Historical Society of Santa Rosa
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Night at the Museum Event!
Thursday, February 12, 2026
5:00 p.m.- 7:00 p.m.
Announcing the grand opening of the new dedicated Santa Rosa room at the Museum of Sonoma County!
Join us for a very special Night at the Museum event – the opening of a new exhibit room dedicated to Santa Rosa history. There will be a ribbon cutting, celebratory reception, and Eric Stanley, the museum’s history curator, will speak on the first exhibit focused on the Carrillo Adobe! The museum will also be running the short film “Santa Rosa: The Chosen Spot of all the Earth” at this event.
In addition, members can tour the current main floor exhibit “Take Me to the Water” an exhibition that provides the story of the many Black whalers, commercial mariners, fishers, explorers, soldiers, and sailors who traveled along the Pacific Coast and traversed the high seas from the 16th century to the present day.
This is a free event! All are welcome.
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January 2026 Webinar
Santa Rosa’s “Little Italy” from the 20th Century to Today
Calif Packing Corp Plant No. 5 cannery _ Santa Rosa, 1923
Our January webinar will be presented by Kathy Bertolini Dowdall. She will focus on the history of early 20th century Italian residents of Santa Rosa’s “Little Italy” (what we know today as the Historic West End Neighborhood). For the first three decades of the 20th century, block books show first generation Italian immigrants made up most of the neighborhood’s population and as recently as the 1970s it was still called Italian Town, Dago Town, or Tar Flat. Although Italian-dominant, it was never a completely homogeneous neighborhood, and there were individual families such as those of Japanese, Filipino, and Native American descent nestled into the neighborhood.
Much of neighborhood life centered around the agricultural industry. Small truck gardens and ranches supplied most of the produce to the California Packing Corporation Plant #5 from 1921 to 1932 right in the middle of the neighborhood between West 3rd and West 6th Streets. From April through October men, women, and children worked 18-hour shifts and everyone who was interviewed worked in the cannery as a child. Following the cannery heyday, descendants of the neighborhood spoke of WWII as a pivotal time, especially after the enactment of the Enemy Aliens Act of 1789. Post-WWII descendants became more American, and many moved out of the neighborhood. Still, today the neighborhood is thought of as home and descendants come back to visit friends or any of the three legacy businesses: Imwalle’s Garden, Franco American Bakery, and Western Farm Center.
Katherine (Kathy) Bertolini Dowdall is a Principal Investigator in Archaeology, Ethnography, and Oral History. She is passionate about community-based history, cultural landscapes, and protecting living heritage. She is descended from two West End Italian families (the Bertolinis and the Bastonis) and has been conducting interviews with Santa Rosa’s historic Italian families since 2009. She has been a member of the North Bay Italian Cultural Foundation (NBICF) since 1981. She recently retired after 33 years as a Senior Archaeologist and Native American Coordinator at Caltrans Bay Area-District and was the co-recipient of the Governor’s Historic Preservation Award (2016) for the Kashaya Pomo Cultural Landscape Project with her co-author Tribal elder Otis Parrish. She has taught as an Adjunct Anthropology Professor at both Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University.
Wednesday January 14, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Note: This webinar will be presented on the Zoom platform. Registration is free, but you must register to receive the link to the webinar. Click this link to register:
Registration Link: HSSRWebinar_Jan2026
Membership to the HSSR is required to attend this event. Alternatively, a $10 per person donation is suggested. Donate here or join here.
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Announcing our Winter ’26 Newsletter!
Click here to view
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MARCH WEBINAR
National Women’s History Alliance – Santa Rosa Origins
The National Women’s History Alliance got its start right here in Santa Rosa! In 1978, the Sonoma County Commission on Women initiated the first Women’s History Week, which aligned with International Women’s Day on March 8. This local celebration laid the foundation for future national recognition of women’s history.
Banner from 1970’s Women’s History Week
A group of local women noticed the absence of women in educational texts and became inspired by Sonoma County’s efforts to address this issue. These women founded the National Women’s History Project in 1980 with the goal of bringing women’s history into the mainstream. Through its advocacy, the National Women’s History Alliance helped establish Women’s History Week in 1981, with Congress expanding the recognition in 1987 to create National Women’s History Month. The NWHA is a leader in promoting women’s history and their contributions to society and is committed to the goals of education, empowerment, equality, and inclusion.
Please join the Historical Society of Santa Rosa in celebrating National Women’s History Month with Leasa Graves, Director of Education for the National Women’s History Alliance from 2016-2020, who will address the organization’s beginnings and the importance of Women’s History Month.
