Fallbrook Historical Society

08/30/2026

Share your memories of

Fallbrook Train Station?

Before Main Avenue was the hub of town, the railroad was Fallbrook's lifeline to the rest of California.

In the 1880s, the California Southern Railroad station in Santa Margarita Canyon was the spot where new residents and supplies first arrived. Imagine the excitement of waiting on that platform for a delivery from San Diego!

Please visit us with family band friend.
Fallbrook Museums are open every Saturday and Sunday from 1 pm to 4 pm.

Did your family arrive in Fallbrook by train, or do you have memories of the old tracks? Share your family stories with us below!

Become a member, Like and Share!

More info on Fallback Railroad:

https://fallbrookvillageassociation.org/railroad-heritage-park

08/29/2026

Did you know that in 1905, only 20 Fallbrook residents had telephone service? They all shared one line and had to listen for their own unique ring pattern to know the call was for them! ☎️

The Bailey Building at 128–132 S. Main Avenue was the heart of this communication revolution. Next time you walk past, imagine the switchboards that once hummed inside.

What other local buildings do you remember seeing change over the years? Tell us in the comments! 👇

Please visit us with friends and family.

We are OPEN every Saturday & Sunday from 1 pm to 4 pm.

Like and share this page!

08/23/2026

Landmark at Main Ave & Fallbrook St.
— A Corner Full of Fallbrook History

If you’ve driven through the intersection of Main Avenue and Fallbrook Street, you’ve probably noticed the tall sign at the northeast corner. But did you know that this landmark has been part of Fallbrook’s changing landscape for nearly 70 years?

The story begins in 1957, when local realtor Mike Hall owned the property at 640 S. Main Ave. That year, the Buy & Save grocery chain built a 14,000-square-foot supermarket on the site. (Fallbrook Historical Society)

One of its most memorable features was its enormous sign. Originally intended for the supermarket roof, the plan changed and the 25-foot sign was mounted on two 62-foot pillars. It became the tallest sign in Fallbrook and could reportedly be seen from one end of Main Avenue to the other. (Fallbrook Historical Society)

Over the decades, both the building and its famous sign changed names as Fallbrook grew:

1957 — Buy & Save Supermarket
1962 — Mayfair Supermarket
1973 — The Good Guys Home Center
1998 — Hanks Hardware & Lumber
2007 — Joe’s Hardware
Today — ACE Hardware

Although the building began life as a supermarket, the location has served Fallbrook as a hardware store since 1973.

It’s a wonderful example of how an everyday corner can hold generations of local history.

- Read the full story by
Tom Frew, FHS Historian:
Landmark at Main Ave & Fallbrook St.
https://www.fallbrookhistoricalsociety.org/about/fallbrook-history/featured-articles/landmark-at-main-ave-fallbrook-st/

- Visit the Fallbrook Historical Society Museums and discover more stories from Fallbrook’s past.

Open every Saturday and Sunday
from 1 PM to 4 PM.

👍 If you enjoy learning about Fallbrook history, please Like & Share this post so we can help preserve these stories for future generations.

08/15/2026

For more than 25 years, William Robert “Bob” White helped tell the story of Fallbrook — one headline, photograph, and community event at a time.

08/15/2026

Bob White — “The Busiest Man in Fallbrook”

For more than 25 years, William Robert “Bob” White helped tell the story of Fallbrook — one headline, photograph, and community event at a time.

Bob joined the Fallbrook Enterprise as news editor in 1956. In those early years, he and publisher Wilbur Mackey handled nearly all of the newsroom duties. Bob reported the news, conducted interviews, covered civic meetings, took photographs, and even wrote a popular weekly vocabulary column called “Words.”

But journalism was only part of Bob’s remarkable life.

He was passionate about restoring and showing antique automobiles, especially Ford Model A cars.

He performed with the Fallbrook Players and served as the group’s publicity director.

He was an accomplished drummer who once sat in with the Freddy Martin big band.

He was active in many community organizations, including Rotary, Kiwanis, the Optimists, the Chamber of Commerce, and local antique-car clubs.

Perhaps most importantly for preserving our community’s heritage, Bob White was one of the founding members of the Fallbrook Historical Society in 1976, signing the articles of incorporation with George Kelsey and Don Dassault. He also served as the Society’s initial vice president.

After a long career with the Fallbrook Enterprise, Bob retired in 1987 and returned to his hometown of Roseburg, Oregon. He passed away in 2016 at age 87, leaving behind an extraordinary record of service to Fallbrook.

Read the full biography by Fallbrook Historical Society Historian Tom Frew:

https://www.fallbrookhistoricalsociety.org/about/fallbrook-history/featured-articles/biography-of-bob-white-enterprise-editor/

Bob White didn’t just report Fallbrook’s history — he helped make it and preserve it.

Come experience Fallbrook history in person!

Visit the Fallbrook Historical Society Museums, open every Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

— If you enjoy learning about Fallbrook’s history, please Like and Share this post with your family, friends, and neighbors. Help us keep Fallbrook’s history alive for future generations!

08/01/2026

Bailey Building and
the Beginning of Telephone Service in Fallbrook

By Fallbrook Historian, Tom Frew.

