La Mesa Historical Society

P.O. Box 882

La Mesa, CA. 91944

(619) 466-0197

information@lamesa historicalsociety.com

McKinney House

and Museum

8369 University Ave.

La Mesa, CA. 91941

Open 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month, 1PM to 4PM. Palermo Research Building (behind McKinney House) Open every Saturday (except holidays and special event days), 1-4

Upcoming LMHS Events

March 25, 2012 - Antique Street Faire

May 5, 2012 - Annual Meeting & Rose Garden Ceremony plus Ice Cream Social

June 2, 2012 - Centennial Flag Day Parade

June 9, 2012 - Vintage Sale at the McKinney House

Events

HISTORY ROUNDTABLE LECTURE

Our Cultural Foundations: Continuing Centuries of Kumeyaay/Diegueno Heritage

On Saturday January 14, 2012 members and guests of the La Mesa Historical Society were treated to an educational and enlightening presentation from Cheryl Hinton, M.A.  Ms. Hinton, Museum Director/ Chief Curator of the Barona Cultural Center & Museum, helped kickoff the first of the Society’s Centennial Year History Roundtable Programs at the Grossmont Healthcare District auditorium.

Hinton, an El Cajon native and Grossmont High and SDSU graduate, presented an entertaining and educational talk to illuminate La Mesa and the region’s fascinating Native American cultural heritage.  This heritage, dating back well over 10,000 years, was presented in an informative and well-paced manner.  In addition to the discussion of the cultural heritage of the region’s prehistoric past, Ms. Hinton focused her presentation on the fascinating, and often misunderstood, and misrepresented, history of our local Native American communities— using the challenging and sometimes tragic history of the El Capitan/ Barona Reservations.  Cheryl brought the talk up to today, focusing on the impressive and inspirational efforts of today’s Kumeyaay/Diegueno peoples to discover, preserve and learn from their collective cultural heritage.

 

 

The Sixth Annual La Mesa Historic Home Tour - Another Big Success!

Two-hundred and eighty people enjoyed our sixth Annual Home Tour on Saturday, November 5, 2011. This year's tour featured five historic houses by noted local architects, some of whom went on to even greater architechtural fame. The houses included two mid-century moderns, an original Cliff May hacienda with a Lloyd Ruocco upgrade, as well as upgraded Spanish Colonial Revival and Mediteranian Revival homes. Visitors will be transported by the Old Town Trolley to the five homes tucked away in the Grossmont/Mt. Helix area of La Mesa. If you missed it. La Mesa Today has some nice pictures and an informative article here.

We would like to thank the many people who continue to help make our home tours a great success. THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS, La Mesa Women's Club, Old Town Trolley drivers, the classic car owners, florist Debbie White, our many, many loyal docents and most of all our Homeowners, without whose generous participation, there would be no home tour.

Watch this space for coming information on our Seventh Annual Tour in 2012, the City of La Mesa's Centennial Year.

 

Antique Street Faire

Too bad if you missed the 2011 La Mesa Antique Street Faire in the Village. There were a lot of great antique finds and collectables to see and buy and about 4-thousand people showed up to get in on the fun. You'll get another chance in 2012 though, on Sunday, March 25th. Be sure to put it on your calendar.

Elementary-School Visits - Always a Hit

Since La Mesa history is a part of the curriculum of the La Mesa-Spring Valley Schools, we host third-grade classes from La Mesa schools for half-days touring our McKinney House Museum, learning of education in the “old days” and seeing how typical families with children lived in the early years of the 20th century.

 

Learn More at Our Quarterly History Roundtables

On a quarterly basis, we invite our members to participate in history presentations in close participation with presenters who are expert in the Flume (San Diego’s water supply in the late 19th and early 20th centuries), the development of the notable homes of personalities in the Grossmont/Mt. Helix areas, the importance of the railroads to East County, the history of Native Americans in our area, and special sessions of our most memorable individuals. Our most recent history roundtable with speaker James D. Newland, author of Images of America: La Mesa drew 45 attendees.

Community Participation

Many of our volunteers participate in the annual Antique Street Faire (sponsored by the La Mesa Village Merchants Association) and other special events where history is important. Our huge enlargements of very early La Mesa-area photographs always draw large crowds.

 

Photo & Archives Call

The La Mesa Historical Society is looking for historical photographs and memorabilia for our archives, as well as candidates and volunteers for oral history interviews. The Society is also interested in providing assistance in organizing your La Mesa organization's archival collections. For more information on these Centennial-inspired efforts contact the Society at www.lamesahistoricalsociety.com, email us at information@lamesahistoricalsociety.com or call us at (619) 466-0197.