RB History

From the Director

2009-11-20T16:23:00.000-08:00

Living History is coming to the Rancho Bernardo History Museum. Above, Carolyn is assisting Margarita with the persona of Maria Antonia Alvarado Snook. In the one image with have of this historic figure, she appears very stern and solemn, dressed in fine silks and lace and wearing embroidered gloves on her hands. A brooch at her throat and earrings complete the outfit. Margarita is now tasked with studying for the role, learning the names of family members, the lifestyle that was hers and her husband, Captain Joseph Snook. I hope she will be able to stay in character for the event on December 5th, 2-4 pm at the museum. Finally, we are going to be open to the public, members, sponsors and volunteers on that date. Please join us. You can greet Maria Antonia with a "buenos tardes."

From the Director

2009-11-13T13:16:00.000-08:00

Mark your calendars for December 5th, 2009, 2-4 pm. The reopening of the Rancho Bernardo History Museum is scheduled for this Saturday afternoon. The event is for volunteers, members and sponsors of the historical Society. The latest exhibit Footpaths to Freeways: Traveling in RB will be on display. In addition, the Soroptimists will have a small exhibit, and the Wall of Honor will be at the entrance.

If you are new to the Winery, the Vineyard Room/Museum is located to the east of Cafe Merlot. Look for our signs for further directions.

Visit us on this day or again in the evening of December 18th and 19th when the Bernardo Winery hosts its Holiday Nights. 5-8 pm.

Oh, there will be two very special quests at the reception. Come prepared to speak with living history figures from our past!

From the Director

2009-11-05T18:39:00.001-08:00

It's time to announce the first Rancho Bernardo Historical Society Docent Training session. November 17th at 9 am-10 am we will be meeting at the Vineyard Room/Museum.

What is a docent? Some define a docent as a lecturer or tour guide in a museum or cathedral. The word comes from the Latin docere which means to teach.

We are asking for our docents to commit to working at least once a month at the museum with tours, assisting with membership or working with the collections. This training session should assist community members to learn about the education goals of the RBHS and develop skills for stewardship of the museum.

Please come in and fill out an application form, attend the training session, and become part of this organization.

From the Director

2009-10-20T13:15:00.001-07:00

The organization of Building L, also known as the Vineyard Room, but now the RB History Museum, is going slowly but surely. Today Peggy, Marge, Carolyn and I worked on getting the first books onto the library shelves. One shelf is devoted to our new library focusing on preservation, one shelf is a complete collection of RB Directories, on shelf contains SDHS Journals and our small group of local cookbooks. Oh, one shelf is a complete set of Bernardo Brandings which will be a favorite for our visitors. Soon, the rest of the books will be organized.
The boxes are gradually being placed on the shelving. This time we are thinking of arranging the boxes by types: photographs, artifacts, Symphony on the Green, etc.
All of the bound news publications are get to be moved to the storage area.
We hope to be open to the public around mid-November. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact us via the website.

From the Director

2009-10-12T17:17:00.001-07:00

How many people have moved a museum in a day? We have. Thanks to Jane, Karen, Peggy, Yolanda, Tom, Janet, RJ, Keith, Anthony, Don, Andy and Nancy. We did it! We are all moved into Building L. Now to sort out the shelving and how everything is to be stored and displayed.
The room is still great. Everyone who has come in is amazed at the space.

The Bernardo Winery Craft Faire will be this weekend but we will not be open. So sorry, there was not enough time.

Check back soon as the blogs will be continuing more often.

See what is happening in the RB History Museum. We will be up and running soon!

It's been a great day!

From the Director

2009-10-10T17:36:00.000-07:00

Today was the very successful Antique Appraisal Faire at the Bernardo Winery in the newly refurbished Vineyard Room. There were so many unique items brought in by those who made appointments and also walk in visitors who saw the signs on Paseo del Verano. The most popular appraiser was Paul, featured above, who specialized in fine painting and furniture. There was indeed a variety of artwork and also chairs that were carefully studied before a verbal appraisal was made.

Many asked if this event would be repeated soon. If all goes well, this event will happen again with the appraisers in the spring.

