Published in Anne T. Kent California Room Newsletter·3 days agoCelebrating Fairfax History: Maps, Pictures, and an Ode to the TownBy Carol Acquaviva In case you missed it, the Fairfax Library, in partnership with the Anne T. Kent California Room, recently hosted an illustrated presentation by California Room Map Archivist Dewey Livingston, titled “Fairfax History: Patterns on the Land.” …Local History2 min read
Published in Anne T. Kent California Room Newsletter·Jun 17True Crime: The Murder of William BrownBy Brian K. Crawford William Brown was born in Zanesville, Ohio, in 1825. Around 1847 he moved to Missouri and lived there for five years, during which he met and married 15-year-old Sarah Cole. In 1853, three days after their marriage, they took a wagon train to California and settled…Local History14 min read
Published in Anne T. Kent California Room Newsletter·Jun 10Women’s Rights — Today and Yesterday as Seen through the PressBy Robert L. Harrison Women have suffered unequal treatment from time immemorial. Under masculine dominated law they were, and in too many societies are still controlled by their husband or male relatives. In America it took 145 years for women to win the right to vote and after almost 100…Local History5 min read
Published in Anne T. Kent California Room Newsletter·Jun 3Fires in Kentfield before 1921By Paul Smith There were several documented fire incidents in the Kentfield area prior to the District being formed in 1921. On the night of the Fourth of July 1905 a fire was reported at the saloon and dwelling of Joseph Escallier. The San Francisco Call newspaper reported that an…Marin County5 min read
Published in Anne T. Kent California Room Newsletter·May 27Eddie’s Doghouse Returns to the Marin Civic CenterBy Carol Acquaviva “ A ‘Home’ may be the noblest of all works of art…” — Frank Lloyd Wright “The reasons I would like this dog house is for the winters mainly.” — Jim Berger, age 12. We are happy to announce that Eddie’s House — the doghouse custom designed…Marin County3 min read
Published in Anne T. Kent California Room Newsletter·May 20Bad Blood: A Local True Crime StoryBy Jennifer Christensen Before podcasts like Serial or My Favorite Murder and documentaries like The Jinx and Making a Murderer skyrocketed in popularity, the telling of true crime stories “was long in the province of newspapers and magazines, [and] began making its way into books in the early decades of…Marin County8 min read
Published in Anne T. Kent California Room Newsletter·May 13History of the Marin County Fair Now OnlineBy Carol Acquaviva The first Sonoma-Marin Fair was held in Petaluma in 1866. But it would be fifty years before the first Marin County Fair and Harvest Festival, which was organized in September of 1925 at the site of today’s Redwood Highway and Grant Avenue in Novato. Exhibits and competitions…Marin County5 min read
Published in Anne T. Kent California Room Newsletter·May 6Early Lawn Tennis in Marin for Women… and MenBy Carol Acquaviva and Jennifer Christensen “That’s a woman’s game,” said the Overland Monthly in 1892. The snark was in reference to the reputation of lawn tennis as a mere pastime than a sport requiring athleticism. The Overland Monthly clarified: “It is, indeed, the…Marin County4 min read
Published in Anne T. Kent California Room Newsletter·Apr 22The Hom Family’s Inverness LaundryBy Dewey Livingston Note: This is an excerpt from Dewey’s forthcoming book on Point Reyes history. For decades on the Inverness waterfront stood the home and business of the Hom family. Gin Hom (or Hom Gin in China) emigrated from Guandong (Canton) around 1915 and found a job at Mare Island in the Navy laundry. There he met Mashee (Ma) Yuen and they…Marin County6 min read
Published in Anne T. Kent California Room Newsletter·Apr 15There’s Something in the WaterBy Brad Rippe It’s Tuesday afternoon, October 17, 1989. The Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco Giants are warming up for game three of the World Series at Candlestick Park. Bay Area baseball fans are finishing up the day, getting ready for the game. Among those fans is Kevin Lorne…Marin County6 min read