Society’s Ghosts Wonder Where the Humans Are
Society VP Bob Palazzola says: "We knew that the need for volunteers was always an ongoing problem. However, I was surprised to find out that it was even a concern for ghosts of our building."
Digitization project leader Art Goddard poses with a massive stack of newspapers that will be converted to searchable computer files
Making History Easier to Find
Every week it gets a little bit easier to uncover a bit of history thanks to the Costa Mesa Historical Society’s digitization project.
2018’s Artistic License Fair Draws on Success
Thank you to everyone who joined us at the annual Artistic License Fair in Estancia Park. Makers and buyers alike praised this year’s event featuring the work of dozens of Southern California artisans. The event was great for Costa Mesa history, too. Volunteers at the Diego Sepulveda Adobe introduced a steady stream of visitors to local history. Thank you to all who participated for helping to make this event a success!
Happy Birthday, Gladys! Longtime Society Volunteer Turns 100
Happy birthday to Gladys Refakes, the longtime society volunteer who turned 100 this past October! On October 25, representatives from OneOC hand-delivered a bouquet of flowers to Gladys while she was hard at work. Fresh fruit was served over lunch — this healthy lady doesn’t eat cake. A couple days later, family, friends, and colleagues gathered at Zov’s in Tustin for more festivities. Gladys has volunteered for the society since the early 1980s. In that time the…
Photo by NordWood Themes on Unsplash
2018 Year in Review
Wow, hard to believe, but yes, another year just flew by! And what a year it was! Our accomplishments include: The opening of The Hull Story. Curated by society volunteer Nancy Pedersen, this exhibit honors the wood and fiberglass boat builders and manufacturers that transformed Costa Mesa from an agricultural-based town into "the Hub of the Harbor" from the 1950s-80s. Applying through the Orange County Historical Commission’s historic plaque program to receive county recognition for the Diego Sepulveda…
Items in storage boxes are checked against catalog records in the Society’s PastPerfect database.
The Society Shuffle
No, it wasn’t a two-step dance and it certainly wasn’t a cakewalk. But this Society Shuffle was performed at the Historical Society’s downtown museum September 22-26. Under the direction of Archivist Mary Ellen Goddard, the Historical Society’s storage area for collection items was cleared out, cleaned, and boxes re-shelved after checking their numerical order. This was a major effort, preparing the Historical Society for reviewing collection holdings and making space for new items. The photos tell the story.
Do You Love Working with Old Photos?
We’re looking for volunteers to assist us in the preservation of our local history. Do you like old photographs? Do you enjoy seeing them come back to life? We need your passion and your skills! Photo preservation and restoration is a key part of the Costa Mesa Historical Society’s mission. If you would like to learn more about this fun and gratifying volunteer opportunity, fill out the form below, give us a call at 949-631-5918, or drop us…
Historical Society Museum
Society Elections November 18th
The Costa Mesa Historical Society elections will take place at the beginning of the Sunday Speaker Program on November 18th.
Remembering 2018’s Concerts in the Park
As the days get shorter and the air gets cooler, we remember the fun we had last summer.
Construction at the Historical Society.
Parking Affected by Library Construction
Access to the Costa Mesa Historical Society Museum may be impacted by construction of the new downtown library. Please use Anaheim Avenue and follow the signs to the library until further notice.