Mare Island history and will be designed for either “stand-alone” use or in combination with each other. The themes selected for the first ten panels include: 1) Vallejo as California’s state capital, 2) Founding of the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, 3) Vallejo’s Hispanic Heritage, 4) Growth of Vallejo’s African American community, 5) Filipino Immigration, 6) History of Vallejo’s schools, 7) Vallejo transportation history, 8) Vallejo sports history, 9) Mare Island’s role in World War Two, 10) Vallejo’s wartime defense housing communities. 

These ten themes were selected because they reflect the areas of greatest interest expressed by visitors to the Museum. The pop-up banners will be approximately 3’ X 6 ½ ‘. They are portable and free standing, requiring no installation hardware or technical expertise by the borrower.

The second part of the project consists of three portable display cases that will contain artifacts (or reproductions) reflecting themes of Vallejo and Mare Island history. Topics of these cases can be changed to suit the locations where they are placed or the event where they are used. The topics may also augment one or more of the banner themes described above. These locked exhibit cases will also be available for loan and display at the types of locations described above.

The final part of the project will allow local residents to share their stories via oral history recordings. The Museum will purchase digital audio and video recorders which will be used to gather oral histories at community events like Juneteenth, Pista Sa Nayon, etc. or at senior citizens facilities, veterans’ organizations, schools, or other locations. More extensive oral history recordings also can be done at the Museum, in a more controlled setting. Oral history recordings can often augment written records or fill in gaps in the community’s history. They provide first-person recollections and can be used as a bridge between older and younger generations. Capturing the stories of Vallejoans will insure that their history will be preserved at the Museum for the benefit of future generations. These recordings can be loaned to schools or churches with school services for educational enrichment programs.                        Total Project Cost:   $29,413

The War of 1812: Ships from the Age of Sail

The years 2012 through 2014 mark the 200^th anniversary of the War of 1812, a war      that tested America’s resolve against Great Britain and guaranteed our young nation’s independence. The War of 1812 was also primarily a naval war, with battles in the      Atlantic, the Great Lakes and, most significantly, in Baltimore Harbor, where Francis     Scott Key was inspired to write “The Star Spangled Banner.”

The Vallejo Naval and Historical     Museum’s newest exhibit features        18 paintings of warships and naval engagements from the War of 1812.      The paintings are the work of artist     Hans Skalagard, whose paintings depicting ships of World War Two’s      North Atlantic convoys were exhibited      at the Museum several years ago.

Hans Skalagard is a world renowned marine painter, who has been described as a “living legend” by art critics. A descendant of Vikings, Skalagard was born in the Faeroe Islands of Denmark in 1924. He began painting at the age of 8, and by the age      of 14 began to carry on the family’s seafaring tradition, becoming an apprentice seaman      on a square rigged ship. Thus, he began the experiences that allowed him to create accurate paintings of such ships.

Hans grew in experience and served on merchant ships during World War II convoys. He survived the sinking of four ships in six years during the War, enabling him to draw on 

these experiences and paint the series of ten “North Atlantic Convoy Scenes” which were previously exhibited at the Museum.

Hans initially moved to the United States in 1943 but returned to Denmark after the war   to study at the Royal Academy in Copenhagen.  In New York, he had a one man show        in 1954, where he had studied with the marine painter, Anton Otto Fisher. In 1955, Skalagard became an American citizen and soon after married his wife Mignon, who    became his business manager.

In 1961, his works were exhibited at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco.  He remained    in California, becoming a fixture in his Carmel gallery, “Skalagard’s Square-Rigger”.

Skalagard has had numerous one man shows both in the United States and in Europe and his paintings hang in many public buildings. Examples of such locations include the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, the Los Angeles County Maritime Museum, the Allen Knight Maritime Museum in Monterey, and galleries in Norway, Denmark and his    native Faeroe Islands.  His paintings are owned by collectors world over and he is the       holder of six gold medals for his work.

Hans spent over thirty years at sea and his paintings accurately reflect this knowledge     of sailing ships and the weather at sea. At age 89, Mr. Skalagard is still actively painting    at this date and currently, with his wife Mignon, resides in Petaluma. “The War of 1812: Ships from the Age of Sail” continues through June 29 in the Museum’s Hall of History.

Rear Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan 1890-1942

Seventy years ago today Rear Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan was killed in action aboard the heavy cruiser USS San Francisco during the Night Battle of Guadalcanal. 

