Events

McKinney House 100 Year Birthday Celebration and Quilt Show!

Saturday, September 27, 2008, 1:00 – 4:00 pm. Come celebrate the 100th birthday of the McKinney House and share cookies and punch with us. The event is free. While there, view historical quilts donated for the event by families of La Mesa. A raffle will take place and the featured item will be an anniversary quilt beautifully crafted by Donna Niemeier depicting, among other things, the McKinney House itself! If you are the lucky winner, it will be sure to keep you warm and cozy for winters to come. Other donated prizes will be provided and tickets will be sold the day of the event. If you are not able to attend and would like to purchase raffle tickets, please stop by the Palermo Building any Saturday between 1:00-4:00. Donna’s quilt will be on display during this time. Raffle tickets for Donna’s quilt are $5. Raffle tickets for donated items will be $1. Also, if you have a quilt and would like to participate by including it in the show, contact Linda Ranking at (619) 469-3548. See you there.

La Mesa Historic Home Tour set for November 8

Saturday, November 8, 2008 will see the Annual Historic Home Tour presented by the La Mesa Historical Society, cosponsored by the Historic Preservation Commission of the City of La Mesa. It will feature the homes that made La Mesa what it was in the first half of the 20th century. 

The tour, which will highlight five La Mesa historic homes and buildings, will run 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Five of the properties are official Landmarks of La Mesa, and all are carried in the Inventory of Historic Resources. Each will have displays of La Mesa history and the buildings as they were, and each will also be decorated in a fall motif and have artists working in the yards.

Free Old Town Trolley shuttle buses will operate from the Tour Center at the corner of Palm and Lemon Avenues in the downtown Village of La Mesa since there is limited parking and vehicle access for most of the homes. Abundant parking is available adjacent to the Center and in City lots.

An art show/art mart, co-sponsored by La Mesa’s Foothills Art Association will display original art by local artists with a theme of “Historic La Mesa”, with works available for sale. The tour center will also feature displays of historical organizations and sources of information for other special events in East County.
Full day tickets are priced at $15 (LHMS members) and $18 (non-members) the day of the tour. Advanced tickets are $12 (LMHS members) and $15 (non-members. Advanced tickets can be purchased by calling (619) 466-0197 or by stopping by the Palermo Building any Saturday between 1:00 and 4:00pm.

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.

Annual High Tea and Rose Celebration Always a Smashing Success

Each spring, we honor those who have contributed to the history of La Mesa with our Rose Garden ceremony, followed by what many consider to be one of the finest High Teas in San Diego County.
We also incorporate our annual meeting into the festivities.

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.

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.