MAGNA CARTA AT THE REAGAN LIBRARY HOLDS AN EXTRA SURPRISE

The Colonel, Lord Cornwallis' Company - The 33rd Regiment of Foot, Inc.

I just saw one of the best historical reenactment groups in western America. They are at the Ronald Reagan Library this weekend. Go see the Magna Carta and plan on lots of time to see these excellent historical figures.
Check out their website for a preview: http://www.33rdfoot.org/

The Museum of the San Fernando Valley, in the heart of the Creative Capital of the World, deserves a great Museum of history and culture.

10 REASONS TO TAKE A WALKING TOUR WITH THE MUSEUM OF THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

Phyllis Hansen shares with us:

Top 10 Reasons to Tour with your Museum of the San Fernando Valley

10. Finding fun, grass-roots things to do is what 2009 is all about.
9. It’s affordable.
8. It’s worthwhile; you’ll be benefiting a local organization.
7. The docents are extremely knowledgeable AND entertaining.
6. You won’t believe all the awesome history in your own backyard.
5. The San Fernando Valley has an amazing past.
4. You’ll get fresh air and exercise.
3. You’ll meet some new friends.
2. You’ll go home with a wad of trivia to impress your friends.
1. Because there’s a there there.

MESSAGE FROM LA HERITAGE ALLIANCE

Dear L.A. Heritage Day Participating Organizations-
Congratulations on your efforts to make L.A. Heritage Day a huge
success! Each of your groups added to the energy that brought out over
850 attendees (though some would estimate closer to 1000!) that
visited the Heritage Square Museum's grounds. We had two informative
panel discussions that drew over 30 participants, and though it may
have been a bit windy, the rain subsided and the day was welcoming to
all attendees!

Based on the initial feedback found on the surveys and in
conversations from you, participating groups found the event very
positive, and we will build on the things that made this event
successful to host another, even better event next year! For example,
based on the inspiration of booths like those of Alhambra
Preservation, Point Fermin Lighthouse, and MANY others, we'll be
offering a resource sheet on how to set up an "outreach booth" as well
as offer prizes for the best booths next year! (Look for more
information later in 2009 on that aspect of the day.)

A special thanks again goes out to my fellow steering committee
members -- Carmela Gomes of Highland Park Heritage Trust, Laura Meyers
of West Adams Heritage, Cindy Olnick of The Los Angeles Conservancy,
Brian Sheridan of Heritage Square Museum, and Valerie Yaros of
Hollywood Heritage -- and the L.A.H.D. sponsors: Project Restore,
Preservation Arts, and Spectra Company.

The L.A. Heritage Alliance will continue to update you with news and
resources and provide programs to assist your organizations based on
the feedback from the survey forms you all completed. Volunteers,
Fundraising, Marketing, and Web Presence continue to be the stand-out
issues of need, so look for programs and tips in the near future on
these topics. Also, please keep in touch with us with other needs your
organization might have that we can work on together as the heritage
community of Los Angeles.

Planning starts again soon for next year's L.A. Heritage Day, so if
you're interested in being a part of this growing event, please let me
know so we can start working together to preserve and promote our
shared Los Angeles heritage!

Sincerely, JOHN

John Bwarie,
Coordinator,
L.A. Heritage Alliance
laheritage.blogspot.com

THE MUSEUM OF THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY ARCHIVES FRATERNITY AND SORORITY RECORDS

Phi Delta Psi Membership Card - Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley - Gift of Vic Salerno (click on image to enlarge)

Fraternities and sororities were a very serious matter on college campuses in the 1950s and 60s. The Psi Delta Psi Fraternity had chapters at LA Valley and Pierce Colleges, San Fernando Valley State College (CSUN) and LA City College. Later on, the organization had chapters at Moorpark College and Virginia Institute of Technology.
The Museum of the San Fernando Valley archives the history and memorabilia of these organizations.

LAist blogs The Museum of the San Fernando Valley

Here's an LAist take on The Museum of the San Fernando Valley's booth this last Sunday at LA Heritage Day. Check out LAist and its editior Zach Behrens at
http://www.zachbehrens.com/wordpress/index.php

"On Sunday at LA Heritage Day, when over 60 local historical groups gathered at Heritage Square, one of the most crowded booths was from the Museum of the San Fernando Valley. The museum's president, Jerry Fecht, displayed hundreds of historical postcards drawing people to see what their Valley home looked like before massive development.
Fecht mentioned he had a blog that he's been running since March of 2007. It's a treasure trove of visual beauty and history of the Valley. The above one particularly piqued our interest. It's the Cahuenga Pass between what now Hollywood and the Universal City area where the 101 Freeway and Metro Red Line subway runs below. The photo shows the construction of the Pacific Electric Railway (yes the Red Car system) expanding towards the Valley. That was 1911, not even 100 years ago."

