Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Vallejo's Movie Palaces


The Hanlon Theater at 414 Virginia Street was built in 1920 and was one of Vallejo’s most popular movie theaters for nearly 35 years. In this 1949 photo, the Hanlon featured the Oscar winning WWII classic Battleground, starring Van Johnson. The Hanlon Theater later closed after a fire and the building was then used as a warehouse. Eventually the building was torn down and replaced by a parking lot.

Vallejo movie palaces opened and closed and underwent frequent name changes over the years. In addition to the Hanlon, other movie houses in Vallejo included the Marval, the Fox Senator, the Victory, the Rita, the Empress, the El Rey, the Valmar, and the Strand. All of Vallejo’s downtown movie theaters are long gone, with the exception of the historic Empress Theater, built in 1911 and recently renovated.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

The Glory of the Garden


Rudyard Kipling’s poem “The Glory of the Garden” sets the theme for this year’s Vallejo Garden Tour, sponsored by the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum and the Vallejo Beautification Advisory Commission The tour will be held on Sunday, May 18, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Nine gardens splashed with color, imagination and personality will be featured on this year’s tour. This year, Master Gardeners will be available at some of the gardens, as well as at the Museum, to answer questions and provide helpful gardening hints.

A delicious buffet luncheon will be served at the Museum from 12:00 to 4:00 as part of the tour. Tickets for “The Glory of the Garden” are $30 for the general public and $25 for Museum members and are available at the Vallejo Museum 734 Marin Street or at Zoey June Gift & Garden, 1426 Tennessee Street, in Vallejo. For more information call (707) 643-0077 or visit www.vallejogardentour.com.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Current Exhibit: Beyond the Badge


The Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum’s current exhibit, “Beyond the Badge,” has been drawing enthusiastic visitors since its opening in late January. The exhibit offers an up-close look at the Vallejo Police Force using historical archives and freshly created artwork. These paintings, photographs, photo essays and rarely seen artifacts help visitors explore the human dimensions of the very important job of police work.

Visit the exhibit and spend a moment of reflection at a replica of the City's Memorial to its fallen heroes; see the stories of the Vallejo Police Department’s trailblazers; learn about the K-9 Corps, and much, much more. Major portions of the exhibit change every 3 to 6 weeks to cover new material, so repeat visits will reveal something new each time.

Special “Citizen Participation Days’ are held on the third Saturday of each month during the exhibit. The programs feature interesting demonstrations and candid talks on issues of interest to the average citizen. They also offer a great opportunity to get informed, ask questions, and express your concerns. Each session will begin with a 20 to 40 minute introduction by one of the Police staff, followed by 30 to 60 minutes of audience participation: questions and answers, demonstrations, or projects. “Beyond the Badge” continues through June 28th in the museum’s Hall of History. For more information about the exhibit visit www.vpdbeyondthebadge.com. The museum is located at 734 Marin Street in Vallejo, California.

Upcoming programs include:
Saturday, May 17th – “Internal Affairs” 1:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 21st – “Recruitment” 1:00 p.m.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

USS Preston (DD 379)


On this date in 1936 the destroyer USS Preston (DD 379) was launched at the Mare Island Navy Yard. She was the second ship launched at Mare Island within a two-month period, following her sister ship USS Smith. Just before 3:00 p.m. on April 22nd Mrs. Edward Hale Campbell of San Francisco christened the ship and the 1,500-ton destroyer slid down the ways. The Vallejo Times-Herald described the scene:

“The crowd stood in admiration as the navy yard’s latest addition to the Navy’s fighting forces afloat started down the ways. As her stern hit the water, cheers broke from the crowd.”

When USS Preston was launched the United States was in the depths of the Great Depression. Fortunately for the city of Vallejo, Mare Island remained active throughout those dark years, building or repairing destroyers, cruisers, submarines, tugs, and a variety of other vessels.

USS Preston served in the Pacific for her entire career. At the outbreak of WWII she was assigned patrol and escort duties. In November 1942, during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, she was one of four destroyers escorting the battleships USS Washington and USS South Dakota. The Preston was hit by enemy fire and sank, carrying 116 crew members to their deaths.

You can learn more about USS Preston at the U.S. Naval Historical Center’s website: www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-p/dd379.htm or at “Tin Can Sailors: The National Association of Destroyer Veterans” www.destroyers.org/index.html.

Friday, April 18, 2008

The Great Earthquake of 1906


Today marks the 102nd anniversary of the great San Francisco Earthquake. The earthquake and subsequent fire devastated much of San Francisco and the damage was also extensive in Vallejo that day– although fortunately there was no loss of life here. The Vallejo Evening Chronicle for April 18, 1906 reported the following:

“The worst temblor ever experienced in our city occurred at 5:12 a.m., the shock lasting fifty seconds, being from west to east, and doing great damage to property. There was a second shock at 5:15 o’clock, but a mild one, lasting only two seconds. A third slight shock occurred at 8 o’clock. The shock was felt most severely and did the greater part of the damage on the elevated portions of the city, especially on York Street and upper Virginia Street. Residents were generally alarmed, and rushed from their homes in terror, parents carrying their little ones out of the swaying buildings. We give below a record, so far as yet learned, of the damage done.”

