Lemon Grove Historical Society

01/03/2023

Happy New Year from the Lemon Grove Historical Society! Kick off the New Year this Thursday with Walt Oliwa and History Alive!

Walt Oliwa, Chair of the Lemon Grove Grows Community Garden Steering Committee, will be our special guest speaker.

Walt has been a driving force behind this grand project that brings Lemon Grove residents together behind growing and providing access to healthy food for all. Years in the making, the Lemon Grove Community Garden is an example of what residents can accomplish when they come together behind a common goal.

When: Thursday, January 5th, at 7:00pm
Where: at the Lee House, 3205 Olive Street, Lemon Grove.
Cost: FREE with Free parking in Treganza Heritage Park

For information about the garden see: http://www.lemongrovecommunitygarden.us/

01/01/2023

2022 has been a tough year for LGHS.

We have lost some of our finest with the passing of John Gregory HOOK (1952-2022), Ernest J STRZELECKI (1927 -2022), James “Jim” Patrick TARBERT (1960-2022), and Pastor Jeffrey Carl LETTOW (1957-2022).

All of these men contributed mightily to the community.

John Hook was musician and a great handyman, he could fix almost anything. He lived in Lemon Grove for over 35 years. He was a huge supporter of LGHS and helped us in countless ways to safeguard and run the Parsonage Museum and H Lee House.

Ernie Strzelecki was a wonderful man, a craftsman, and firefighter by trade. It was Ernie, who tore the precious redwood wainscot off the wall during the 1973 fire that nearly destroyed St. Philip the Apostle Church in Lemon Grove. That wainscot now adorns the Parson's Study in the Parsonage Museum.

Jim Tarbert was a singer, actor and gentle giant. In addition to his 30 year career with the City of San Diego, Jim invested much of his time in building community through his love and devotion to theater. He served for six years as the Lemon Grove Historical Society Treasurer alongside his wife and fellow board member Josie Kane.

Pastor Lettow led the first Baptist Church of Lemon Grove for over 30 years. He served as steward of one of Lemon Grove’s prized historic buildings and led the festivities at the Lemon Grove Womens Club Building's centennial celebration earlier this year.

12/25/2022

12/16/2022

If you lived in Lemon Grove one hundred and ten years ago, you might be tempted to take a train into San Diego to shop for Christmas gifts that were not available at the Sonka Store.

You might be headed to Marston’s, a clothing and dry goods store on Fifth Avenue. Or you might be stopping at Barker Burnell’s Curiosity Shop featuring imported goods from Mexico, Indian blankets, jewelry and leather goods.

Barker Burnell was a Lemon Grove resident having just completed construction of his home on Central Avenue.

In April of 1912, Burnell was elected to the Lemon Grove School Board. He was the President of the Lemon Grove Improvement Club. He was active in the First Congregational Church, and – along with Reverend Clifford Hand - raised the money to hire Lemon Grove’s first librarian and open the community’s first library.

The library was housed in the former Atherton Chapel which was in 1913 the Community Club building and now is the Lemon Grove Historical Society’s Parsonage Museum.

Burnell was active in civic affairs in both San Diego and Lemon Grove. He had previously served two terms on the San Diego city council and was credited with bringing about the development of San Diego’s Golden Hill Park.

Merry Christmas !

12/14/2022

Did you know the Lemon Grove Sheriff’s Station participates in the “You Are Not Alone” holiday giving program for home bound seniors? And that our Soroptimists help provide the gift bags so our seniors get a Christmas at home? The program is part of the Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol (RSVP).

Want to help? Call the Sheriff’s substation at 619-337-2000.

12/09/2022

Mark your calendar. It is time for the Mount Miguel High School Holiday Craft Fair.

Shop for last minute Christmas gifts at very reasonable prices. Support local craft vendors and support your local high school foundation and the Mount Miguel PTSA .

11/25/2022

Don't be fooled by the "25th Annual" on the flyer. The Lemon Grove community Bonfire tradition dates back to 1915 when 500 people gathered in front of the school house and sang Christmas carols. Refreshments were served in the "clubhouse" which is now the Parsonage Museum. Join us for an open house at the H Lee House and the museum.