THE MUSEUM OF THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY MEETS WED. MARCH 25TH

2009 - The Year of Valley History
Historic Porter Hotel - San Fernando City - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Gary Fredburg 2009. (click on image to enlarge)

The Board of Directors and Board of Advisors of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley will meet on
Wednesday 25 March, 2009
Executive Committee: 5 PM until 6 PM
Full Board Meeting: 6 PM until 8 PM

Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley Building
5121 Van Nuys Blvd # 200 Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

Information: 1 (818) 347-9665

The San Fernando Valley, in the heart of the Creative Capital of the World, deserves a great Museum of history and culture.

MUSEUM'S POSTCARD TREASURES - A BIG HIT AT L.A. HERITAGE ALLIANCE DAY

2009 - The Year of Valley History
Special thanks to Fred Berk, Librarian of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley, and to Gary Fredburg, Vice President of The Museum for acquiring the vintage postcards and creating the special display for L.A. Heritage Day on March 22. The display was so effective that The Museum's booth was never empty during the 5 hour exhibition
Historic Postcard Display - Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley - photo by John Bwarie 2009 (click on image to enlarge)

Street at Heritage Square by Fred Berk 2009. (click on image to enlarge)

Jerry Fecht, president of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley, mans The Museum's booth on L.A. Heritage Alliance Day. It was a cold, windy day, so we placed the historic postcards display flat on the table.

Thanks to Richard Hilton for purchasing, and setting up the canopy over The Museum's display. More than 35 visitors to our booth signed up to learn about future walking tours of The Museum. People were amazed to learn about the NoHo historic area of Los Angeles.

Museum Development Director, Michael Stevens provided brochures about The Museum for our successful time at Heritage Square.

The San Fernando Valley, in the heart of the Creative Center of the World, deserves a great Museum of history and culture.

LA HERITAGE DAY WAS A HUGE SUCCESS!

Pacoima Wash - Gift by Gary Fredburg to the historic postcard collection of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley (click on image to enlarge)

The San Fernando Valley and all of Southern California salutes the L.A. Heritage Day Steering Committee for the Second Heritage Day on March 22, 2009 on the grounds of the Heritage Square Museum. Special thanks to John Bwarie of the L.A. Heritage Alliance, and to: Camela Gomes of the Highland Park Heritage Trust, Laura Meers of the West Adams Heritage, Cindy Olnick of the Los Angeles Conservancy, Brian Sheriday of the Heritage Square Musuem and Valerie Yaros of Hollywood Heritage.

Thanks Heritage Alliance for offering The Museum of the San Fernando Valley and our partners in The Economic Alliance the opportunity to be a part of this outstanding event!

GARY FREDBURG'S WONDERFUL DISCOVERY!

2009 - The Year of Valley History
Searching for San Fernando Valley history and examples of our vast community's culture, is a never ending effort by your Museum Community. Among our greatest champions is Gary Fredburg of Burbank, California. Enjoy his most recent find and gift to your Museum, "The Lankershim Walnut Postcard."
You can join Gary and others by being on the lookout for San Fernando Valley memorabilia and helping The Museum preserve and share our history for generations to come.
Message side of historic Lankershim Walnuts postcard - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Gary Fredburg 2009 (click on image to enlarge)
Postmark: June 4, 1910
To: Miss B.E. Wilcox - Smith Street, Ridgeway, Pennsylvania
"You see here about $3000 worth of English walnuts. This street where these wagons are standing is called Wilcox Avenue and named in memory of Father Wilcox. Cecil"

Shipping Walnuts - Lankershim, California (click on image to enlarge)
Published Exclusively for Weddington Brothers - Lankershim California (later - North Hollywood)
by Newman Postcard Company - Los Angeles - Printed in Germany

Become part of The Museum Community today. Call to become the history detective who learns about the Wilcox family in Pennsylvania. Help us discover more about Father Wilcox, and the Wilcox General Store in old time Lankershim. The first hotel in the Valley was named the Cecil, after Cecil Wilcox. Call today to put on your investigator's hat - 1 (818) 347-9665

The San Fernando Valley, in the heart of the Creative Capital of the World, deserves a great Museum of history and culture.