As a local educator, she has worked with youth in various schools in the county and currently teaches at California Virtual Academies and Mt. Tamalpais in San Quentin Prison. This summer she will be teaching a class at the Santa Rosa Junior College through the Life Long Learning Department where students of all ages will be guided through researching local history.
Thursday, March 20, 6pm-7:30pm
Note: This webinar will be presented on the Zoom platform. Registration is free, but you must register to receive the link to the webinar. Click this link to register:
Registration Link: tinyurl.com/HSSRWebinarMar2025
Membership to the HSSR is required to attend this event. Alternatively, a $10 per person donation is suggested. Donate here or join here.
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NOVEMBER WEBINAR
The History of Historic Preservation in Santa Rosa
Please join the Historical Society of Santa Rosa for an informative discussion about the three-decades-plus history of the Santa Rosa’s Historic Preservation Program.
The speaker will be Brian Meuser, who is a former Chair of the City of Santa Rosa’s Cultural Heritage Board. He will address:
- How did historic preservation emerge in Santa Rosa?
- How many historic preservation districts exist in Santa Rosa and where are they?
- Does Santa Rosa have buildings that are designated as individual landmarks?
- What is the benefit of historic preservation to local residents?
Brian will also discuss recent changes to City processes that affect owners of historic properties when making changes to the exteriors of their buildings. Even if you’re not an owner of a historic property, this talk will provide insight into the designation of buildings as historic and potential consequences when fees to process such changes are increased. Brian Meuser is a retired firefighter who has restored two residential structures in the Cherry Street Preservation District and one in the Burbank Gardens Preservation District. He served on the City’s Cultural Heritage Board from 2019 to July 2024, when he resigned due to changes in the City’s policy regarding the processing of permits for changes to historic properties.
Santa Rosa Landmark: Rosenberg’s Dept. Store
Thursday, Nov. 14, 6pm-7:30pm
Note: This webinar will be presented on the Zoom platform. Registration is free, but you must register to receive the link to the webinar. Click this link to register:
tinyurl.com/HSSRWebinarNov2024
Membership to the HSSR is required to attend this event. Alternatively, a $10 per person donation is suggested. Donate here or join here.
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Announcing our Fall ’24 Newsletter!
Click here to view
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HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF SANTA ROSA SPECIAL EVENT
Membership Meeting at Pacific Coast Air Museum
Please join the Historical Society of Santa Rosa for an exclusive, members-only event at the Pacific Coast Air Museum. We’ll hear about the history of the Pacific Coast Air Museum and the Santa Rosa Army Airfield, tour the museum, and view their incredible collection of rare aircraft. Enjoy coffee and treats with the Historical Society of Santa Rosa Board members and fellow local history lovers.
Saturday, October 12, from 10 a.m. to Noon
Directions: The Pacific Coast Air Museum is located at One Air Museum Way at the Sonoma County Airport. Take the Airport Boulevard exit from Highway 101 and head west. Turn left on N. Laughlin Road and right on Becker Boulevard, following the signs to the museum. Free parking is available to the right of Becker Boulevard.
Membership to the HSSR is required to attend this event. Alternatively, a $10 per person donation is suggested. Donate here or join here.
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HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF SANTA ROSA SPECIAL EVENT
WALKING TOUR – SANTA ROSA CREEK
Please join the Historical Society of Santa Rosa and local creek experts Steve Brady, Bill Montgomery, and Steve Rabinowitsh on a walk along Santa Rosa Creek’s Prince Memorial Greenway and learn about the history of the creek, which flows through our city.
- What role did the creek play in the early years of our City?
- Did flooding mandate channelization?
- How has reclaiming the creek helped local wildlife thrive?
- How has the creek evolved in the last century?
Don’t miss the fascinating story!
Santa Rosa Creek in 1925 – courtesy of the Sonoma County Library
Saturday, August 17, 2024 from 10 to 11:30 am
Meet near the mosaic fish at Prince Gateway Park at the corner of Sonoma and Santa Rosa Avenues.
Free parking is available on Santa Rosa Avenue between Charles Street and Sonoma Avenue
Membership to the HSSR is encouraged to attend our events. Alternatively, a $10 per person donation is suggested. Donate here or join here.
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Oh, What a Beautiful Garden!
Luther Burbank Home and Garden Tour
Saturday, June 29, 2024 from 10 to 11 a.m.
Location: Luther Burbank Home and Gardens
Corner of Sonoma and Santa Rosa Avenues
Luther Burbank Home and Gardens is a Santa Rosa gem, where the lovely gardens highlight Luther Burbank’s horticultural innovations. Join the Historical Society of Santa Rosa for a real treat – a morning tour of the gardens, hosted by docents with deep knowledge of Burbank’s work and vast number of plant introductions. You’ll see many Burbank plants on this 1-1/2 acre site in central Santa Rosa. No registration required. See you there!