11/17/2022

Jerry William Waite (1854-1950) planted one of the first orchards in Lemon Grove in 1894. His products sold nationally under the Waite Orchard Fruit Label. Waite Drive is named for the family.

The Lemon Grove Historical Society holds a collection of Waite Family Papers

Included in the collection is a photo of young Josephine Waite and a delightful group of Josephine’s letters to her father in 1919-1920. She started each of her letters, "Dear Daddy,"

Lemon Grove, CA - Dec 23 1919
Dear Daddy,
Just two more days until Christmas, then two more days and I’ll be twenty. I can hardly realize that I’m that old, and Emeline seventeen. Rec’d the check several days ago and thank you for it Daddy. We sent you a little box for Christmas…

Lemon Grove, Calif. - April 4, 1920
Dear Daddy,
Easter morning and it certainly is a pretty day. I wonder what you are doing. We are going to stay home all day and have a chicken dinner….

Josephine died on December 29, 1922, possibly of influenza. She left such a beautiful record behind of what it was like to be a farm girl in Lemon Grove 100 years ago.

You can see a small "Remembering Josephine Waite" exhibit at the parsonage Museum. We are open Saturdays 11 am to 2 pm.

11/13/2022

Charley’s Famous Hamburgers, including a Skippy goober

It is a Lemon Grove icon: Charley’s Famous Hamburgers.

The business has been in Lemon Grove almost fifty years and it is still going strong.

You can read about them in this recent Reader article.

Thanks, Charley's for making great hamburgers!

https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2022/nov/02/charleys-famous-hamburgers-including-skippy-goober/?fbclid=IwAR1tIdRF3HHeVHhF8XFobEhnf-c0J-zsT2bBIspFSYpyuH2gl1O2gNU9hlc

Early on a Friday night, and I approach the back end of a line cars waiting our turns at a drive-thru window, a hundred feet below the interchange linking highways 94 and 125. Lemon Grove petered out a couple blocks back, but this feels like nowhere. Just a blip of asphalt and concrete and powerline...

11/10/2022

Our hats are off to the Valley Center History Museum who is presenting a unique exhibit honoring local heroes through November in honor of Veterans Day.

The exhibit features historical documents, metals, uniforms, dog tags, citations and an original Civil War discharge certificate issued at Appomattox in 1865.

Included in the exhibit are profiles of 13 local residents who served during the Civil War including documents on four women, one Pearl Harbor survivor and several recipients of the Bronze Star and Purple Hearts.

This exhibit is well worth the drive and a great way to honor our veterans.

Where: 29200 Cole Grade Road, Valley Center, CA
When: Tuesday - Saturday noon to 4:00 p.m.
Cost: FREE

Information: call 760-749-2993 or visit: https://VCHistory.org

11/09/2022

Thank you so much to those who helped clean up Treganza Heritage Park last Saturday!

We had a great team: Board member Gary Elbert coordinated the effort. Councilman Jerry Jones brought his tractor to move the mountain of mulch, and six missionaries from the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints helped w**d, spread mulch and pick up trash.

Thanks for helping to make Lemon Grove beautiful!

11/03/2022

Treganza Heritage Park Clean-up
Saturday, November 5, 8am-10am

Come to help clean up the park and keep the gardens around our museum looking great! We have a pile of mulch to spread, and will be w**ding and doing general clean-up. Come ready to work! Gary Elbert is leading this effort.

11/02/2022

Reminder! It's History Alive!
Thursday, November 3, 7:00pm
H. Lee House, 3205 Olive Street,
Lemon Grove

Come ring in the holiday season with John Doan: musician, musicologist, comedian and Emmy nominee, who delighted our audience a year ago and is back to share his knowledge and humor, along with his talented wife, Deidra Doan.

Just in time for the holidays, John will entertain us with his array of interesting instruments and distinguished history of teaching music to college students and the general public alike.

This is a FREE event with free parking in Treganza Heritage Park.

The Doan’s are LGHS members and represent the talent available to us in our dynamic and wonderful ranks.

