December 1 & 2, 8 & 9, 2018 – Victorian Holiday Teas

Our annual Victorian Holiday Teas were sold out early this year! Thank you to everyone who participated, either as a volunteer or as a guest.

2018 Holiday Special Exhibit

Our special holiday exhibit for 2018 featured Miniatures and Models. Minuscule items and models will be displayed to show history through these artifacts, the majority of which stem from the museum’s own collections, augmented by private loans. Some of those items are children’s sets, others are salesmen samples: anything from bikes to cars and doll houses to tea sets. Models include the Bianchi barn, the Murphy Bay View home, and the Lockheed Agena Spacecraft, among others.

October 27, 2018 – Volunteer Appreciation

We had our annual reception to thank our museum volunteers!

October 13, 2018 – Garage Sale

October 8, 2018 – General Meeting 7:00 PM

Tobin Gilman

At the museum’s Fall General Meeting, guest speaker Tobin Gilman presented an illustrated discussion of the McGlincy Killings in Campbell.

On the morning of May 27, 1896, the peaceful township of Campbell awoke to shocking news. Six people had been brutally murdered at the home of Colonel Richard P. McGlincy, one of the town’s most respected citizens. The suspect, James Dunham – the colonel’s son-in-law – fled the scene and disappeared into the hills of Mount Hamilton overlooking Santa Clara County. This heinous crime triggered a massive, nationwide manhunt while investigators pieced together the details. Author Tobin Gilman examines the mind and motives of the killer, the sensational media coverage, and the colorful personalities associated with the protracted and unresolved pursuit of justice. Please join us for a presentation and discussion on this fascinating era in South Bay history.

Summer 2018 – History of Schools in Sunnyvale

Our current rotating exhibit upstairs is the History of Schools in Sunnyvale. From our first Encina Grammar School of the late 1800s through today, we have always prided ourselves in excellent education in Sunnyvale. Come and see the many artifacts we have from a majority of them. Your grammar school or high school may have been bulldozed but your treasures and memorabilia of them are in our collections. This exhibit will remain up through the summer so organize a class reunion to see it. Planned exhibit dates are June 19 through October 7.

July 15 – Reception for History of Schools Exhibit

We hosted a special reception to showcase every item on Sunday, July 15, 2018.

June 11, 2018 – General Meeting

Thanks to everyone who came to our June General Meeting! And a special thanks to our guest speaker James R Smith who gave an interesting presentation on the California Snatch Racket–a string of crimes of kidnapping for ransom in the early 20th Century.

If you missed the talk, considering picking up his book: “The California Snatch Racket: Kidnappings During the Prohibition and Depression Eras.” Also, here is the video recording of the talk.

Spring 2018 – Hats in Sunnyvale

Our spring rotating exhibit was Hats in Sunnyvale!

Spring Victorian Teas – April 28-29, 2018

Our spring Victorian Teas were a sell out! The theme was hats and photos from the teas are at the end of the the page commemorating our special spring Hat Exhibit.

April 21, 2018 – Spring Garage Sale

March 1, 2018 – Santa Clara County Watercolor Association Visit

It was a rainy day, but artists from the Santa Clara County Watercolor Association visited for sketching and painting at the museum. Click Here for more photos.

February 11, 2018 – Cannery Workers Reception

This Cannery Workers Reception was part of the winter special exhibit on the Canneries of Sunnyvale.

January 29, 2018 – General Meeting

Jeanne MacVicar

Guest speaker Jeanne MacVicar gave a first hand narrative on the Orphan Train Program. The Orphan Train Movement was the largest mass migration of children in American history. It lasted from 1854 to 1929 and it is estimated that over 250,000 children were moved from orphanages in New York City to rural areas in the United States. It was the genesis of the modern day foster care system and the brain child of Charles Loring Brace, a Methodist minister and social activist. This “placing out” was an attempt to find homes for the urban poor and children were transported on “orphan trains” to be selected by people in rural areas. Jeanne’s Great-Aunt Adeline Rousseau Trowbridge arrived in Clyde, Kansas on the Orphan Train in 1911. She was taken in by Jeanne’s Great-Grandparents George and Sarah Trowbridge at the age of 3 and is buried in the Clyde cemetery.

Winter 2018 – History of the Canneries in Sunnyvale

Libby Water Tower 1930 design

Our rotating exhibit for the winter of 2018 was about the Canneries of Sunnyvale. With the multitude of orchards and national fruit industry here, Libby’s, Del Monte, and Schuckl’s were the largest employers in the city/town for many decades.