At Doyles’ Marble Works

“Doyle Bros’. marble works [at the corner of Florida Street and Sonoma Blvd.] suffered severe damage, many handsome monuments being broken, and the financial loss will be about $1,000.”

Vallejo Residences

“Chris Mangold’s residence on the corner of Virginia and Alameda Streets was badly damaged, a chimney falling on the roof and destroying a portion of it, part of the residence having to be rebuilt. On the other corners of the junction of the same streets, occupied by B.F. Griffin and Mrs. Donnelly chimneys fell but, falling outward, caused no damage to the dwellings. Chimneys fell at the residents on York Street of Messrs. Weniger, Casper, Kneass, Mrs. Diedrichson, Mrs. Holly, Mrs. E.V. Peary, Messrs. A. Alvord and W.A. Jones. George Weniger’s two chimneys fell and the walls of the residence were badly cracked, and some valuable vases in the parlor destroyed, the piano was moved by the shock two feet from the wall. Part of the cement walk in the yard is destroyed by the chimney falling.”

“At Mr. Casper’s residence the falling chimney struck the roof over the kitchen, forcing the rafters through the ceiling. Chimneys also fell at the residences of Messrs. Shortridge, Hussey, Cooper and two at Mr. Davidson’s residence. The chimney at J.H. Thoreson’s residence, corner of Sonoma and Georgia Streets, fell and damaged the roof. Three houses on Kentucky Street lost chimneys and the residence of Mrs. Holleran, corner of Ohio and Sonoma Streets, was damaged by a falling chimney. Charles Rule’s new residence on Capitol Street is badly damaged. Mr. Stiles’ home, 838 Kentucky Street, is very badly damaged inside. V.V. Harrier’s flats lost a chimney.”

“At the Orphans’ Home two chimneys fell, one coming through the porch. At the residence of Mrs. E.V. Peary, 714 York Street, there was a narrow escape from death. Mrs. Ballard, who is taking care of the house during the absence of Mrs. Peary, snatched her little girl and Mildred Peary up and went to the back door, and as they went out the chimney fell with a crash, the bricks falling within a few inches of Mrs. Ballard and the children. Many chimneys were twisted on their residences and the brick masons will have a harvest the next few weeks, the probable total amount of damage here amounting to about $500.”

On Mare Island

“The joiner shop was badly shaken up on the navy yard, and when the employees went to work this morning they were dismissed for the day, as a thorough survey of the buildings will be made. The boat shop was also badly shaken, and the employees were sent back. The big chimney on the foundry was twisted.”

“Many stores in the business portion [of Vallejo] had their contents thrown off the shelves, but the shock was not so much as on the elevated portions of the city. The Irvington and New Bernard Hotels, however, received a good shaking up.”

***********************************************************

Sailors and Marines from Mare Island were quickly dispatched to aid the residents of San Francisco. The torpedo-boat destroyer USS Preble and the tugs Active, Leslie and Sotoyomo headed to San Francisco where their crews valiantly battled fires, rescued the injured, and attempted to keep order. Lieutenant Frederick Freeman later wrote an amazing eyewitness account of their efforts which can be read at the Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco’s website at http://www.sfmuseum.net/1906/usn.html.

By April 19th hundreds of refugees from San Francisco were arriving in Vallejo by ferry. The refugees were housed at the Naval YMCA on Santa Clara Street, at the old Pavilion at the corner of Georgia and Sutter Streets, and in a makeshift camp at City Park. The Vallejo newspaper continued with extensive coverage of the quake and its aftermath, including publishing lists of refugees who had relocated to Vallejo. Some of those displaced families, having lost their homes in San Francisco, remained in Vallejo and started new lives here.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Monticello Wharf


In 1906, passengers disembarking from ferries at the foot of Georgia Street in Vallejo could catch an electric train at the Monticello Wharf and ride as far north as Yountville in the Napa Valley. By 1912 the route was extended to Calistoga and the electric trains eventually made as many as ten round trips a day between Vallejo and cities to the north. From the wharf, the tracks ran up the center of Georgia Street, turned left on Sonoma Boulevard, and continued north to Napa. Electric interurban train service ended in 1937.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Vallejo Garden Tour - Coming Soon!


Rudyard Kipling’s poem “The Glory of the Garden” sets the theme for this year’s Vallejo Garden Tour, sponsored by the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum and the Vallejo Beautification Advisory Commission The tour will be held on Sunday, May 18, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Nine gardens splashed with color, imagination and personality will be featured on this year’s tour. The cascading waters of fountains and waterfalls, soothing ponds alive with Koi, a fanciful teapot house, mermaids in a tropical setting, and inviting gazebos are a “must see” for any gardening enthusiast.

In his poem, Kipling glorifies a garden that travels beyond the colors and perfumes that are seen only on the surface. The poem reminds us of the constant planning, maintenance, dirt under the fingernails, and endless “on the knees” work it takes to bring the pleasure and artistry of a garden to life.

