Novato History Museum

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Novato History Museum Located in Old Town Novato at 815 DeLong Avenue: take a glimpse into Novato's past!

Meet the Porcellas! At the tender age of four, Stephen Porcella immigrated from Genoa, Italy to New York City with his f...
10/15/2026

Meet the Porcellas! At the tender age of four, Stephen Porcella immigrated from Genoa, Italy to New York City with his family. They carried on to California after a brief stay. Stephen's father worked as a blacksmith in San Francisco before moving his family to Kentfield.
Stephen (Steve) worked at McNear's brickyard in San Rafael, but eventually moved to Novato to open his own business on Grant and Reichert Avenues. His "Fashion Shop" was a popular stop for ranchers, farmers and carpenters at the time. He did iron work, built wagons, filed saws among other special orders.

Steve married Minnie (Saunders) Hopkins in December 1898. Minnie was a widower, her husband of only one year was Harry Hopkins. Harry Hopkins' mother owned and operated the Blue Rock Hotel in Larkspur.

Steve and Minnie were graced with one daughter, Enid. Enid attended Novato Grammar School and San Rafael High School. She was employed by Pacific Gas and Electric for over 37 years.
Enid married Tony Monteiro in 1957. She and Tony lived in Steven's Reichert Avenue home until 1977 when they sold both the house and the Shop.

Minnie died in November 1945, Stephen died in 1955. He worked in his Fashion Shop until 1950. Both are buried in the Tamalpais Cemetery.

Hamilton Field History Museum
The Novato Historical Guild

Daniel Leonard Hayden built a magnificent residence for his young family on a lovely elevated spot at the Western side o...
09/14/2026

Daniel Leonard Hayden built a magnificent residence for his young family on a lovely elevated spot at the Western side of Black Point Ranch in 1891. Twenty-seven years prior, he had traveled overland with his father Amaziah, his mother, Amanda (Young), his sister, Alice and his uncle Enoch from Wisconsin to California.

Unfortunately, Daniel's wife, Charlotte, died in 1892. She left three children, Gertrude, Charles Wilbur and Lottie. Daniel stayed only a short time in Novato after Charlotte's death. He moved to San Francisco and remarried.

The residence became the Maison Marin family restaurant, a coffee shop/Sweden House smorgasbord and the Novato Moose Lodge before opening as the Hilltop Cafe in 1979. The Hilltop Cafe closed in 2008.

From 2010-2019 the site was reopened as Hilltop 1892, featuring a sweeping deck and California-country cuisine.

In 2022, the present day Ayawaska Hilltop opened it's doors.

The Novato Historical Guild
Hamilton Field History Museum

Hiram (Hi) Steele moved from New York to California prior to World War I. He enlisted in The US Army Artillery in 1917. ...
09/02/2026

Hiram (Hi) Steele moved from New York to California prior to World War I. He enlisted in The US Army Artillery in 1917. He served in France until 1919. He returned to California after the war, met Katherine (Kay) Alice Benjamin of Bolinas and married in 1921. Kay taught school at Pierce Point, Sonoma and Fresno at the time.

The two moved to a home on Indian Valley Road where they raised their children, Dorothy, Sherman and Wallace. Hi worked as a feed salesman and produce manager at the Pini Company. Kay eventually resumed her teaching career in 1924 at the only school in Novato at the time, Grant Avenue School. Kay played a major role in forming a Unified School District in Novato.

Hi and Kay played with a band known as the Blue Birds in the early days, Hi on Banjo and Kay on the piano. Their youngest son, Wallace carried on the musical tradition throughout his life, working as a professional musician until his death in 2017.

Hi passed away in 1946 at the age of 52. Kay married Hi's cousin Jack Steele six years later. Kay passed away in 1984.

The Novato Historical Guild
Hamilton Field History Museum

Hermann Rudolff emigrated to the United States in 1893. He had learned the art of cheesemaking from his aunt in his nat...
08/14/2026

Hermann Rudolff emigrated to the United States in 1893. He had learned the art of cheesemaking from his aunt in his native Germany. He first settled in Milwaukee, then moved on to Carson City, Nevada where he worked as a cheesemaker. He returned to Germany in 1895, met his future wife, Martha, then returned to America. He found his way to Novato, where he worked at the Redmond Ranch as a butter maker. His butter was popular, one important customer was the Palace Hotel in San Francisco.

As his future looked bright, he wrote to Martha to ask her to join him in Novato. She landed in Sacramento first. They were married the following year and moved to a home on the Redmond Ranch. In 1898 Hermann purchased the California Creamery Company on Railroad Ave, changed the name to the Novato French Cheese Factory and began making eight different varieties of French Cheese.

By 1914, Hermann was elected as Judge in Novato, a position he kept as long as he lived. He was known for fairness, compassion and good humor.

Hermann and Martha had three children - Eveline born on the Redmond Ranch, Margo born in their home at the time - the Reichert Villa and Wilhelm born in the family home on Railroad Ave.

Martha died in 1939. Hermann died in 1947. Both are interred in Colma, California.
The Novato Historical Guild
Hamilton Field History Museum

Lindo Rodoni was in his teens when he emigrated from Biasca, Switzerland to Iowa Hill, California in 1890. In the early ...
08/04/2026

Lindo Rodoni was in his teens when he emigrated from Biasca, Switzerland to Iowa Hill, California in 1890.