During the night of November 12-13, 1942, Callaghan’s task force of 13 ships, with Rear Admiral Norman Scott as second in command on the light cruiser USS Atlanta, engaged a Japanese armada of 17 warships, including 2 enemy battleships. Admiral Callaghan and his flag staff were on board the San Francisco during the fierce fighting. During the battle both Callaghan and Scott were killed when direct hits destroyed the bridges of their respective flagships. The Captain of the USS San Francisco, Cassin Young, was also killed.

As the highest ranking surviving officer, Lieutenant Commander Herbert Schonland assumed command of the ship. Lieutenant Commander Bruce McCandless conned the ship from the immediate battle area. Callaghan, Schonland, McCandless, and Boatswain’s Mate 1^st class Rheinhardt Keppler would later receive the Medal of Honor for their actions during the battle. The awards to Callaghan and Keppler were posthumous. Rheinhardt Keppler’s Medal of Honor is on permanent display at the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum.

During the battle 107 men aboard the USS San Francisco lost their lives. After returning to Mare Island for repairs the ship returned to the war zone and played an important role throughout the rest of World War Two. 

Daniel J. Callaghan and Norman Scott are the only two admirals to lose their lives in surface ship combat in U.S. Navy history. The battle damaged bridge of the USS San Francisco stands today in the city of San Francisco as a permanent monument to the ship and her crew. In Vallejo, Admiral Callaghan Lane was named in honor of the Rear Admiral.

Vallejo Garden Tour 2012: New Beginnings

      “New Beginnings” is the theme for the ninth annual Vallejo Garden Tour scheduled for Sunday, May 20^th from 10:00 to 3:00.  Garden Tour organ- izers are highlighting the theme of rejuvenation and raising awareness about Vallejo’s “New Beginnings” after the past few difficult and challenging years.  Focusing on the future, positive growth, and a fresh start, the gardens on this year’s Tour are truly exceptional. 

      Tour participants will be inspired by gardens   that bloom year- round, and by an 1800 square    foot “deck garden” that grows so much food using built-in planters and garden pots that the family    has to freeze, can,  or give away many of their vegetables.  Another garden is set in Vallejo’s old downtown and features two separate grassy areas that look real but are actually environmentally reinvented faux grass secured with shredded tires!  Yet another garden began life as solid concrete.  The gardener got tired of amending the clay soil and producing bonsai plants so they built raised garden beds and now every year their garden produces food for the entire neighborhood!  Or you may find yourself at the garden on the hill with Tahoe rock and a tiered deck that includes carefully placed “doggie” areas for two French Bulldogs who make themselves at home under the canopies next to the hot tub!  There is something on this year’s Tour for everyone.  Purchase your tickets early because the Tour is sure to be a sell out. 

       The Vallejo Garden Tour is the largest annual fundraiser to benefit the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum.  Advance tickets are $30 for the general public and $25 for Museum members.  All tickets on the day of the Tour are $35. A buffet luncheon is part of the price of admission and is served from 11:30 to 2:30 at the Museum.  While waiting to be seated at the luncheon, Tour guests and the general public can stroll through the nearly 30 + vendors who will be set up in a Garden Faire along the street in front of the Museum selling their wares. 

        Tickets may be purchased at Zoey June Gift and Garden, 1426 Tennessee Street, the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum, 734 Marin St., Mid-City Nursery, 3635 Broadway in American Canyon, and at the Vallejo Convention and Visitors Bureau, located at the Vallejo Ferry Terminal.

Vallejo's Last Civil War Veteran Dies

On this day in 1939 the last Civil War veteran living in Vallejo passed away at age 92. This is how the Vallejo Evening Chronicle reported the story:

   "Vallejo's last remaining veteran of the Civil War - Nelson W. Brown, 92 - succumbed to a short illness today at the Vallejo General Hospital, where he had been undergoing treatment for the last week.
   "A native of Mansfield, Penn., Mr. Brown had made his home in Vallejo for years, and took an active part in fraternal affairs. He was the husband of the late Julia W. Brown, the father of Mrs. J.S. Jewett of Carson City, Nev., and the grandfather of Mrs. Juanita M. Nichols of Tremontan, Utah, and Mrs. May Harlan of Van Nuys, Calif.
   "He was a past noble grand of the Odd fellows, No. 7, of Seattle, Wash.; a member of the silver star chapter, No. 3, O.E.S., of Porter Post, No. 169, of Oakland, and of the G.A.R. No. 30.
   Funeral Services will be conducted at 11 o'clock Friday morning at the J.J. McDonald Mortuary by Henry W. Lawton Camp, No. 1, United Spanish War Veterans, assisted by Rev. Charles G. Zierk of the Methodist Church. Interment will be made in the Presidio National Cemetery in San Francisco.
   "Brown was born in Mansfield, Tioga County, in the north central part of Pennsylvania, on March 4, 1847. His parents were farmers.
   "When the war broke out, he enlisted with his brothers in the Union army, giving his age as 18 although he says he did not look it. He really was only 16 but at the moment recruiting officers were not so particular as he remembers.
   "He was assigned to the same company as an older brother, Company E of the Fifth New York Heavy Artillery, serving with the First Brigade of the Second Division in Virginia throughout the war.
                      
