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

Date to be announced, 2013 - Silent Movie Night

Nov. 2, 2013 - Seventh Annual LMHS Historic Home Tour

 

TO BETTER SERVE YOU: LMHS IS CONSTRUCTING AN ENTIRELY NEW WEB SITE WHICH WE EXPECT TO HAVE ON LINE SOON. PLEASE CHECK BACK FREQUENTLY.

Events

Eighth Annual Historic Home Tour

Saturday, November 2, 2013 will see the eighth annual Historic Home Tour presented by the La Mesa Historical Society (LMHS), co-sponsored by the Historic Preservation Commission of the City of La Mesa.  It will feature homes that helped make La Mesa what it was and is today. 

The tour of La Mesa historic homes, will run 10 am to 3 pm.

Free shuttle buses will operate from the Tour Center at the northeast corner of Allison and Date Avenues, near City Hall, since there is limited parking and vehicle access for most of the homes.  Abundant  free parking is available adjacent to the Center and in City lots.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE:

The historic McKinney House will NOT BE OPEN on either May 11th or May 25th, due to interior restoration work.

 

A STEP BACK IN TIME…….

Come make a visit to the LMHS’s McKinney House.  We are featuring a new room display showcasing the history of old time toys and games from tiddlywinks to  spinning tops, tin wind up toys, kaleidoscope, checkers, jacks, marbles and many more to tantalize your memory.  All of these items are displayed in a classroom setting with old photos of students from Allison Street School and La Mesa Grammar School between 1910 and 1929.  Perhaps you will recognize a relative from the past.

Bring your children and grandchildren and share a step back in time.  The McKinney House is open for guided tours on the 2nd and 4th Saturday from 1-4pm.

 

Silent Movie Night Recalls La Mesa's Days as Hollywood before Hollywood

More than one-hundred people enjoyed an evening of locally produced silent movies by the Flying A Studio from a century ago. The films were accompanied by national aclaimed organist Russ Peck who produced a custom music score for the performance. The October 19, 2012 event was held in Spring Valley's Trinity Presbyterian Church which houses one of the best Wurlizer theater organs in the nation.

Mr. Peck is expected to perform a new custom music score as LMHS, in conjuction with the San Diego County Theater Organ Society, presents our second annual Silent Movie Night later in 2013 again at the Trinity Presbyterian Church. Date, films to be featured and advance ticket information to be announced.

 

 

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.

 

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.