10/25/2022

Globe For All will return to Lemon Grove on November 2nd. Treat yourself (and your kids) to a free dinner and a free performance of Shakespeare's Henry V.

Where: Alvarez Auditorium, 3121 School Lane (next to the Lemon Grove Library)
When: Wednesday, November 2 at 5:15 pm

The event is co-sponsored by the Lemon Grove Historical Society and the Lemon Grove School District. Seating is limited, so reserve now at this FREE registration link:
https://www.theoldglobe.org/reserve/index.aspx...

Henry V is action-packed and full of amusing characters representing all the nations of the British Isles. But it is the stalwart Henry, who carries the day with his rousing call to arms for his small, underpaid army which fought and won the Battle of Agincourt as though their lives depended on it. (They did.)

If you loved Globe For All in the past, don't miss this stirring show!

10/24/2022

This is no trick! You're in for a treat!
Come to the library and carve (decorate) your pumpkin just in time for Halloween!!

10/20/2022

The Lemon Grove Historical Society rings in the holiday season with its free lecture series HISTORY ALIVE featuring talented musician John Doan.

Please join us at the Lee House Cultural Center on November 3rd at 7:00 pm to hear the special music of John Doan aided by his talented wife Deidra.

John Doan, musician, musicologist, comedian and Emmy nominee, delighted our audience a year ago and is back to share his knowledge and humor, along with his talented wife, Deidra Doan. Just in time for the holidays, John will entertain us with his array of interesting instruments and distinguished history of teaching music to college students and the general public alike. The Doan’s are LGHS members and represent the talent available to us in our dynamic and wonderful ranks.

History Alive is a free lecture series presented by the Lemon Grove Historical Society. Lectures are held at the Lee House Cultural Center on the 1st Thursday of the month. Lee House is located at 3205 Olive St. in the Treganza Heritage Park where there is ample, well-lit parking. History Alive is suitable for ages 16 and over.

10/13/2022

On Saturday, October 22 the Lakeside Historical Society will host their annual Heritage Day event.

This year is special. They will be celebrating their 50th Anniversary as an organization!

If you would like to honor our sister society on their special day, here is the plan.

Arrive at 11:00 a.m. or so for visiting and conversation with friends. Lunch will be served at noon and will be supplied by Cupid’s Catering. The menu will include Chicken Marsala with mushrooms, BBQ pork ribs, green salad and fresh fruit tray, red potatoes with rosemary, green beans almondine, and – for dessert – apple pie and pineapple upside down cake.

The donation is just $20 per person and an RSVP will be needed about a week in advance.

Where: Lakeside Historical Society History Center,
9906 Maine Avenue, Lakeside, CA 92040

Information at (619)749-3630 or http://lakesidehistory.org/events/heritage-day-lunch/

10/10/2022

The Lemon Grove Historical Society mourns the passing of James Patrick Tarbert on September 3, 2022.

Jim was our gentle giant, funny, well informed and a fine treasurer to Lemon Grove Historical Society's Board of Directors for two terms.

He greatly enjoyed his job in Public Works for the City of San Diego. Moreover, he was a talented actor and singer, who played the villain in our melodrama, "He Ain't Done Right by Nell," as well as performing in theatres in Chula Vista, San Diego and Julian.

He is survived his devoted wife, the wonderful Josie Kane - whose near-decade of service to our board of directors set a record - by three sisters and legions of friends and colleagues. The untimely loss of this special man at age 61 fills us with grief -- and empathy for our darling Josie.

10/06/2022

Helen Ofield, past president of the Lemon Grove Historical Society, will present a lecture, "The Gassing of Earl Tooker in WW I", on the October 2022 Lecture Series sponsored by the City of San Diego's 4th Annual Archives Month.

The theme is "The Roaring 'Twenties in San Diego," a decade triggered by WW I, the so-called "war to end all wars" that led to "the lost generation," dramatic social changes and a war-is-good-for-business economy. The series is free.