PLAY DETECTIVE FOR THE MUSEUM OF THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

Steven B. Barnes and Dorr C. Shreves of the Toluca Lake Rotary Club. - Hollywood Citizen News - date unknown (click on image to enlarge)

Just for the fun and education of it, here's your chance to become a Museum detective. See how much you can help your Museum discover about these men, their time in the Rotary and the old time Hollywood Citizen News

CIVIL WAR ARTIFACTS GROW IN ARCHIVES OF THE MUSEUM OF THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

Bird's Eye View of Murfreesboro, Tenn - historic postcard - Gift to the Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley by Gerald Fecht 2009. (click on image to enlarge)
This historic postcard was among the records of longtime resident of North Hollywood, Katherine Shreves. Dated April 20, 1918, the card was given by James E. Moss (one of the famous Civil War "Three Jims" veterans). Moss had fought at Murfreesboro, Tennessee during the War of the Rebellion. He was Katherine's grandfather.
The image, in the Civil War records of The Museum, is important for many reasons, one of which concerns the survival of Civil War and other records from areas outside of the San Fernando Valley that migrated here along with descendants of eastern Americans.

BIG HERITAGE DAY EVENT

The 2nd Annual L.A. Heritage Day is quickly approaching. Make plans to
attend the event on Sunday, March 22, 2009 from 11am to 4pm (if you
haven't already). You can check out the updated list of over 60
participating organizations at www.laheritage.blogspot.com.

The event is free and open to the public, so you are encouraged to
spread the word to your board members, general members, coworkers,
family, and friends. Post the "free admission flyer" to your website,
or email it out to your list. Don't keep our heritage a secret; spread
the word! The flyer can be found at
http://heritagesquare.blogspot.com/2009/03/ed-reyes-shows-support-for-la-heritage.html

There will be special presentations, family-friendly activities, and
food available for purchase. No one should miss this event to
celebrate our collective Los Angeles heritage. L.A. Heritage Day
offers something for everyone: historic homes; a scavenger hunt and
other activities for kids and families; panel discussions about
culture, preservation, and tips for promoting local heritage; and the
chance to learn about a variety of local preservation organizations,
museums, and historical societies.

PHOTOS CREATE VALLEY HISTORY

Lake Balboa - Digital photo by Fred Berk 2009 (click on image to enlarge)

Fred Berk, Librarian of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley, took this digital photograph at Lake Balboa on our recent stormy day. The photo has been electronically stored as part of your Museum's on-going history of arts and culture in the Valley.
If you would like to share your photos of the greater San Fernando Valley or life in Southern California, send them along (with your permission to use the image, to The Museum.
The Museum also accepts historic photographs, documents and post cards of the Valley. Be a part of history - join The Museum community today.
jerry@anchoreducation.com

The San Fernando Valley, in the heart of the Creative Center of the World, deserves a great Museum of history and culture.

CORRECTION ON CAMPO DE CAHUENGA POSTING

THE HOUSE WASN'T CAMPO DE CAHUENGA

A message from Richard Bogy:

"Hi Jerry….actually, the photo card of the Campo on the Museum website is definitely not the Campo….in fact, it is the Rancho Verdugo in Glendale, where stood the “Tree of Peace”, where legend has it the terms of the articles of capitulation where negotiated two days before the signing.
By the time that photo was taken the actual campo building was in complete ruins. We know that from several oral histories. I have a photo of my family taken in 1898 at what they note to be the Campo and the building is a partially collapsed tile roof and bare adobe stones only about chest high. The building in the postcard does not match the Campo footprints. The time-line is wrong, and the positioning of the building is also wrong to both the road and the hill.
The notation on the card is wrong. What is the house actually….it is the Rancho Verdugo (close to Glendale College ). .... It still stands looking exactly as it does in the photo and with the same hill still behind it.
Why the confusion, you ask? The Rancho Verdugo is the site of the “Oak” or “Tree of Peace”. It is believed that at the Rancho – under the oak – the articles were negotiated two days before the signing. At the turn of the 20th Century, the “tree of peace” was a popular attraction and seen as almost as important as the Campo, but it is all but forgotten now. The tree died and collapsed in the 1970’s, but pieces still remain and a plaque still graces the place where the “treaty” of Camp de Cahuenga was penciled.

