To find out what we’ve been up to, please see our most recent newsletter and check out our Facebook page.
Questions? Call us at 510-623-7907 or email us at info@museumoflocalhistory.org
Walking Tour Schedule 2023
- 9:00 am – Meet at Niles Staging Area on Old Canyon Road (Alameda Creek Regional Trail parking lot)
- A 7-mile loop hike on the outskirts of Niles from Alameda Creek to California Nursery and Vallejo Mills Historical Park.
- Duration is 3 hours.
- Led by Patricia Schaffarczyk & Caroline Harris.
- The tour starts at 11 a.m. Participants should meet in the parking lot of Alvarado Elementary School, 31100 Fredi St., Union City.
- This half-mile tour will take about 90 minutes. The route will take walkers through old Alvarado, while Swenson shares details about 43 historic buildings, many of which are now gone.
- The tour is free, but donations are gladly accepted. A coordinating tour booklet with historical photographs will be provided. For those who would like to download a copy of the booklet before the tour, it’s available by here.
- Led by Timothy Swenson.
September presentation from the Washington Township Historical Society
Learn about and hear from our local artist and fellow history lover, Nancy Pratt. A longtime resident of Newark, California, Nancy is renowned for her historical “montage” painting style, particularly of San Francisco Bay Area communities and California coastal locations. Nancy will have portraits on hand for sale and order at her presentation. Please invite friends and family to attend this special event.
This meeting will take place on Monday, September 25, 2023 at 7:00 PM at the Washington Township Museum of Local History (190 Anza Street), as well as virtually on Zoom.
Now on View – Depicting Historical Places: Tri-City Artists & Their Work
Washington Township Museum of Local History (and Archives)
The Museum and California native garden is open every Wednesday & Friday from 10 am – 4 pm, as well as the second Saturday & Sunday of each month from 10 am – 4 pm.
Suggested donation: $2 per visitor / $5 per family.
Museum members and children 5 and under are always FREE.
We are located at 190 Anza Street in the Mission San Jose district of Fremont.
Questions? Want to book a private tour or see the museum when we are not scheduled to be open? Let’s talk! Call us at 510-623-7907 or email us at info@museumoflocalhistory.org. Thank you!
- August 2023
Open on Wednesdays from 10 am – 4 pm: August 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30
Open on Fridays from 10 am – 4 pm: August 4, 11, 18, and 25
Open on Sunday 10 am – 4 pm: August 12
Open on Sunday 10 am – 4 pm: August 13 - September 2023
Open on Wednesdays from 10 am – 4 pm: September 6, 13, 20, and 27
Open on Fridays from 10 am – 4 pm: September 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29
Open on Sunday 10 am – 4 pm: September 9
Open on Sunday 10 am – 4 pm: September 10
DOORS OPEN at The Washington Township Museum of Local History, 9/9 & 9/10: 10 AM to 4 PMLearn about the history of Fremont, Newark and Union City, from the Gold Rush to present day. Visitors will discover how the waves of people who have moved here have lived, worked, and established community. On view through September 2023: “Depicting Historical Places: Tri-City Artists & Their Work” – This exhibit features creations by local women of the past, including mosaics by Alice Ebright, photographs of historic buildings taken by Julianne Howe, and writings by Milicent Shinn. Artist Nancy Pratt’s watercolors of the five villages of Fremont round out the exhibit. These pieces interpret many of the same sites throughout the Tri-Cities across multiple decades, which showcase the multitude of possible interpretations of our local area. - October 2023
Open on Wednesdays from 10 am – 4 pm: October 4, 11, 18, and 25
Open on Fridays from 10 am – 4 pm: October 6, 13, 20, and 27
Open on Sunday 10 am – 4 pm: October 8
Open on Sunday 10 am – 4 pm: October 14
Rancho Higuera Historical Park
Visit Rancho Higuera Historical Park and its beautifully restored adobe!
The view of Fremont and its surroundings is spectacular from this particular spot. Pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the park.
Open Dates & Times: 10 am – 12 noon on the 2nd Saturday of each month (April through September ONLY), weather permitting.
September 9 & 10: Open for Doors Open CA 10 am – 3pm
Rebirth and Restoration of the Rancho Higuera Historical Park
Guests are invited to visit the Galindo-Higuera adobe, located on the Rancho del Agua Caliente. This rancho was awarded to Fulgencio Higuera in 1839 by then Governor Juan B. Alvarado. At the time, this land consisted of 9,563 acres or 15 square miles, and it supported 11,000 head of cattle and several hundred horses.
Our guests can still enjoy the verdant green hills and can imagine what it looked like with no fences, and with rancho cattle dotting the hillsides.
140 years later, in 1979, the adobe was falling down. Historians, architects, preservationists, and archaeologists agreed that the adobe was significant and worth saving; and thus, the restoration began. A total of 7,500 bricks had to be made to replace those that were missing.
Inside the building now are displays that describe the hide and tallow trade, a video that shows how the land was used from the Ohlone period to the restoration, as well as a display of Ohlone artifacts.
This adobe and its current 20 acres represent an important chapter in Spanish-Mexican history in California, and we at the Washington Township Museum of Local History are happy to share this gem with you.
Special activities for children (and adults): brick making, branding with paint, design-a-brand, corn husk and/or clothespin dollmaking, candle dipping, play horseshoes.
Suggested donation: $2 per visitor / $5 per family
Museum members and children 5 and under are always FREE
The park is located at 47300 Rancho Higuera Rd. in Fremont.
Please park at street level and walk up. Handicapped parking is available.
Visit this culturally significant site, with a history extending back to Fulgencio Higuera a descendent of Jose Higuera who came to California from Spain on the de Anza expedition (1775-1776). The original adobe home was constructed in 1840.
Questions? Want to book a private tour or see the grounds when we are not scheduled to be open? Let’s talk! Call us at 510-623-7907 or email us at info@museumoflocalhistory.org.
Rancho Higuera Historical Park is closed October through March.