Jane Harmon was the organizer of the event. Thanks, Jane.

From the Director

2009-10-07T17:28:00.000-07:00

Janet Atkin with brush in hand

Up, Up and Away! The lease is signed, the carpet cleaned, and today Carolyn's Paint Posse started in on Building L, also known as the Vineyard Room. Taped, primed, and painted, the floor and walls of this building are slowly being changed into the RB History Museum. These are exciting times.

Tomorrow tables and chairs will arrive in anticipation of the Antique Faire on Saturday.

The BIG MOVE is scheduled for Monday, the 12th. If you are reading this and would like to volunteer, please meet in the upper parking lot at 10 am on Monday.

From the Director

2009-08-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

(Photo by Peggy Rossi)

Yesterday the historical society hosted two very special guests: Mr. and Mrs. Harry Summers. After a videotaped interview conducted by Eileen Haag, Myrna Reese and myself, community members greeted Mr. Summers and reminisced about the founding of Rancho Bernardo in the 60s.
I was honored to receive a donation from the couple afirming their interest in a permanent museum building and preserving local history.
In the future when someone asks "How did Rancho Bernardo begin?" I can now say that I met the founder and visionary of the planned community. There can be no greater legacy that the historical society can pass on to future generations than this all important history.
Thank you, Mr. Summers!

The Director's Corner

2009-07-31T16:13:00.001-07:00

Let me introduce you to Buck! Can you imagine a longhorn steer such as this roaming the fields of Rancho San Bernardo. Are you interested in brands from that time period? When you visit the RBHS temporary museum, take a look at the brand for Joseph Snook who was granted large tracks of grazing lands in the 1800s.
Alyssa ( pictured above) is ready to leave for college next week. For the last year, she has been working hard on a Gold Scout project. Her focus was to create historical materials and interesting activities for young children.
I can hardly wait for a young museum visitor who would like to practice her/his lassoing skills!
Thanks, Alyssa!

The Director's Corner

2009-07-21T17:50:00.001-07:00

This music score was recently donated to the RBHS historical society. The title is especially significant. On July 7th, the Poway City Council denied approval of the building permit for the permanent history museum. The legal title of the Bernardo Winery must first be established. So after many years of fundraising and planning, the dream is once again put on hold.

The summer heat has arrived in Rancho Bernardo. This morning we arrived at the temporary museum at 9 am but we had to leave before 10. I am concerned not only about the volunteers but also about the photographs, publications and other archives that are being affected in temperatures which probably reached 110 degrees in that container building today.

If you have any information about Jack Fulton or Paul Creston, both noted musicians connected to Rancho Bernardo, please contact us.

From the Director

2009-06-23T19:27:00.000-07:00

Carolyn came to help today and we started entering the books from the small RBHS library into the database in PastPerfect. Doesn't she look happy? There are alot of questions to be answered: what type of books should be accepted? What about books that have already been donated? What about books written by residents of RB? Do we have space for all of these?

I am now calling the temporary museum a dust bowl. Yes, because there is so much dust everywhere. We constantly are wiping down the desk and the shelves and the boxes. After so much time has elapsed since the fires of 07, we are still finding traces of soot.

Please mark your calendars for July 7th. That's when the Poway City Council is going to approve the building permit for the museum. The meeting is in the evening.

From the Director

2009-06-02T14:49:00.000-07:00

Today while inventorying the collections, we found these two Rancho Bernardo Christmas cards. They date from the 60s. We would very much like to know who designed the cards and any information about the artist (s).

The card at the top depicts the lighted olive trees. The other card is a panoramic fold out. You see only half of it here. Don't these hills look lovely?

Please contact us if you have information.

From the Director

2009-06-02T13:39:00.000-07:00

Photo by Oscar Teel

Last night this was the site of the post Pancake Festival Thank You Party. Volunteers sat in front of the temporary museum, celebrated the recent fundraising successes, and enjoyed the beautiful evening weather. One aspect of the site was different. Do you see the two lamp posts? Thanks to Volunteer Oscar Teel, the lights are now electrified, a difficult task. The lights were originally in front of of the Rancho Bernardo Anthony's restaurant. When the theme and decor of that establishment changed to the current Asian Pearl, the lights were discarded. They have been landmark artifacts with us for over two years and will reappear this fall in front of the new museum building. Thanks, Oscar, for your efforts and time you put in to this project.

