CHOWCHILLA DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY

CHOWCHILLA, CA

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The Chowchilla District Historical Society (CDHS) is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the history of Chowchilla, California. Founded in 1977, CDHS works to preserve the history and culture of the city by collecting, preserving, and researching artifacts, documents, and photographs related to the area. The society also sponsors educational programs and events that share the history of Chowchilla with the community.

CDHS is located in the original Chowchilla Union High School building, which was built in 1929 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The society operates a museum in the building, which includes exhibits on the city's history, including its Native American heritage, agricultural roots, and the railroads that passed through the area. The museum also houses a collection of vintage automobiles, including a 1910 Model T Ford.

CDHS holds an annual dinner and auction in May, as well as various other events throughout the year. The society also works to preserve and promote the history of the local agricultural industry, and supports the Chowchilla Unified School District in its efforts to teach students about the city’s history. The organization also helps to preserve the historic downtown area, and maintains an archive of local history materials. CDHS is committed to preserving and promoting the history of Chowchilla for future generations.

CHOWCHILLA DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY is a Historical Societies, Historic Preservation in CHOWCHILLA CA. US MID #8400601903

The museum is classed as HSC (Historical Societies, Historic Preservation). It comes under American Alliance of Museums (AAM) region: Western (Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington).

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Terry Cemetery groundskeeper for 40 years.
Merced County Courthouse goddess \ model of justice? (# 2544) The statue at the peak is of Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom. The other statues (all wooden) are of justice, and all appear to be women. Source: <a href="https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/75000441_text" rel="noreferrer nofollow">npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/75000441_text</a>
Merced County Courthouse (# 2544) Opened in 1875 and was in use as county courthouse until 1975! It was designed by the same architect who built the California State Capitol, and now serves as the home of the Merced County Historical Society. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merced_County_Courthouse" rel="noreferrer nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merced_County_Courthouse</a>
Merced / Bank of Italy building (# 2537) Built in 1928 as the Bank of Italy building, seemingly fairly ornate for downtown Merced. It’s been through many name changes including the early change from Bank of Italy to Bank of America, and then most recently to Merced County Office of Education.
Merced / downtown (# 2536) Just another view of downtown Merced
Merced / El Capitan classic neon (# 2540) An original neon sign (refurbished) from the original hotel El Capitan.
Merced / The Tioga (# 2527) An impressive art deco building, the Hotel Tioga was built in 1928. Before and after the war (WWII), it was the place for prominent politicians and entertainers to stay, though it started to decline in the 1980’s. It’s interior has since been remodeled into 70 apartments aimed at professionals and students at nearby UC Merced. Sources: <a href="https://californiapreservation.org/awards/tioga/" rel="noreferrer nofollow">californiapreservation.org/awards/tioga/</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tioga_Hotel" rel="noreferrer nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tioga_Hotel</a>
Merced / Mainzer theater/event space (# 2530) Built in the 1920’s, per the Wikipedia entry, it apparently struggled through a fire in the 1930’s and changes in viewership over the years, and it is now an event space with a stage, cafes, games, and a movie space. Sources: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mainzer" rel="noreferrer nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mainzer</a> <a href="https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/4405" rel="noreferrer nofollow">cinematreasures.org/theaters/4405</a> <a href="https://www.themainzer.com" rel="noreferrer nofollow">www.themainzer.com</a>
Merced / Merced Theatre (# 2526) Continuing my wandering up CA-99, the next stop was a short exploration of Merced. For as long as I’ve been wandering around California (since 1967), Merced has been referred to as the <u><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merced,_California" rel="noreferrer nofollow">”Gateway to Yosemite”</a></u> and is clearly a good stopping point when exploring Yosemite from various parts of northern California. The moniker, though, suggested ‘tourist town’ to me – which is why this is the first time I’ve spent time trying to understand it! On the south end of the historic downtown section, there’s the exceptionally well-preserved Merced Theatre. The <u><a href="https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/3389" rel="noreferrer nofollow">Merced Theatre</a></u> opened in 1914 with a 1,658 seat auditorium. Like many theatres of its age, it went through many permutations including dividing it into multiple screens, then a period of closure, and then extensive renovation to bring it back to its original form and operation as theatre for the community. Both the Cinemartreasures and the Foundation websites listed below have interesting pictures showing the history of the theatre: Sources: <a href="https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/3389" rel="noreferrer nofollow">cinematreasures.org/theaters/3389</a> <a href="https://www.mercedtheatre.org/foundation" rel="noreferrer nofollow">www.mercedtheatre.org/foundation</a>
Borden / Chinese Cemetery - conclusion (# 2518) A marker on the altar indicating that the marker for the cemetery was “Placed on the historical register of Madera County on Oct. 3, 1992” ***** What’s important to me here is the background that could not be said on the documentation at the site: 1) that much of what became California’s economy was built on the bodies of imported labor, 2) that the immigrant labor was separated from ‘white’ labor even in death, 3) that we showed our appreciation for this help by passing the <u><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Chinese-Exclusion-Act" rel="noreferrer nofollow">Chinese Exclusion Act</a></u> against the Chinese, and 4) that we’re still struggling with this. See the detail description with the introductory picture.

Contact CHOWCHILLA DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY

CHOWCHILLA DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PO BOX 611
CHOWCHILLA
CA
93610

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CHOWCHILLA DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY Information

MID # 8400601903
Name CHOWCHILLA DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Alternate Name
Classification Historical Societies, Historic Preservation, , Western
Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) 770139969
NTEECC
Tax period of the latest return filed (YYYYMM)
INCOME 0
REVENUE 0
LAT/LONG 37.106543, -120.2724
CODES FIPS State Code: 06
FIPS County Code: 039
US Census Tract: 000300
US Census Block: 1011