Family History Essay Competition 2008 Antique Fair A Success by ...

Volume 20, Issue 6 JUNE, 2008
Family History Essay Competition 2008
by Daniel F. Murley
Tracing important incidents in their heritage, students
described the hardships, the humor and the human drama of
their families’ history. Immigrant tales and wartime heroics
received the attention of these, your writers. This exercise
in research and composition brought families together to
look at their shared experiences. The top essayists and their
friends, family and teachers gathered at the museum on
Wednesday, May 21, to receive their awards. The prize
winners were: Raoul Friedemann, Abigail Gonzaga,
Hannah Colombini, Julie Yparraguirre, Sassicaia
Dolan, Katie Greenan, Nicholas Hall, Natalie Justice and
Marita Wallace.
Prize-winning students and their families with
curator Dan Murley (lowest step on the left)
A grateful group was treated to the baked delights of Pam
Vana-Paxia and the hospitality of the Healdsburg Museum
Volunteer Association.
Antique Fair A Success by Bob Rawlins
The Memorial Day Antique Fair on the Plaza drew a
large crowd and the volunteers at the HM&HS table were
busy all day answering questions and selling a wide array
of furniture, paintings and collectibles of all sorts. We had
some unusual and seldom seen antique items and netted
over $1,400 in the sale of items plus $1,000 as co-sponsor
of the event. The weather was great and fun was had by all.
Al Loebel, Fran Schierenbeck, Pam Vana-Paxhia and I
met at 6 a.m. to set up our tables and were ready to go by
the time the first crush of dealers showed up. During the
day, Lea Gilg, Catherine Curtis, Ann Mahoney, De
Andersen, Margaret Frampton and Ed Head all helped
convince passers-by to buy our wares. And Ann Howard
helped our committee members at the end of day to box up
the unsold items for return to storage. Thanks to all for their
invaluable help. And a special thanks to Sonne Pedersen
and Jane Parker for valuing several dozen of quality items
and to Jon Lacaillade for a beautiful job of refinishing several
pieces of furniture which sold at good prices.
That's the good news. The not-so-good news is that the
cupboard is now considerably barer. The July sale takes
place on Sunday, July 6th, and we really need to restock
with collectibles, furniture, paintings, china and the
like. Call Bob Rawlins at 431-1109 if you have something
to donate, drop the items off at the Museum or call me for
pick up. If you no longer need it, whatever "it" is, we can
probably use "it" at the antique fair.
JUNE, 2008
2 HMVA Meeting, 9:30 am
18 Board Meeting, 9:30 am
25 "Brush with the Past," museum
exhibit opens, 4 to 6 pm
Calendar
JULY, 2008
6 Antique Fair, Plaza
7 HMVA Meeting, 9:30 am
16 Board Meeting, 9:30 am
23 "Buried Treasures Beneath the
Streets of San Francisco,"
Library, 6:30 pm
Healdsburg Museum
221 Matheson Street
Healdsburg, CA 95448
Telephone 707 431 3325 - Fax 707 473 4471
www.healdsburgmuseum.org
HealdsburgMuseum@sbcglobal.net
Museum Hours: 11:00 - 4:00 pm
Wednesday – Sunday,
CLOSED MONDAY and TUESDAY
Research Archives open by appointment:
Thursday – Saturday
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Curator’s Comments
by Curator Daniel F. Murley
Greetings from the ground floor!
When I first viewed the artifact collection on the day I
accepted the position of curator of the Museum, I was
drawn to the assemblage of framed artworks stacked in
various locations throughout the cramped storage space.
Detail, The Geysers by Maude Needham Latimer
While quickly flipping through pieces I paused and
lingered over one which caught my eye. In a matter of
moments, the attractive multi-media work was gently
dusted and hung on the wall over the desk where I have
worked for the last five years.
In preparation for the upcoming exhibit, A Brush
with the Past: The Historic Art of the Healdsburg
Museum, that lovely historic scene titled "The Geysers"
by Maude Needham Latimer has been carefully reframed
by Jill Plamann of Hammerfriar Custom Framing.