In the early 1900's, Lindo bought a 600 acre dairy ranch in Black Point, Novato. He planted Eucalyptus trees to mark the property lines. He then returned to Biasca to marry Laura Bolla, the daughter of respected educators in the town. Laura and Lindo traveled back to Novato and lived on the ranch for the next 23 years.

Through a series of mishaps and misunderstandings, they lost the ranch in 1935. They bought a smaller dairy ranch in Black Point, near the former Renaissance Faire property. The loss of the first ranch was hard on Lindo, he died two years later.

Laura then went into action to support herself. She borrowed money to buy DeBorba's Ice Cream Parlor business on Grant and Hwy 101. She changed the Ice Cream Parlor into a restaurant and renamed it The Village Inn. She served dinners including soup, salad, entree and dessert for 50 Cents each. Her success gave her enough money to buy the property on the southwest corner of Grant and Hwy 101. The deal included Fred Sweetser's house and a filling station. Laura later sold The Village Inn business to Lydia Quarg. The building, owned by Mrs. Josephine Burdell, was eventually moved to Vallejo and Hwy 101. Mrs. Quarg later sold the business to David Crandall. The Burdell heirs sold the building to Grand Auto in 1968.

In 1946, Laura built a motel, the 101 Cafe and the Town Club bar on her property next to the filling station. The Sweetser house was moved to 2nd Street in 1951.

In 1978, the buildings were demolished to make way for a Barclay bank. Barclay then sold the property to the present occupant, West America Bank.

Laura Rodoni passed away in 1970 and is buried beside her husband at Mount Olivet Cemetery in San Rafael.

Hamilton Field History Museum
The Novato Historical Guild

Charles Dougherty Stafford and his wife, Marie Togni, moved to Novato in 1936. He opened a veterinary practice at 906 Gr...
07/19/2026

Charles Dougherty Stafford and his wife, Marie Togni, moved to Novato in 1936. He opened a veterinary practice at 906 Grant shortly after. In 1942, Charles enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He returned to his practice in Novato after the War. By 1950, he had moved his practice to 1819 Novato Blvd. He was very active in civic affairs as Fire Commissioner, NMWD board member, VP of the California State Veterinary Medical Association, consulting DVM to Guide Dogs for the Blind and a member the Novato Horsemen's Club, Druids and Novato Lions Club. He died suddenly on October 18, 1955. After his death, Novato Creek Lake was renamed Stafford Lake in his honor. He and Marie had two children, Charles Michael and Susannah Louise.

The Novato Historical Guild
Hamilton Field History Museum

Coming this Saturday morning - Pioneer Park Cemetery Tour on July 18th. Discover the hidden stories and secrets of th...
07/17/2026

Coming this Saturday morning - Pioneer Park Cemetery Tour on July 18th. Discover the hidden stories and secrets of the early Novato settlers. Join us for a fascinating journey! Sign up here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/.../pioneer-park-cemetery-tour...

The Novato Historical Guild
Hamilton Field History Museum

July 4th, 2026 Novato History Museum volunteers take to the street in costume and smiles! Don't forget to sign up fo...
07/05/2026

July 4th, 2026 Novato History Museum volunteers take to the street in costume and smiles!

Don't forget to sign up for the next Pioneer Park Cemetery Tour on July 18th. Discover the hidden stories and secrets of the early Novato settlers.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pioneer-park-cemetery-tour-tickets-1315323912229

The Novato Historical Guild
Hamilton Field History Museum

Fourth of July was an exciting time in the early days of Novato. A twenty piece marching band, decorated horse-drawn wag...
06/18/2026

Fourth of July was an exciting time in the early days of Novato. A twenty piece marching band, decorated horse-drawn wagons, bicycles, and people on foot paraded on Grant Avenue. A barbeque feast was held at Reichert for all. In the afternoon, there were foot races, baseball games and even a horse race. Frequent winner, "Kenilworth" is shown below.
The Novato Historical Guild
Hamilton Field History Museum

Captain Bezer Simmons, a native of Woodstock, Vermont, came around the Horn on the Magnolia in 1843. He bought the Nova...
06/07/2026

Captain Bezer Simmons, a native of Woodstock, Vermont, came around the Horn on the Magnolia in 1843. He bought the Novato Rancho in 1846. On a buying spree he also purchased property in San Francisco as senior partner in the house of Simmons, Hutchinson & Company along with 4,000 acres in the San Diego area. In Novato, he constructed a two-story wooden addition to the original Feliz adobe house. He returned to the East in 1849 to accompany his family back to the West coast. The trip was arduous. They took the steamer, Falcon, from New York to Panama. Then crossed the Isthmus by canoe on the Chagres River to Gorgona. They rode mules to Panama where they had to wait four weeks for the steamer Oregon and passage to San Francisco. They arrived on April 1, 1849. His wife, Laura Billings Simmons, died shortly after from a fever contracted in Panama. Simmons went back to Woodstock to bury Laura in the town where she was born. By the time he returned to San Francisco, his business had suffered. He died at age 40 on September 26, 1850.

The Novato Historical Guild
Hamilton Field History Museum

Address

815 De Long Avenue
Novato, CA
94945

Opening Hours

Wednesday 12pm - 4pm
Thursday 12pm - 4pm
Saturday 12pm - 4pm

Telephone

(415) 897-4320

Website

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