Washington Township Museum of Local History

Tri-City History (A-Z) in Photographs

A monthly column in the Tri-City Voice

Starting in 2024, the Tri-City History column will start going through the alphabet, with historical photos on a shared theme for each letter.

Have a topic or idea you’d like us to explore? Email us at info@museumoflocalhistory.org.

G: Gardens

No. 7: July 23, 2024: Gardens

Gardens (noun): Grounds used to grow vegetables, fruit, herbs, or flowers

A member of the Martin Family at Thomas’s Cactus Garden, owned by Frank J. Thomas, at the corner of Mission Boulevard and E Street, Decoto. Credit: Washington Township Museum of Local History
Saint Mary of the Palms School for Girls – group photo in the garden, Mission San Jose. Credit: Washington Township Museum of Local History
Harrison Mayhew and daughter Florence in their orange orchard on the hillside above the town of Niles. Credit: Washington Township Museum of Local History
Stanford Ranch gardens near the residence of the Stanford Family, Warm Springs. Credit: Washington Township Museum of Local History

H: Horses

No. 8: August 29, 2024: Horses

Horses (noun): Large solid-hoofed mammals used as beasts of burden, draft animals, or for riding.

This horse is putting up a bit of a fight with his handlers at Hansen Lumber Company. P.C. Hansen founded his lumber company in Centerville in 1906. Later, he established branch yards in other towns in Washington Township. Hansen died in 1935, but his son Earl carried on the business until the 1950s. (Centerville) Courtesy of Washington Township Museum of Local History.

Scene from McClure’s Peak Meadow Ranch, 1930s. (Mission San Jose) Courtesy of Washington Township Museum of Local History.
Two men stand astride the locally famous horse-drawn railcar that ran between New

Joe Sarmento poses with his horse and a buck that he shot on a hunting expedition in the Warm Springs hills. Joe is on Main Street in front of the recently remodeled Warm Springs Store, about 1935. (Warm Springs) Courtesy of Washington Township Museum of Local History.

I: Industry

No. 9: September 24, 2024: Industry

Industry (noun): a department or branch of a craft, art, business, or manufacture—especially: one that employs a large personnel and capital especially in manufacturing

Three men picket Pacific States Steel Corporation, 1963. The 61 acre-site of the steel plant was incorporated into Union City following the school district jurisdictional boundaries of 1855. Unions represented at Pacific States Steel included the Operating Engineers and the United Steelworkers. At its peak there were over 450 employees, making Pacific States Steel one of the largest employers in Southern Alameda County. The plant closed in 1978 at a time when steel was being made more cheaply in Japan. (Niles / Decoto) Photo courtesy of Washington Township Museum of Local History

View of the Kraftile Company operation from the exterior, looking toward the hills, 1966. The K&L Box Company supplied wooden boxes for the Kraft cheese company, but making tile became more profitable than making boxes, so the Kraftile Company was formed. (Niles) Photo courtesy of Washington Township Museum of Local History
Frances Brown working the Wedgewood Stove line at Graham Manufacturing Company, 1940s. The plant was founded in 1882 by iron molder James Graham, a native of Ontario, Canada, who moved to California in 1877. The business grew along with Newark and helped to establish the town as a thriving industrial area. Their Wedgewood stoves were sold around the country and had a reputation as being among the best in the nation. (Newark) Photo courtesy of Washington Township Museum of Local History

Aerial View of Kimber Farms, date unknown. Established in the 1930s by John F. Kimber, a genetic engineering pioneer, the poultry breeding farm bred disease-resistant chickens and premium quality eggs that were distributed all over the world. The success of this operation also led to the development of the first successful measles vaccine. (Niles) Photo courtesy of Washington Township Museum of Local History

J: Japanese

No. 10: October 29, 2024: Japanese

Japanese (noun): A person of Japanese descent.