Jill Plamann with The Geysers
Jill was quite familiar with the Latimer name.
Lorenzo P. Latimer, the famous California watercolor
artist, was from Windsor and the son of Maude and
Lorenzo Dow Latimer, a well-respected local judge.
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Lorenzo P. oftentimes took time off from his work and
studio in San Francisco to visit his family on their
property along the Russian River. While an instructor at
the California School of Design in San Francisco, he
would assemble students near Healdsburg for painting
classes, En plein air in redwood groves or along creeks.
Views of the local hills and eastern mountains were
often the subjects of both Lorenzo P. and his students.
Many local women, the wives and daughters of
successful North Bay businessmen, studied under
Latimer and some of their paintings are part of
Healdsburg's collection. An opening reception for the
"Brush with the Past" exhibit will be held on
Wednesday, June 25, 2008 from 4PM to 6PM at the
Museum.
Research Report by Holly Hoods
In the past month, researchers from the Gibson,
Day, Dicke, Congelton, King, Gabney, McManus, Cook
and Mulgrew families have called, written and/or visited
the Healdsburg Museum. Several of them generously
shared their local family photos and genealogical
research, adding nicely to our historical collection.
Karen Hendricks, a Mulgrew and McManus descendant,
donated numerous Skaggs Springs post cards that she
purchased on EBay over the past few months. John
Mulgrew, her relative, managed the old Skaggs Springs
vacation resort at the turn of the 20 th century.
I especially enjoyed helping Nat and Jan Dodge
research upper Mill Creek Road and the Mill
Creek/Venado area for a family history they are
compiling. The Dodges promised to donate copies of
pictures of the area and of the Dodge and Harper
families.
Ray Owen came in recently to track down the
location of “Robber’s Rock,” a site in northern Sonoma
County where Sheriff Albert Crigler was shot and killed
by stagecoach robber Sam Allen in the 1870s. The
Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office intends to erect a
memorial plaque at each site where a sheriff was killed
in the line of duty, and Ray has been tasked with finding
the sites prior to 1900. Through microfilmed newspaper
articles in the Russian River Flag and Cloverdale: Then
and Now published history, we were able to track the
likely murder site to a location near Sulphur Creek on
Geysers Road at Pine Mountain Road. Jim Wagele of
the Cloverdale Historical Society confirmed the location
with local old timers, so Ray and I believe that we got it
right.
For my own research for an upcoming Russian
River Recorder article, I am seeking historical
photographs or stories of the old landmark redwood
trees, “Adam and Eve,” located in the hills at the east
end of Grant Avenue. I have found articles dating back
to the 1880s about these beloved trees, but surprisingly I

haven’t found any old photos in the Museum collection.
I know they’re out there. Please help me if you can.
HMVA News by Charlotte Anderson
Don’t forget to check out Ann Howard’s exhibit on
Geyserville. It is very comprehensive with lots of
annotated photos. You might even find yourself or a
long lost relative in the collection!
Thanks to Pam Vana-Paxhia for providing the juice
and cookies (and Eleanor Zak for cookies) for Dan’s
Family History Essay contest winners on May 21 st . It is
always a great event as the winners bring relatives and
friends with them.
NOTE: We have NEW POST CARDS, NOTE
CARDS, AND MUSEUM LOGO MUGS! The mugs
have stickers with inventory number and price, but the
post cards and notes do not. However, there is a
beautiful NEW updated Gift Shop List Master, located
in the “stand up” file on the right side of the desk, in
which you can find prices and inventory numbers of our
entire stock. PLEASE USE IT as our gift shop
committee needs to keep track of the inventory.
Sign ups for selling Instant Wine Cellar tickets at
the Saturday Farmers’ Markets are on the bulletin board
downstairs and at the Reception Desk. There are 14
mornings of selling this year. Surely you can do ONE!
Meet Your Members by Bob Rawlins
We continue our series on volunteers whose work is
vital to our plans and programs. Meet Louise Justin
Fowler, a member of the Administration Committee, a
key committee of HM&HS. When I called Louise to
arrange an interview, she said, "Oh, my life is not very
interesting." Actually, we had
a fascinating conversation.
