Riverside Museum Associates

03/17/2021

Museum of Riverside

HAPPY SNAKEPATRICK'S DAY!

There were never snakes in Ireland. The last glaciation in the Northern Hemisphere about 15,000 years ago made sure of that. Serpents were an allegory for the supposed evils of Celtic paganism when St. Patrick established Catholicism in Ireland and drove them out. But don’t worry, because do you know who has snakes? Riverside does! A dozen different species have been recorded just within city limits, and many more species county-wide. None of our urban snakes are poisonous, though one--the shy and relatively docile Red Diamond Rattlesnake (a protected species)--is significantly venomous but rarely bites. From the friendly Rosy Boa to the elusive Coast Night Snake and the Brahminy Blind Snake (an accidental Asian immigrant to California), they make Riverside a wonderful place – if you love snakes like we do.

03/16/2021

Museum of Riverside

Women's History Month continues! The citrus industry employed immigrants from many regions of the world and attracted people from all walks of life during picking season. The impractical clothing worn by this woman and little girl didn't stop them from taking part.

03/14/2021

Museum of Riverside

On March 27 at 1:00 p.m., the Ontario Museum of History and Art presents a virtual lecture, "The Harada House – A Story of Endurance and Preservation." Join this presentation by Lisa Masengale, the Museum of Riverside’s Curator of Historic Structures, to learn about the Harada family, their house, and the ongoing effort to share this story of endurance and preservation. Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86509823468#success

03/10/2021

City of Riverside, CA - City Government

Today for #WHM we highlight, Catharine Bettner, citrus entrepreneur and original owner of Riverside's Heritage House. After her husband and adult son, passed away, Mrs. Bettner built the Victorian Queen Anne style home in 1891 and lived there until her death in 1928.

Originally moving to Riverside to try to improve the poor health of her husband, James, Catharine Bettner became a prominent figure in Riverside society, helping Frank Miller welcome guests at Mission Inn events and reportedly given her own stop when the electric street car ran from Arlington to downtown Riverside. Owned now by the Museum of Riverside the Heritage House serves as an example of Riverside’s prosperity during its time as the center of the citrus empire in the late nineteenth century.

03/06/2021

Join the Virtual Riverside Insect Fair 2021, April 12-16 and The Weekend Buzz, April 17 & 18!

Join the Virtual Riverside Insect Fair 2021, April 12-16 and The Weekend Buzz, April 17 & 18!

Visit RiversideInsectFair.com for more information.CONNECT WITH US! #ILoveRiverside-- https://www.facebook.com/CityofRiverside-- https://twitter.com/riversid...

03/05/2021

Museum of Riverside

March is Women's Month! In this gathering of the Riverside Japanese Women's Society in 1908, Ken Harada appears second from the right in the front row with daughter Mine at her feet. Women's organizations figured prominently in Riverside social life from its earliest days.

03/02/2021

Harada House Foundation

We’re getting ready to celebrate Hinamatsuri! Known as Girls’ Day, Hinamatsuri is celebrated in Japan every year on March 3rd for families to wish their daughters good health and happiness. The most common way families celebrate Girls’ Day is to display a traditional set of dolls. The dolls represent the Emperor and Empress; a full set includes ladies in waiting, musicians, and court ministers, along with the court’s household items. Follow along as we unpack the doll set leading up to March 3rd.

03/02/2021

City of Riverside, CA - City Government

March 1st is the beginning of Women's History Month, a month dedicated to celebrating all women, and a time that spotlights the extraordinary female heroes who have achieved so much. We kick off this month, by honoring the Mother of Riverside’s Citrus Industry, Eliza Lovell Tibbets.

The story of the parent Washington navel orange trees began in the 1870s, when Tibbets convinced horticulturalist, William Saunders, to send her two citrus plants he acquired from Brazil. Over time, the seedless orange exceeded all expectations and thrived in Riverside’s climate growing to a greater size with much-improved flavor. The secret ingredient may have been recycled dishwater, as it was rumored that this was how Tibbets watered the young trees. This unorthodox technique (among other things) catapulted Riverside’s citrus production, boosting the economy. By 1895, Riverside had become the wealthiest city per capita in the nation and became the home of what is now referred to as, “California’s Second Gold Rush.”

Eliza Tibbets’ request for fruit trees for the new community of Riverside set in motion a chain of events that resulted in a major contribution to the history of California and the citrus industry worldwide.

03/01/2021

Harada House Foundation

Sumi Harada, date unknown.

This month we are celebrating the women of Harada House. Women’s History Month has been observed in March since 1987. The month commemorates and celebrates the contributions of women to American history and culture.

Sumi Harada preserved her family’s story and legacy by acting as the steward of the Harada family’s memories, belongings, and home. Together with her family, Sumi was incarcerated during WWII as part of the US Government's internment of thousands of people of Japanese descent and Japanese American. After the war, Sumi opened up her family home as a boarding house for many people who were released from the internment camps but had lost their homes. Thanks to Sumi’s dedication, the Harada House and Harada collections offer an unparalleled view of the life of a Japanese American family in the twentieth century.