From the Director

2009-05-10T15:41:00.001-07:00

This was the weekend of the Bernardo Winery Craft Faire. Saturday and Sunday brought over 100 visitors to the museum. We invited folks to view the Rancho Bernardo video, sold pancake breakfast tickets, and gave away free posters. All the volunteers from 10-5 did a grand job. So many people had the same question: When will the museum be built? We are patiently waiting.

From the Director

2009-04-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

Here we are at Pomerado News in Poway. Peggy is busy inventorying over 100 bound volumes of Rancho Bernardo news dating back to the 70s. Tom is loading the volumes onto a cart. We are waiting for the rental truck to pull up to the door. After many years on Poway Road, this office is moving to the Poway industrial park, to a small facility with little storage. So now, RBHS is the recipient of a wonderful donation. Once our museum is open, these tomes will be available to the public. In the meantime, they are being stored at the Rancho Bernardo Library. Yes, it was an exciting day.

From the Director

2009-03-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

Today was fundraiser day. Held at a private residence overlooking Lake Hodges, Life Members and new Life Members were treated to refreshments, buffet hors d'oeuvres, and entertainment from Woody Guthrie songs. The view from the home as well as as the contemporary art was fantastic. It's heartwarming to know that these community members are so supportive of the Museum Project. Above, Margarita welcomed visitors; the overlook; Tom, Nancy and Carolyn. Thank you all!

From the Director

2009-03-22T16:46:00.001-07:00

(antiques.about.com)

Today an RBHS docent and I visited the Poway Historical Society Museum. In a display case were examples of cups, saucers, and platters dating from the 1920s-40s appropriately called Depression Glass. In colors of pink, green, cobalt blue, amber and yellow, these pieces were on loan to the museum from private collections. In addition there was tableware from the Blue Willow period to the more modern Noritake. It was evident that great importance was placed on entertaining and the emphasis of beautiful table ware.

The Poway Museum also includes a replica turn of the century classroom, an exhibit about aprons ( That was my favorite!), the first Poway post office, a great selection of gifts and lots of Poway history. It's open on Saturday and Sunday for visitors.

The question that came to mind was: what are the items we collect and how would they best be displayed in a museum exhibit?

From the Director

2009-03-05T12:34:00.000-08:00

The latest RBHS exhibit is almost complete. Curators Marge LaGrone and Peggy Rossi (pictured above) arranged the photos on the walls this morning. Historic items were placed in the display case. A door sign will announce the exhibit.

Please stop by the museum Tuesday 9-12 or Friday 9-12 and please sign our guest book with your comments and questions.

In 2007 the North County Times dispersed their hard copy photos to the various local historical societies. There is a wealth of information about our community in this photo collection. There are people you may know, places you may have visited in the past. Some, like the Ice Cream Shoppe, have disappeared. Others have changed. Some of the people are no longer with us.

I hope you will enjoy the exhibit.

From the Director

2009-02-25T15:31:00.001-08:00

There has been a flurry of activity going on this week. Above you can see the orange cones and a red line marking the outline of the proposed museum building, evidence that the Contractor is making serious inroads in this parking lot!
Everyone is working so hard to make this dream come true. Today the Budget/Finance committe met; earlier in the week the Executive Committee reports included a focus on fundraising, event planning, and revision of the by-laws.
Yesterday a small group of museum volunteers spent the day putting the North County Times photos (copies, actually) in frames in preparation for the next exhibit "Rancho Bernardo Through the Lens." We hope it will open in another week.
Another milestone is the printing of the Rancho Bernardo Memories book. It is now available for sale at the museum.
Please check back again soon as I expect to be posting more regularly. We always welcome your comments and questions.