Long before smartphones and the internet, a small building on Main Avenue played a major role in connecting the Fallbrook community.

The story begins around 1890, when the Bailey Building was constructed at 128–132 S. Main Avenue. At the time, it was just another downtown structure—but it would soon become the heart of local communications.

In 1905, Fallbrook took its first step into the telephone age. The town’s first telephone line connected George Westfall’s hardware store to the train station in Santa Margarita Canyon. Only about 20 residents were on the system, and they all shared the same line, identified by unique ring patterns that let them know who the call was for. [Fallbrook Historical Society](https://www.fallbrookhistoricalsociety.org/about/fallbrook-history/featured-articles/bailey-building-and-telephone-history-in-fallbrook/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

A new chapter began in 1915, when Edwin and Lily Bailey purchased the building. They transformed it into Fallbrook’s communications hub, operating a manual switchboard that connected every call in town. The Bailey family not only managed the system but also delivered messages throughout the community. In those early days, before electricity reached the system, callers even had to generate a signal by turning a hand crank on their telephone.

By 1935, the system had grown, but still remained small by modern standards—Fallbrook had only 86 telephones in total. Despite its limitations, the switchboard remained the town’s essential link to the outside world.

Then came a major turning point in 1942, when dial telephones were introduced. This innovation ended the era of the community-operated switchboard and marked the beginning of modern telephone service in Fallbrook.

Today, the Bailey Building still stands as a reminder of how early innovation—and the dedication of local families—helped connect Fallbrook long before the digital age.

Read the complete story by Fallbrook Historian Tom Frew:

https://www.fallbrookhistoricalsociety.org/about/fallbrook-history/featured-articles/bailey-building-and-telephone-history-in-fallbrook/

Fallbrook museums are open every Saturday and Sunday from 1 pm to 4 pm.

Come and experience Fallbrook History with family and friends.

❤️ If you enjoy learning about Fallbrook’s rich history, please like, share, and follow the Fallbrook Historical Society for more stories from our community’s past.

07/25/2026

50 YEARS OF PRESERVING FALLBROOK’S HISTORY

This year marks a special milestone: 50 years since the founding of the Fallbrook Historical Society.

The Society was created during America’s Bicentennial year and officially incorporated on August 9, 1976. George P. Kelsey Jr. is recognized as its founder and served as its first president, alongside a group of dedicated Fallbrook residents determined to preserve our community’s history.

The early Historical Society had no museum and no permanent home — just a bank account, a post office box, dedicated volunteers, and an important mission.

Their first goals were simple:

• Establish a museum
• Create a historical research library
• Preserve Fallbrook’s historic photographs

By the end of 1976, the Society had grown to 50 members.

In 1981, FHS purchased 2.5 acres at Rocky Crest Road and Hill Avenue. Volunteers restored the historic Pittenger House, which opened as the Society’s first museum in 1983. The larger museum followed in 1993, and the Heritage Center continued to grow in the decades that followed.

What began with a handful of citizens concerned that Fallbrook’s photographs, documents, artifacts and stories might disappear has grown into an institution dedicated to keeping our community’s heritage alive for future generations.

—— Read the full fascinating history, written by Fallbrook Historical Society Historian Tom Frew:

https://www.fallbrookhistoricalsociety.org/about/fallbrook-history/featured-articles/founding-of-the-fallbrook-historical-society/

Preserving yesterday. Educating today. Protecting Fallbrook’s history for tomorrow.

Please like our page and become a member and volunteer.

Museums are open every Saturday and Sunday from 1 pm to 4 pm.

Come with family and see our exhibits.

Happy 50th Anniversary, Fallbrook Historical Society!

07/16/2026

Clubhouses of the Fallbrook Woman’s Club

For over a century, the Fallbrook Woman’s Club has played an important role in shaping our community. Founded in 1907 as the Saturday Afternoon Club, its members were dedicated to education, civic improvement, and preserving Fallbrook’s heritage.

The club’s history is reflected through its three meeting places. It began in the Old Masonic Hall, later purchased and relocated Crane Hall in 1915, where generations of community events, performances, and gatherings took place. Crane Hall also housed Fallbrook’s first free reading room, helping pave the way for the town’s first public library.

In 1952, the club found its permanent home by purchasing the historic A.J. Clark Residence, originally built in 1887 by Fallbrook pioneer and banker Almond Jack Clark. Today, this beautifully preserved Victorian home remains a symbol of the Woman’s Club’s enduring commitment to community service and historic preservation.

The story of the Fallbrook Woman’s Club is more than the history of its buildings—it is the story of generations of women whose dedication helped strengthen and enrich the Fallbrook community.

📖 Read the full article, “Clubhouses of the Fallbrook Woman’s Club,” by Tom Frew, Fallbrook Historian, on the Fallbrook Historical Society website:

https://www.fallbrookhistoricalsociety.org/about/fallbrook-history/featured-articles/clubhouses-of-the-fallbrook-womans-club/

Please visit our Museums. We are open every Saturday and Sunday from 1 pm to 4 pm.

Please like and share this post on your wall and become a member to be part of Fallbrook history.

07/03/2026