Image courtesy of the Harada Family Archival Collection, Museum of Riverside. We need to keep the story alive and save the Harada House https://www.haradahousefoundation.org/donate

02/28/2021

Harada House Foundation

Countdown to Girls’ Day: Unwrapping the doll display. Starting in mid to late February, families set up a display of traditional dolls in their home to commemorate Girls’ Day on March 3. The dolls are clothed in elaborate brocade kimono and have meticulously coiffed hair. Here, the Empress doll has tissue paper still wrapped around one of her decorative tassels, and small cotton balls tucked under her hair so the style keeps its shape while packed away. Once this doll is displayed, the paper will be gone and the cotton balls taken out, a delicate golden crown placed on her head, and a fan will be in her hands.

Below is a beautiful story shared by Naomi Harada, of her memories of the Harada family celebrating Girls’ Day, known as Hinamatsuri.

Hinamatsuri is a celebration of girls, wishing for their health and success.

Before March 3 of every year that I can recall, my mother would take out the Japanese Hinamatsuri dolls from their well-crafted notched cedar storage boxes. On the red silken draped tiers, she would place the fine porcelain figurines of the Heian period dressed Emperor and Empress, their ladies in waiting, the bodyguards, musicians, and attendants. All of the dolls were dressed in elaborate brocades and silk, each holding an item relevant to their status: the musicians with a tiny drum or flute, the ladies in waiting with a tray or vessel, the bodyguards with a bow and a sword, a quiver of arrows slung over the shoulder. The display included lanterns, a golden screen with a hand-painted plum branch, miniature cherry blossom and tangerine blossom trees, stands for mochi, tea and sake sets, lacquered chests, dishes, and toiletry set up.

I thought it was magical. Everything was in such fine detail: delicately painted facial features, real hair, crowns, and hats. The display ushered in spring. The flower stands and lanterns were decorated with cherry blossoms. Pink, green and white mochi were placed on the special dishes in the display.

Special foods were eaten. My favorite was, and still is, sakura mochi: mochi wrapped in a cherry leaf and steamed. I also remember sekihan, mochi rice cooked with azuki beans so the rice had a pink hue. Sekihan is so tasty with black sesame seeds and salt sprinkled over it.
- Naomi Harada, 2021, Harada House Foundation Board Member

02/19/2021

Museum of Riverside

This day, February 19th, marks the Day of Remembrance, a day to reflect upon the World War II incarceration of Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans throughout the western states. This traumatic event in our national history followed on FDR's issuance of Executive Order 9066. Many Riverside families were devastated by this years-long ordeal, including the Haradas.

02/19/2021

Riverside Dickens Festival – 28 Years of Wit & Wisdom

Riverside Dickens Festival – 28 Years of Wit & Wisdom

Riverside Dickens FestivalFebruary 20th & 21st, 2021Riverside Dickens FestivalVirtual Festival on Eventeny February 20th & 21st, 2021 Going Virtual We Need Your Support for 2021 These uncertain times has forced the Riverside Dickens Festival to postpone our spring fundraising events. We are planning...

02/13/2021

Museum of Riverside

Don't use sharp objects today! It's just one of the taboos associated with the Chinese new year. New year's day in many Asian traditions is celebrated on the first new moon of the "lunisolar" calendar, a calendar built around both the solar year and the phases of the moon. Of the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac, today marks the start of the Year of the Ox.

02/11/2021

Docenting at Heritage House Museum

The promise of Spring

02/09/2021

What Does Home Mean to You? Diverse Stories of Victory and Loss from California

What Does Home Mean to You? Diverse Stories of Victory and Loss from California

A collaboration between California Preservation Foundation and the National Trust for Historic Preservation focuses on relatively unknown, modest sties that capture evocative stories of home.

02/07/2021

Harada House Foundation

Riverside Daily Press newspaper article, December 4, 1916.

The case of the People of California versus Jukichi Harada, et al. was filed on October 5, 1916, alleging that the Harada family had illegally circumvented the California Alien Land Law of 1913. In December of 1916, the defense claimed that the 1913 law was a violation of the US treaty with Japan.

Image courtesy of the Harada Family Archival Collection, Museum of Riverside. We need to keep the story alive and save the Harada House https://www.haradahousefoundation.org/donate

01/28/2021

Harada House Foundation

The Riverside Superior Courthouse, circa 1920. This is where Jukichi's criminal trial was held in the case of the People of the State of California v. Jukichi Harada, et al. in 1916-1918. The courthouse is still in use today and is a fine example of Beaux-Arts architecture in a downtown district heavily dominated by Mission Revival architectural influences.

Image courtesy of the Harada Family Archival Collection, Museum of Riverside. We need to keep the story alive and save the Harada House https://www.haradahousefoundation.org/donate

01/27/2021

California Preservation Foundation

California Preservation Foundation

Welcome to our webinar on the Harada House in Riverside!

01/24/2021

Everyone is waiting for the reopening

01/19/2021

Learn about Riverside’s Harada House in virtual program

Learn about Riverside’s Harada House in virtual program

The Jan. 21 program is presented by the Inlandia Institute and the Museum of Riverside

01/16/2021

Harada House Foundation

Sumi Harada in her front yard on Lemon Street, circa 1953.