From the Director

2009-01-03T16:36:00.000-08:00

RBHS Member Jane Harmon received this jigsaw puzzle as a recent present. Offered by the National Geographic Society and based on a US Geological Survey, each puzzle features the recipient's local area. Upon close examination of this map/puzzle, we discovered "proposed Pomerado Road" and "Highway 395" indicating that this was an early 1960s or 70s map of the Rancho Bernardo community. In addition, the Grant Boundary is marked, Battle Mountain, the RB Country Club, 4S Ranch, Winery Road, and Highland Valley Road. We were puzzled to see two trailer parks marked in the Green Valley area of adjacent Poway. The puzzle was manufactured in the UK, and if you are interested in obtaining one, please contact orders@historicnewspaper.com

From the Director

2008-12-26T16:23:00.001-08:00

There is a Farmers' Market every Friday at the Bernardo winery. You can find everything there from Provencal tablecloths to Italian specialties and of course, fruits and vegetables. One of my favorite vendors is Bernardo who has a wide assortment of flowers. The man in the photo above sells lemons, limes and avocados. Today his display included Zutano avocados and macademia nuts along with a special nutcracker.

Usually the museum is open at the same time as the Market, from 9-12, but since the weather was wet and cool, we decided to take the day off. If you visit the Winery on Fridays, you will always find some tasty treats from our own area.

From the Director

2008-12-14T17:01:00.002-08:00

December 17th-20th, the Bernardo Winery is hosting Holiday Nights from 4-8 pm. Please stop by the RBHS Museum to see our current exhibit. RBHS volunteer Peggy Rossi has scanned the covers of the holiday issues of the Brandings. I think you will be surprised at the layout of this publication and how it reflects the history of our community.

Here is what Peggy wrote:

Bernardo Brandings

This exhibit consists of a number of December holiday covers and ads from the Bernardo Brandings Magazine. The Brandings began publishing July 1962 as a newspaper-style tabloid of only a few pages. It grew into a full-color, multi-page magazine that continued to publish until December 1976 when costs became prohibitive. The magazine brought news of the physical growth of the RB community along with culture news such as club reports and a regular column by Marge Gibson titled "RB Social Scene."

The RBHS museum archives has almost a complete run of the magazine. The new museum will feature a library where the magazines will be available for viewing.

From the Director

2008-10-23T19:52:00.000-07:00

( Photo courtesy of George Cooke)

The historical society receives requests for information from time to time. This week a question came from the project manager who is remodeling the building pictured above. In 1976 this was Southwest Bank; this December it will reopen as California Bank and Trust. The bell in front was the point of interest. Was it historical? After a team of RBHS researchers looked through old phone directories and other publications, and calls were made to former bank officials and other community members, it was determined that the "El Camino Real" style bell was a replica which was commissioned for all the original branches of Southwest Bank. The bell will be repainted, the missing clapper replaced, and a historic plaque put up. While the bell is not one of the original mission bells, it is 32 years old and a community landmark.

We also learned that murals were commissioned for each bank. Famed local artist Richard Gabriel Chase was hired to depict San Diego County events from history. One was of the Battle of San Pasqual. If you remember the original mural in Rancho Bernardo, please contact the historical society with more information.

From the Director

2008-09-21T10:32:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday I was walking around the Winery. It truly is a historic destination with objects from the past scattered around the property. I am sure each one has a fascinating story. For example, I wondered about these stoves which are now rusted and grouped together outside one of the shops. Whose homes did they come from? Who was cooking on them? What was being prepared? I can only imagine those scenes from the past.

If anyone knows the story behind the Libery Bell at the top, please let us know.

From the Director

2008-07-09T09:52:00.001-07:00

One of the most important jobs of the museum staff is to inventory and accession the photo collection. Many of the photos that we have were collected over the years, and we have little information about the people and places in the photos, the date, the photographer and the donor. This is a dilemma as without that information we cannot assume possession of the copyright of the photos. On Tuesdays we have been carefully going through the photos, giving each one a number, placing it in an archival binder, and documenting as much information as we have. Sometimes it takes looking at the photo through a lens to discern minute information. Bev Reed and Peggy Rossi are experts now in this process using our PastPerfect software. If other volunteers are interested in identifying information in photos, please contact us.