Irvington Grammar School joined the Washington Township baseball league in 1936 and fielded 12 players; they won half their games, playing Centerville, Mission San Jose, Niles, Decoto and Alvarado. Team members came from various backgrounds: George Nakamura, 2b; Ben Kawata, cf; Chris Gomes, p; Willie Borba, lf; Ben Mozzetti, rf; Alex Bier, fb; Walter George, ss; Richard Garcia, 3b; Albert George, c; John Ura, John Soares and Melvin Garcia, substitutes. (Caption courtesy of Holmes, Philip & Jill M. Singleton)
Otokichi, also known as Frank (pictured) and Miyo Tsuji came from Hiroshima, Japan to Centerville in 1891 and settled on the Bunting estate (Sycamore Farm) on Thornton Avenue. The Tsujis worked doing ranch and domestic work for the family, but later moved off the estate to farm on their own. (Caption courtesy of Phil Holmes)
Wendell Burdette Williams had a farming business in Centerville in which he planted, packed and shipped produce. Many Japanese-Americans farmed or worked in the fruit and vegetable industry locally. Pictured is one of the packing houses, where workers are preparing celery for transport.
In 1915, Clara Patterson, Ardenwood’s well-educated and wealthy owner, hired California’s first woman architect, Julia Morgan (pictured), to remodel a Japanese “teahouse” from the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition into a residence on her property. It was moved by barge from San Francisco. The project reflected Clara’s respect for Japanese culture at a time when Japanese immigrants were making important contributions to California’s agriculture. Clara passed away in 1917, and the project was never completed. On Dec. 8, 1941, one day after the nation of Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the building was destroyed by fire. Only a pile of rubble remains. (Caption partially taken from East Bay Parks District)

K: Kitchen

No. 11: November 26, 2024: Kitchen

Kitchen (noun): A room or place equipped for cooking; of, relating to, or designed for use in a room equipped for cooking; the equipment and fixtures needed to make a room suitable for cooking.

Hay press workers take a break to eat a meal out in the fields. During haying season, the cook wagon was brought onto a property and remained there until the haying was done. The cooks prepared about six meals a day for the workers, as haying was done from sunup to sundown. (Warm Springs) Courtesy of Washington Township Museum of Local History
Local families around one kitchen table. Family names include Faria, Leal, Deroche and Lemos. (Newark) Courtesy of Washington Township Museum of Local History
Workers at the Graham Manufacturing Company assemble Wedgewood stoves. At its peak, over 400 people were employed at the Newark plant. Wedgewood stoves were sold around the country and had a reputation as being among the best in the nation. (Newark) Courtesy of Washington Township Museum of Local History
Members from the 20-30 Club assemble for a meal in the famed International Kitchen. The restaurant was located on Peralta Road / Mowry Avenue near Mission Boulevard (Niles) Courtesy of Washington Township Museum of Local History

L: Library

No. 12: December 31, 2024: Library

Library (noun): A building or room containing collections of books, periodicals and online resources for people to read, borrow or refer to.

The Washington Hotel, with the Mission San Jose branch library on the lower floor, around 1910. The library was in the northwest corner of the building, and the building was located on the east side of Vallejo Street (now Mission Boulevard) just south of the Old Mission buildings. (Mission San Jose) All photos courtesy of Washington Township Museum of Local History

Warm Springs Library, pictured around 1920. Joseph S. Brown and Manuel Azeveda established the Warm Springs Library in February 1912 in the same building that housed the general merchandise store. In 1960, the library was closed and an Alameda County Library Bookmobile began service in the same location. (Warm Springs)
Interior of the Newark Library, 1911. This first Alameda County Library unincorporated Newark location was housed in a bungalow on Filbert Street, furnished by the Newark Development Company. Newark’s first librarian was Mabel Fowler Callow. She is seen here working at her desk in the back room. (Newark)
Albert Norris Senior and his grandchild stand in front of the Alvarado Library. The County Free library stood at today’s Smith Street and Vallejo Street. The building is now gone, replaced by the Old Alvarado Public Parking Plaza. The Alameda County Free Library logo can be seen on the building. (Alvarado)

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