Sumi struggled to find a post-war job in Riverside after her forced removal and incarceration, eventually working part-time as a housekeeper from the 1950s to 1970s.

Image courtesy of the Harada Family Archival Collection, Museum of Riverside. We need to keep the story alive and save the Harada House https://www.haradahousefoundation.org/donate

01/16/2021

Museum of Riverside

WINTER HEAT WAVE?

This January is set to be one of the warmest yet known for Riverside, and as weather varies, so do the plants. This California Goldfields (Lasthenica californica) near Mystic Lake just southeast of Riverside, is flowering a month before its usual February bloom, thanks to the mild temperatures. However, two centuries of botanical specimens contained in museums – including the Clark Herbarium at the Museum of Riverside – show that while weather may swing greatly between years, the overall climate trend is shifting to a warmer period. External signals that spur flowering, fruiting, growth, and maturation of plants are dependent on many factors (including temperature), and these records show a gradual shift to a warmer, shorter winter, a drier spring, and a hotter summer.

01/07/2021

Museum of Riverside

Why is Harada House a National Historic Landmark? Learn the remarkable story behind the Harada family’s early 20th-century immigrant experience, their proud place in Riverside history, and how the fight for one family’s house on Lemon Street found its way through the court system – and triumphed as a symbol of dignity and racial justice. http://inlandiainstitute.org/my-calendar/?mc_id=1099

01/01/2021

Museum of Riverside

Museum of Riverside

Although Heritage House remains temporarily closed, we are (virtually) celebrating our Victorian Christmas Open House. In our final film, get cozy with a holiday beverage or snack as we explore Victorian Christmas food traditions.

01/01/2021

Museum of Riverside

12/28/2020

MCC - Coping with COVID Final

MCC - Coping with COVID Final

12/28/2020

Early use of our beautiful museum. Post office and Federal building.

12/27/2020

Merry Christmas to all of our members and to all of Riverside!

12/17/2020

Assemblymember Eng Celebrates "Day of Inclusion"

Assemblymember Eng Celebrates "Day of Inclusion"

(Sacramento) -- In a dark chapter of America's past, the government banned Chinese immigrants from entering or leaving the United States. Today, that past i...

12/17/2020

Multicultural Council of the RMA

If not for Covid-19, we the Multicultural Council of the Riverside Museum Associates would be bringing you another program.
This to celebrate Riversiders 10th Annual Day of Inclusion.
#dayofinclusion
#diversityandinclusion
#inclusion
#Riverside
#cityofartsandinnovation

12/17/2020

Museum of Riverside

Although Heritage House remains temporarily closed, we are (virtually) celebrating our Victorian Christmas Open House. Join us throughout the month of December for crafts ideas, recipes, and a short film series on Victorian Christmas traditions. downloads.bbc.co.uk/victorianchristmas/tree-ornaments.pdf

12/10/2020

Museum of Riverside

As we look ahead to California's Day of Inclusion next week, consider the history that lies behind it. From the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to the Immigration Act of 1924 and on through decades of social unrest, our journey toward racial, religious, and cultural equity continues.

12/02/2020

Harada House Foundation

Harada House Foundation

In August 1945, Sumi returned home to the Harada House on Lemon Street.

Over the next several months, Sumi assisted other formerly incarcerated Japanese Americans by making her home available to boarders, most of whom she knew from the Poston concentration camp. Sumi’s siblings also came to stay with her periodically, including brother Clark and his wife, Sonoko.

For the rest of her life, Sumi, who never married, used her family home as the center of the Harada family. Sumi lived in the house until she suffered a fall in the late 1990s, after which she moved into a Los Angeles extended care facility, near her brother Harold. Sumi died of cancer in 2000, her funeral held in downtown Riverside. The home remained in the Harada family until 2003 when the Riverside City Council formally accepted ownership of the house and its contents.

Image courtesy of the Harada Family Archival Collection, Museum of Riverside. We need to keep the story alive and save the Harada House https://www.haradahousefoundation.org/donate

11/27/2020

Museum of Riverside

Here’s some lesser-known Turkey Trivia for your Thanksgiving table!
• Turkeys are a native bird of the Americas domesticated by indigenous cultures thousands of years ago.
• California is home to hundreds of thousands of wild turkeys! It’s the same species of bird you’ll find on today’s Thanksgiving table.
• While these turkeys seem right at home nearly everywhere, from rural to urban areas, this species of turkey didn’t make its way to California until the 19th century.
• Many years ago, California had its own wild turkey species! The California Wild Turkey (Meleagris californica) is one of the most common species of fossilized birds found at Rancho La Brea (La Brea Tar Pits), and went extinct about 10,000 years ago during the Pleistocene era.

11/17/2020

Harada House: Renovation efforts underway for Riverside landmark

Harada House: Renovation efforts underway for Riverside landmark

The Harada House looks like a simple home in downtown Riverside, but the story it holds is heroic.