      In Harper Battle

    "He saw action at Harper's battle and saw 26 of his comrades  shot down by Confederate bullets.
    "During the first days of the war one of his brothers died from poisoning in a plot which was laid to a Union colonel charged with placing calomel in his men's meat.
   "Brown was mustered out in June, 1865, at Harper's ferry, receiving an honorable discharge. Later he came to California, moving to Vallejo in 1900, where he entered the sheet metal shop at Mare Island navy yard. He was retired May 28, 1913.
    "From 1913 to1915, he moved to Oakland, where he was married and later separated.
    "He was a member of D.D. Porter Post, No. 169 G.A.R. in Oakland, and an honorary member of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars.

"Gone With The Wind" Premiers in Vallejo

The world premier of the classic film "Gone With The Wind" was held in Atlanta in December, 1939. But in smaller cities like Vallejo, the movie didn't open until early 1940. On this date in 1940 "Gone With The Wind" had its Vallejo premier at the Hanlon Theater on Virginia Street. The next day, Vallejo Times-Herald reporter Will Stevens described the event:

    "Quite a few Vallejo folks who for quite a few good reasons weren't in Atlanta the night "Gone With The Wind" opened there - and might have later wondered how the show, Vivien Leigh, Hattie McDaniel, Victor Fleming and half a dozen other GWTWers grabbed all those first place Oscars - last night got a chance to discover the reasons for themselves.

    "Reviewing the show now, after the millions of words written following its premier, would be almost like telling the people who won the Civil War. Everybody knows who won the Civil War. And everybody knows that "Gone With The Wind" is perhaps the greatest picture ever filmed.

    "Inasmuch as this was the same show that made the folks and all the critics rave in Atlanta, it remains only to record here that no startling or sensationally newsworthy changes were apparent in the show's premier at the Hanlon last night. It's still the same "Gone With The Wind."

    The continuity since the Atlanta premier hasn't been changed to make the South victorious. Vivien Leigh is still playing Scarlett O'Hara just as though she were really Scarlett O'Hara and not Vivien Leigh at all. And Clark Gable, the old rascal, is still playing Rhett Butler.

    "The boys down in Hollywood haven't shoved another Union general into Sherman's place, and Hattie McDaniel is still playing "Mammy" with perspiring gusto and infinite charm.

    "And amid scenes of breathless beauty, in technicolor, Olivia de Haviland's Melanie makes everybody love her and hate Scarlett worse than they hated her in Margaret Mitchell's book, and Leslie Howard's job on Ashley Wilkes is the same excellent job that everybody saw in the Atlanta premier.

    "In fact, it would seem necessary at this time to merely record what everybody must have known at this time; that "Gone With The Wind" is at the Hanlon, on schedule, and will remain for a week, with most of the big crowd that saw it last night already planning to see it again."

USS Wahoo (SS 238)

On this date in 1942 the submarine USS Wahoo (SS 238) was launched at Mare Island. Wahoo was the first sub launched at the Shipyard following the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Vallejo Times-Herald reported on the launching:

“Mare Island Navy Yard wrote new history [today]. A very dramatic history, too, with the launching of its first submarine since the declaration of war – the first submarine launched from the new building ways – the first submarine in the U.S. Navy to bear the name USS Wahoo.

“Nor did the sturdy Wahoo’s ‘firsts’ escape the notice of Rear Admiral W. L. Friedell, commandant, who told assembled guests and workmen during the launch-ing ceremonies: ‘With so many firsts to her credit, we may rest assured that Wahoo’s officers and men will see to it that she is first in the performance of her missions and first in her credits for enemy craft.’

“It was another perfect launching for Mare Island. One second, gay flags flying over her decks, the Wahoo was poised high on the ways beside her sister ship, the Whale… another second and beautifully, down sailed Wahoo to the waters of Mare Island channel.”