News and Events
Annual Holiday Party December 13, 2025
We look forward to seeing you!
September 2025 Newsletter Now Available
In this issue:
- Remembering Dale Vandervort’s Sycamore Farm
- Taking a Look Back
- Let’s Play Ball!
- Signs of Times Past Exhibit Expands
- Out of the Ashes/A Piece of History Preserved
History Center Hosts the “P.E.O. Women’s Group”
After the talk the group viewed the many exhibits in the museum and then listened to a song played on the museum’s antique graphophone. The group thoroughly enjoyed their visit.
Annual Membership Meeting April 26, 2025
Jack Swanson Book Back in Stock
Western artist Jack Swanson is considered the premier artist of the California vaquero and the horse and cow culture of the west. Art collectors highly value this work for its over 100 paintings, drawings, and bronzes along with Swanson’s life’s stories and personal photographs.
A few copies of his book, The Life & Times of a Western Artist, have been generously donated to the Society by his widow Sally.
For more information, click the link below:
Annual Holiday Party December 14, 2024
Save the Date!
Our annual Holiday Party is on December 14, 2024, from 3:00 to 6:00 PM.
It’s a great event to catch up with old friends, meet new ones while enjoying a nibble and beverage.
We look forward to seeing you.
Historian Speaks at Trail & Saddle Club
The talk was hosted by the Community Foundation of the Carmel Valley Trail and Saddle Club whose mission is to provide programs that benefit the community.
About 3 dozen people attended to learn about a subject deeply ingrained in the history of the West.
Annual Membership Meeting April 27, 2024
Be sure and attend this year’s Annual Membership meeting on Saturday, April 27, 2024 from 4 to 5:30 pm at the History Center.
Elect new board members, review our 2023 accomplishments and financial status while enjoying light refreshments and meeting old and making new friends. Then sit back and listen to Historian Jeff Ohlson’s talk on one of Carmel Valley’s interesting histories.
Carmel Valley Centennial Newspaper
Click the link below to download a full 56-page file of the Centennial Newspaper for your enjoyment. Since it is also “OCR’d” (digitally keyword or phrase searchable), you can also do historical research on the history of Carmel Valley. This rare issue contains many historical articles about Carmel Valley, such as: Ranching, Native Indians, noteworthy families, old schools, Valley Library service history, fire departments, churches, parks, and much more.
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RELATED: The following souvenir program adds many more details on Centennial’s August 1989 scheduled events, its organizers, the Centennial Song, Queen candidates, in addition to a few more historical articles.
The History Center’s “Talking Machine”
A Living History to the Sounds of the Past
Many millions of 78 rpm recordings were pressed on shellac (beetle resin) records between 1898 and 1950. These particular recordings were made by the OKEH Phonograph Corp. of NY in the 1920s with one 3-minute recording on each side of the 10-inch diameter record. The songs “Are You Lonesome To-night?” and “Carolina Mine” are both sung in 1927 by artists Jerry Macy & John Ryan. The record is played on the museum’s 1909 Columbia Disc Graphophone that is wound up like a clock to play – no batteries needed or electricity attached. The cost of a record in the 1920s was about 50 to 75 cents ($7.50 – $11.25 today).

