November 2010

In 1870 General Henry Shelton Sanford, former Minister to Belgium, purchased 12,535 acres of land and laid out his namesake community. General Sanford arranged for a colony of Swedes to settle the area, work an orange grove and experiment with fruits and flowers from all over the world. The first county fair was held in 1881 on land donated by General Sanford. The Sanford Museum allows visitors to step back in time and visit the family of General Sanford as well as get a glimpse of life in Seminole County in the late 1800s. The museum also portrays special exhibits on local sports history.

The many different flags welcoming visitors to the park demonstrate the colorful history of this site, from the first Spanish explorers to the present day. The history of this National Landmark began in 1528 when Panfilo de Narvaez arrived in the area with 300 men; however, the first fort was not built until 1679. Andrew Jackson occupied the fort for a brief time in the early 1800s. The museum at the park displays pottery and tools unearthed near the original fort and explains the history of the San Marcos site. A self-guided trail is open to visitors and guided tours are available with two weeks advance notice.

The Robert M. Conrad Research and Educational Center was built in 1997 by Mrs. Hawtense Conrad in honor of her late husband, Robert. This facility not only expands the opportunity for research and educational programs, but provides the space for a growing library, a showcase for changing exhibits of historical interests to display the Society's artifacts and collectibles, a classroom/lecture hall/meeting room, and a space to preserve the thousands of photographs and newspaper clippings dating back to 1877. In addition, the Society maintains a growing collection of approximately 100 oral history videos that can be viewed at the Center.

The Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum celebrates the rich legacy of the African-American community that thrived in LaVilla for more than 100 years. The theatre and museum are revered as the premiere cultural institution in Jacksonville, Florida, showcasing art, music, drama, poetry, and African American history. The stories and legends of LaVilla, known as the "Harlem of the South," live on within the walls of the refurbished museum and theatre. Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum is committed to reclaiming the past, celebrating the present, and embracing the future.

Visitors will find exhibits about the early elementary schools, the first high school in the Washington Township, Mission Mercantile, Livery Stable, film making in Niles, early Post Offices, the Benbow Family, and early Native Americans.

Heritage Walk Museum includes the city's first library, a turn-of-the-century Victorian home, barn, 2 windmills, working blacksmith shop, city's Santa Fe railroad depot, a railroad car, a ten-ton Native American metate (grinding rock), tankhouse, herb garden, and outhouse.

The Main Museum has a wealth of interesting displays. One room is devoted to artifacts of the local Tolowa and Yurok Native Americans. It includes one of the finest Native American basket collections in Northern California. Musical instruments, old radio, phonographic and photographic equipment, excellent needlework, early logging and mining tools and equipment, and many fashions and furniture from yesteryear are just some of the objects and subjects represented and on display in the Main Museum.

The Bolen Annex houses the magnificent First Order Fresnel Lens from the Saint George Reef Lighthouse. Photo carousels throughout the museum as well as on the walls of various rooms chronicle the historical visual representations of the people and events of Del Norte County. (from website)

The Northern Mariposa County History Center is a great place to begin exploring the area. The town is small but loaded with history. Sun Sun Wo, the main store of the Chinese district is close by. The stores and hotel downtown are there to be enjoyed. Antique stores, the historic jail, the cemetery and much more are within a leisurely walk of the Museum. Gold is still found in Maxwell creek, a stones throw from the Museum. The Gold Rush days and the migration to California from all over the world can be traced through out the museum.

Early life in the United States can be experienced throughout the town and museum. The famous Jeffery Hotel, burned three times, raises above the town of 150 residents. Just up the street from the museum the cemetery's wonderful grave stones depict the past migration to America. Docents in period dress teach and escort students on their field trips. Weaving, spinning, gold panning, and mining demonstrations are available to bring the past back alive.

Unique exhibits contain natural and man-made objects, photographs and maps, newspapers, periodicals and news clipping files, oral histories, audio/video recordings and motion picture films, published works such as books, pamphlets, directories and school yearbooks, and unpublished works such as manuscripts, personal papers, and other archival materials. The periods presented at the museum range from early Native American, to early farming communities, to pioneer times, to the modern period. (from website)

Exhibits change several times a year and include prestigious traveling exhibits as well as those created by the Museum focusing on local Chico and Butte County history. The Museum's two main galleries feature changing exhibits focusing on aspects of Chico's past and present. Two smaller galleries house a permanent Chico Timeline 1830 - 2000 filled with photos, portraits, and artifacts evoking Chico's diverse history and Chico's Chinese Taoist Temple which features altars and original artifacts from this temple used by Chico's Chinese residents from 1890 - 1939. (from website)