Everyone has a story to tell.
Louise, one of eleven children
in her family, grew up in
Eureka, graduated from
Humboldt State University
with a BA in History and
worked for 6 years as
Secretary to the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors.
There she met her future husband, Terry Fowler, through
mutual friends.
In 1979, Louise moved to Lafayette in the Bay area,
then to Petaluma a year or so later to be closer to her job
at Victoria Station headquarters, a restaurant chain, for 5
years. After Louise and Terry married, she began
working for her husband who had a real estate
brokerage, insurance and bail bonds business based in
Santa Rosa. They moved to Healdsburg in 1987 and
moved to Westside Road in 1997. Louise obtained her
real estate agent’s license and also her bail agent’s
license and has always worked on both sides of the
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business. In her first appearance in court dressed in a
neat pink Nordstrom suit, the judge called her to the
bench to convince himself she really was a bail agent.
Louise is certainly not the prototype you see on TV. In
1999, the couple sold their bail business, but continued
with Fowler Associates real estate operations in
Healdsburg. Recently, they established Liberty Bail
Bonds with satellite offices in Santa Rosa and the
Central Valley.
Both Louise and Terry are active with a number of
local and state groups. She is a past president of
Westside School Board where their two sons attended
elementary school (and they now attend Healdsburg
High School). And did I mention that Louise’s sister,
Lorraine, is married to City Council member Gary Plass
and their parents, Marie and Louis Justin, are local
residents as well, active at the Senior Center and St.
John’s?
Our own Mel Amato met the Fowlers while
pitching for one of his special projects, and last year he
invited Louise to join the Admin Committee in order to
become more familiar with the day-to-day operations of
the museum. We welcome Louise’s business acumen
and experience, which are sure to be of benefit to
HM&HS.
From Barn Sale to Plaza Antique Fair - a
History by Charlottte Anderson
From Jim Fagan’s barn in Dry Creek to Archie
McAlpin’s Healdsburg Classics Antiques on Healdsburg
Ave. to tables in the Plaza, the Healdsburg Museum’s
“one person’s castoff is another person’s treasure” is
alive and well entering its 14 th year!
Jim Fagan's red barn
The Museum’s first “barn sale” was held on June 4
and 5, 1994, at Jim Fagan’s red barn on West Dry Creek
Road. Jim’s barn, an original 125-year-old timber frame
building was once part of the Paxton estate. Nanci
Gunnerson was co-chair with Jim. The second year, also
at Fagan’s barn with De Andersen co-chairing with Jim,
brought some changes: Bob Rawlins began collecting
and storing items ahead of time, the dates were set to be

after the 4 th of July and Friday was a preview from 5 to
7.
The Third Annual Barn Sale shifted to Archie
McAlpin’s Healdsburg Classics Antiques. The venue,
not quite as old as Fagan’s barn, was also somewhat
historic. The Quonset-type building was erected in 1946
with “priorities for materials granted by the
government.” The “modern facility will have an
attractive glass brick and glass front with 9,000 square
feet of floor space. Built on the property of L.D. Gilbert,
this is the first new building to be built on the main
thoroughfare in a number of years.” [Healdsburg
Tribune, July 26, 1946, p.1:2] This “Barn Sale” set a
precedent for having containers on site to store
collectibles ahead of time and for having a “big tag
item,” the first being Persis and Jack McCarley’s
Chrysler LeBaron 4-door sedan.
Over the next few years, the event kept growing:
the preview parties were being sponsored by members,
storage trailers were donated, trucks for pick ups were
loaned, and the Salvation Army came in at the end and
“cleaned up remainders.” In 2003, 2004 and 2005,
Sundays were added but closing around 1 p.m. The days
seemed to be getting hotter, the volunteers actually were
getting older, and the end results were diminishing. The
Barn Sale had become too labor intensive for the returns.
Thus it was that in 2006 there was no Barn Sale.