100 YEAR OLD IMAGE OF CAMPO DE CAHUENGA DISCOVERED

Treaty of Peace Adobe 1907 - collection of Fred Berk - Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley 2009 (click on image to enlarge)
Campo de Cahuenga 1907 - Historic postcard collection - Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley. Gift from Fred Berk 2009 (click on image to enlarge)
While preparing for The Museum's upcoming historic postcard exhibit, this priceless image of Campo de Cahuenga's original adobe was discover by Fred Berk, The Museum's Librarian.

The caption of this 102 year old postcard reads:
"Adobe House where Treaty of Peace between United States and Mexico was signed. House is over 100 years old. Hollywood, Cal" It was postmarked 21 August 1907
"Dot. tell when you get in town! Well P."
Mrs. C.D. Milberry Avalon, Catalina Island, Calif. Gen. Del.

If you or a family member has historic postcards relating to California history (especially the San Fernando Valley) please contact your Museum soon. Telephone 1 (818) 347-9665
The San Fernando Valley, in the heart of the Creative Capital of the World, deserves a great Museum of history and culture.

MUSEUM PREPARES POSTCARD EXHIBIT

Post cards are in some ways small windows into how people or communities want their cities, businesses or view points known. Your Museum collects and preserves historic and vintage post cards and shares them for research and public enjoyment.
Under the direction of Fred Berk, Librarian of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley, a special display of Valley postcards is in preparation this month. When completed, the exhibit will be available for libraries, post offices and educational organizations in our area.
Interested parties should contact The Museum of the San Fernando Valley at: 1 (818) 347-9665


Ventura Boulevard - El Camino Real - Studio City - Collection of Fred Berk (click on image to enlarge)


First Baptist Church of Reseda - Postcard gift to the Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley by Gary Fredburg 2009 (click on image to enlarge)

SAN FERNANDO VALLEY HISTORIC\\\ POSTCARD EXHIBIT IN PREPARATION

THE MUSEUM COMMUNITY - ABOUT WAYS OF SEEING, WAYS OF KNOWING

"I see you! I really see you!" Kaleidoscopic Portfolio Series by Phyllis Hansen - Image in the Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley 2009 (click on image to enlarge)


"Bar B Q Hell" Kaleidoscopic Portfolio Series by Phyllis Hansen - Image in the Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley 2009 (click on image to enlarge)

SO, WHAT'S CHANGED SO MUCH IN 100 YEARS

vintage post card 1909 - Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley 2009

How much has changed in the last hundred years? Not much if this vintage postcard has anything to say.

ELECTION DAY FOR THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY MARCH 2009

MWD identification card 1935 - Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley - gift of Gary Fredburg 2009 (click on image to enlarge)

MWD identification card 1935 - Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley - gift of Gary Fredburg 2009 (click on image to enlarge)

One of the first organizations to offer its support of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley was the Metropolitan Water District. The Museum's exhibit "Mr. Whitsett and Our Thirsty Valley" continues on display at the historical museum at Los Angeles Valley College. I thought it might be fun to salute the MWD and Election Day in Los Angeles, with three artifacts just added to your Museum's archives today.
Sol Shuman was only 22 years old when he was presented with this "Certificate of Registration" from the Metropolitan District on April 30th, 1935. Tucked away in Sol's id packet were two voter registration receipts (you had to re-register each time a change of address was made).

Voter Registration Receipts - 1934 and 1935 - Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley - Gift of Gary Fredburg 2009

THE MUSEUM OF THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY FORMS PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE

Pacific Electric Railroad "Red Car" - Photograph - Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley 2009 - Gift of Gary Fredburg (click on image to enlarge)
The Museum of the San Fernando Valley is seeking community members for our Public Transportation Committee. If you have a friend, of if you care about Valley railroad, Red Car, buses, freeways, streets or subways, --- please contact The Museum to have your name included in our Public Transportation Committee meetings.
1 (818) 347-9665

Pacific Electric Railroad "Red Car" - Photograph - Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley 2009 - Gift of Gary Fredburg (click on image to enlarge)
While it appears at first glance that the Red Car in this photograph is heading for the City of San Fernando, under a magnifying glass the sign has a smaller "Valley" accompanying the destination sign.

Pacific Electric Railroad "Red Car" - Photograph - Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley 2009 - Gift of Gary Fredburg (click on image to enlarge)
Identifying the location where historic photographs were taken is an on-going Museum challenge. This image was easy, since there is a street marker saying Ethel Avenue.