This year, Master Gardeners will be available at some of the gardens, as well as at the Museum, to answer questions and provide helpful gardening hints.

A delicious buffet luncheon will be served at the Museum from 12:00 to 4:00 as part of the tour. Tickets for “The Glory of the Garden” are $30 for the general public and $25 for Museum members and are available at the Vallejo Museum 734 Marin Street or at Zoey June Gift & Garden, 1426 Tennessee Street, in Vallejo. For more information call (707) 643-0077 or visit www.vallejogardentour.com.

WHAT: 2008 Vallejo Garden Tour – “The Glory of the Garden”

WHEN: Sunday, May 18, 2008 10:00 to 4:00

PRICE: $30 general public, $25 for Museum members, includes buffet reception.

CONTACT: Jim Kern, Executive Director (707) 643-0077 or valmuse@pacbell.net

All proceeds benefit the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum

Friday, April 11, 2008

Cosmorama in Vallejo, 1868

An unusual form of entertainment was enjoyed by Vallejaons 140 years ago this week. On April 11, 1868 the Vallejo Weekly Chronicle ran the following short article:

WAX FIGURES – "Alexandri & Co. have been exhibiting during the past week wax figures and cosmoramic views, to the people of Vallejo. We were the recipients of tickets from the gentlemanly proprietors, through the medium of the urbane town crier, and availed ourselves of the opportunity offered and visited the show. After looking at the different figures, we attempted to take a squint at the cosmoramic department, but there were so many children that seemed so eager to see, we refrained from disturbing them, and, after amusing ourselves by playing the organ-grinder for a few minutes, we gently left."

Cosmoramas were a popular form of amusement in the Victorian era. They featured diorama-style depictions of historic events or exotic places, often viewed through a special lense and dramatically lighted to create a more realistic effect. The Cosmorama on Regent Street in London was a popular attraction and P.T. Barnum's American Museum in New York featured a Cosmorama Room. Unfortunately, the Vallejo newspaper does not describe the subject matter of the cosmorama enjoyed by Vallejoans in 1868.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Launching of the USS Chicago on April 10, 1930


On this day in 1930 nearly 25,000 people gathered along the Vallejo waterfront, gazing across the Mare Island Channel to witness the launching of the heavy cruiser USS Chicago. Meanwhile, at the Mare Island Navy Yard, another 2,000 specially invited guests got a closer view of the launching as Miss Elizabeth Britten christened the ship, sending her down the ways into the channel at precisely 11:05 a.m. Miss Britten was the sister of Illinois Congressman Fred Britten, chairman of the House Naval Affairs Committee. Since it was Prohibition, the huge ship was christened with a bottle of cider.

USS Chicago was the first of two heavy cruisers built at Mare Island. The second, USS San Francisco, would be launched three years later. Although the ship was named after the Windy City, officials from San Francisco also took a proud role in this important Bay Area launching. San Francisco Mayor James Rolph nearly upstaged the official ceremony with his arrival at Mare Island. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Rolph “made a spectacular but brief visit here for the launching. He arrived by airplane just in time to join the party of distinguished guests on the platform before the Chicago left the ways, and sped away again as soon as the ceremonies were over.”

Photographs and other information about USS Chicago can be found at http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/029/04029.htm.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Vallejo's Waterfront in the 1930s



Vallejo had a thriving waterfront in the early decades of the twentieth century. This photograph shows the intersection of Georgia and Santa Clara Streets, looking west. By the mid 1930s the city's population was about 30,000. Although the Great Depression put thousands out of work nationwide, Vallejo fared much better due to the steady flow of work at the Mare Island Navy Yard. In the '30s Vallejo referred to itself as "the City of Cash" because of the large federal payroll at Mare Island.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Trouble in the Garden

From the Vallejo Evening Chronicle April 5 & 6, 1871

Cabbage Vermin - “The failure of the cabbage crop was a severe disappointment to Teutonic appetites, last year, but the current year promises no more favorably for this vegetable. Specimens have been exhibited in this office of portions of the leaves of this plant which are covered with the ova of what are known as cabbage lice. These vermin in myriads commit their depredations upon the cabbage, riddle the leaves and absorb all the juices, leaving it a bare skeleton, unpalatable and unfit for culinary purposes. The drought, also, dwarfs the growth, and prevents the heads from filling out. The German luxury, sauerkraut, bids fair to be a costly dish in this latitude from all indications.”

The Crop Prospect – “With much solicitude all classes of population in the State have watched the seasons lately, the fact having been painfully forced upon the public mind that short crops were threatened unless bounteous rains fell about the time of the vernal equinox. They did not come, as was so generally prayed for, and in many localities it is reported that there is no hope now for the grain crop.”

Friday, April 4, 2008

Welcome


The Vallejo Museum Blog comes to you from the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum in Vallejo, California. Vallejo was founded as California's state capital and for 142 years the city was the home of the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. The Vallejo Museum Blog is a place to tell stories about the history of Vallejo and Mare Island, and to share news about exhibits and events at the Museum. As we like to say at the Vallejo Museum, "History Involves You!" so feel free to join in the discussion if you have an interesting historical tale to tell.