Where: San Diego Central Library, Park Boulevard, Mary Hollis Room
When: Monday, October 10, 2022 at 10:00 AM
Cost: FREE

10/02/2022

Our hats are off to the Soroptimist International of Lemon Grove among the oldest service organizations serving the community continually since 1958. They have an enviable record of accomplishment.

09/22/2022

Please join us at the Lee House Cultural Center on October 6th at 7:00 pm to hear Dr. John Warren speak about his award-winning newspaper and its place in preserving freedom of the press.

https://www.lghistorical.org/2022/08/14/publisher-dr-john-warren-speaks-award-winning-san-diego-voice-viewpoint-weekly-newspaper/

09/15/2022

Does anyone remember when the Lemon Grove postmark was one word?

09/02/2022

HIGH TEA AT THE LEE HOUSE

Join your fellow Lemon Grove neighbors and friends at this ‘highly’ acclaimed High Tea.

The Lemon Grove Historical Society has been hosting High Tea at the Lee House for over 18 years. Season after season we are asked to bring back this Classic 4 course High Tea, all for a worthy cause.

All proceeds go to support the 32nd annual Treganza History Essay Competition. Each year 3rd graders from across the Lemon Grove School District are invited to participate in the Annual Treganza History Essay Competition. Each 3rd grader will write a short essay on the History of Lemon Grove. Our own board member Roberta Bulling visits the classrooms of Lemon Grove giving her lively presentation on the the history and early citizens of our town. Building on that information and their own research, often including a visit to our wonderful town mural, the 3rd graders set to work on learning and writing about their home town.

Tickets are $30 per person and can be purchased online at:
https://lghistorical.square.site/product/high-tea-at-the-lee-house/24?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=true

Or by RSVP to Laura Hook at [email protected] no later than September 20th.

When: October 1, 2022 from 2 – 4 pm
Where: 3205 Olive St. inside the Treganza Heritage Park.

There is plenty of free parking

09/01/2022

Tonight!

The Lemon Grove Historical Society will kick off the 47th season of its FREE History Alive lecture series at the H Lee House Cultural Center with Jesus Benayas, President of the House of Spain San Diego tonight at 7 p.m. He will discuss the case of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, the first European explorer of the California coast. Find out more at https://www.facebook.com/events/585862109712057/

07/31/2022

The Parsonage Museum will be holding an OPEN HOUSE on National Night out this Tuesday evening from 5 t 8 pm.

Come meet deputies from the Lemon Grove Sheriff’s station and bring the kids.

Let’s show our support for the men and women who patrol our streets and stand ready to respond to our calls for service 24 hours a day.

We appreciate our deputies and this is our chance to let them know it!

Did someone say giveaways?

Join the Lemon Grove Sheriff's substation for National Night Out at Treganza Park for an outstanding opportunity to meet the City's finest.

Location:
Treganza Park
3200 Main Street 5pm to 8pm
More info: (619)337-2162

07/29/2022

Five years ago, the City Government of Lemon Grove proclaimed October 3, 2017 “RCP Block & Brick Day” in recognition of the role this company has played in the growth of Lemon Grove and Southern California, at large.

This year the company is celebrating its 75th year in business.

Congratulations are in order as this historic company shares with us a few photos from its RCP Block & Brick family collection. "Family owned and operated since 1947."

07/23/2022

The Lemon Grove Forward Club Reopens!

Thanks to our archive collection about the women's club that lasted 85 years in Lemon Grove, we found the date of the very first meeting in the Forward Club House and celebrated with a fun 100th birthday party last May. Partnering with the Baptist church, we had a wonderful event and shared much from our collection about these community-minded women.

After the event, a group of women was inspired to re-open the club! They had their first meeting on June 20th, where they voted in officers and voted on their name. They decided to call it the Lemon Grove Forward Club! The original club called themselves the Forward Club from 1913-1951, so it's a return to a historic name.

We are so excited that our archives are inspiring community engagement and action! Archivist Sarah Lewis was able to help the new clubs founders get copies of the original Articles of Incorporation (from 1921) and several iterations of by-laws, the most recent from 1954. We have been preserving these records for decades, and are so glad they can be used and shared!