There were calls from locals wondering when pick ups
were going to be made and sadness over a long time
event being discontinued. Therefore, in 2007 Bob
Rawlins (who had dutifully been storing our antiques),
Al Loebel, Pam Vana-Paxhia, and Charlotte Anderson,
representing the Museum, took part in the first of three
large antique sales in the Plaza. We had linen-covered
tables on which were displayed some of our finest
collectibles. Although Bob is still hauling, storing, and
displaying our wares, the intensity has lessened, our
tables are in the shade outdoors in the Plaza, and we take
Visa!
A Hot, Cool and Warm Langhart Dinner
by Joe Norton
It was 100 degrees when
we gathered for the 15 th
Annual Langhart Award
dinner honoring Kent
Mitchell. The Vintners Inn
has a beautiful patio but the
elegant Ballroom is air
conditioned, so most of the
champagne sipping and hors
d’oeuvre nibbling was done
inside.
There were many
familiar faces, including past honorees June Smith,
Norbert Babin, Bob Rawlins, Barbara Baxter, Eleanor
Zak, Catherine Curtis, De Andersen, Charlotte Anderson
and BJ Green. Kent’s long Healdsburg history drew
some newcomers to the festivities; including a
delegation from City Hall – Lisa Schaffner, Mike
McGuire, Eric Ziedrich and Chet Wystepek.
Ann Mahoney was down with the Healdsburg Flu
but Al Loebel had the tux and talent to step in as M.C.
He introduced Mark Gleason who introduced Kent with
a humorous account of some serious community service
the two of them have done together over the last 20
years. Kent’s gracious acceptance speech opened with
his acknowledgement of his 94 year old mother, Lyla,
who was present–stylishly dressed and smiling radiantly.
Bob Rawlins and Catherine Curtis
Kent reviewed the development of the Museum
and Historical Society as a significant source of
community spirit. He recalled his involvement in several
events; most notably the Healdsburg History video
presentation that filled the Raven Theatre for four
performances and Healdsburg’s 150 th Anniversary
Celebration last year.
It was the sort of heart-warming evening that makes
us glad to be living in Healdsburg and proud to
participate in Museum celebrations.
Joe Norton, Janet Norton, and Frank Zak (left to right)
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In remembrance of:
Endowment Fund Contributions:
To Be Continued Next Month
Welcome New Members:
Daniel Campbell, Brian Clary, Mike & Betty Bellagio,
Elizabeth Engelke Johnson
New Book Titles by Daniel F. Murley
In an effort to provide our membership access to
quality publications, the Museum store has recently
stocked its shelves with some new and some classic
books on California history. A recent publication, which
I personally recommend is, Chief Marin: Leader, Rebel,
and Legend by Betty Goerke.
Marin’s life contains events which shaped the future of
Native culture in the North Bay.
Other titles include:
- Life in a California Mission: The Journals of Jean
Francois de LaPerouse,
- General Vallejo and the Advent of the Americans,
- The Golden Game: The Story of California Baseball.
This book describes a time of contact and change
for the Coast Miwok people and their responses to those
explorers, missionaries and settlers who came to Marin
and Sonoma at the beginning of the 19 th century. Chief
Board of Directors: Ann Mahoney (President), Jim Brush (Vice President), Al Loebel (Past President), Kay Robinson (Recording
Secretary), Chris Baldenhofer (Treasurer), Stan Becker (Assist. Treas.), Mel Amato, Charlotte Anderson, John Cross, Anna Darden,
Vince Dougherty, Mark Gleason, Carla Howell, Dan Maraviglia, Joe Norton, Jan Pisenti, Bob Rawlins, Pam Vana-Paxhia, Frank
Zak.
The mission of the Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society is to record the history of the Healdsburg area through the
collection and preservation of historical materials; to actively foster the appreciation of local history of the Healdsburg
area through educational programs, activities and historical research; and to provide finances for, and to support,
operate and manage the Healdsburg Museum, Edwin Langhart, Founder.
Membership Dues:
Harmon Heald: $1000 Josefa Carrillo: $500 Edwin Langhart: $250 Gold: $100 Family (2 or more): $40
Business: $75 Individual: $25
Newsletter Editor: Barry Stallard, Printing by Amoruso
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