Membership to the HSSR is encouraged to attend our events. Alternatively, a $10 per person donation is suggested. Donate here or join here.
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Special Guided Tour! – April 30, 2024
Museum of Sonoma County exhibit:
History of Hops and Craft Beer
Something revolutionary happened in Sonoma County in 1977. Using discarded dairy tanks and other cast-off equipment, New Albion Brewery started making beer in the town of Sonoma, launching the first modern microbrewery in the United States. Today, we take microbreweries and world-class beer for granted. Every year, thousands of people descend on Sonoma County for the release of internationally renowned beers. But how did it come to be? Why Sonoma County?
Join us for a guided tour of the Sonoma County Museum’s newest exhibit with director and history curator Eric Stanley.
April 30, 2024
5:30-7:00 p.m.
*Membership in the HSSR is required to attend this event at no charge.* For those with individual annual memberships who wish to bring a guest, a $10 donation per guest is requested. Donate here .
Reserve your space at: info@historicalsocietysantarosa.org
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***SOLD OUT!***
Members Only HSSR Tour – March 2024
SRJC Multicultural Museum Exhibit:
Elsie Allen Pomo Basket Collection
Elsie Allen weaving a basket.
Please join the Historical Society of Santa Rosa and SRJC Museum Supervisor and Curator Rachel Minor, for a tour of the Multicultural Museum on the Santa Rosa Junior College campus. The museum features a unique and rare collection of local Indian baskets. The Elsie Allen Pomo Basket Collection consists of over 130 masterfully woven baskets, ranging from the size of a pencil eraser to nearly 40 inches across, and spanning in date from the late 1800s to the 1980s. This is the only known collection of its size to have been created and curated entirely by Native American weavers, and it is truly unique in that there is so much ethnographic information on nearly every basket in the collection. The collection had never been exhibited in its entirety until last year. Besides the stunning collection of baskets, visitors will enjoy photographs, previously unseen videos, and stories of the weavers themselves. This is an HSSR members-only event.
Friday, March 29, 2024
3:30-5:30 p.m.
Santa Rosa Junior College
Parking in Emeritus Lot off Elliott Avenue – $4 Fee
Reserve your space at: info@historicalsocietysantarosa.org
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Recent HSSR Webinars
Advanced Base Sectional Dock
The Story of a World War II Floating Dry Dock and How the Bay Area was Involved
When the US Navy started operations in the South Pacific in 1942, the ship docking facilities were limited to ports in New Zealand, Australia, Pearl Harbor, and a few ports on the west coast of America. This required trips of thousands of miles for servicing or battle damage repairs.
The need for a “portable” floating dry dock resulted in the Advanced Base Sectional Dock (ABSD) – a self-sustaining design that could be built rapidly and deployed to safe areas near the battle zone. This saved many damaged ships and allowed many more ships to remain near the action instead of spending weeks sailing to a shore-based facility.
What was different about the ABSD? What made it work? How did it get there?
Please join the Historical Society of Santa Rosa to learn about this little-known element of the US Navy in WWII with presenter Andy Werback.
Andy Werback is from China Lake, California, home of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. He and wife Sam call Sebastopol home. Andy is a retired software engineer spending 35 years programming embedded computers for Radar Warning (ALR-67, ALR-74) and IEEE 802.11 (WiFi). He earned his BS and Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from U.C. Davis where he also began his flight training 48 years ago. He built and currently flies a Lancair Legacy sport aircraft.
His other hobbies include history, particularly the US Navy in World War II. He was a docent and ship keeper on the S.S. Jeremiah O’Brien, a WWII Liberty ship based in San Francisco.
Thursday, January 18, 2024, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Miss it? Check out the YouTube video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bhA4LbrCvg&t=972s
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What’s in a Name?
The People Behind Santa Rosa Street Names
Have you ever traversed a street in Santa Rosa and wondered who it was named after? If so, this webinar is for you! You will learn about people who settled in Santa Rosa over 100 years ago who were recognized for their impact on our community with a street named after them.
Please join the Historical Society of Santa Rosa to hear their stories presented by board member, Denise Hill. Denise Hill has lived in the St. Rose Preservation District and researched its history for nearly 30 years. Her research along with the research by board member and long-time Santa Rosa resident Karen Stone. and the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery group have resulted in fascinating stories rarely heard.
Miss it? check out the YouTube of it here: https://youtu.be/A6D2pmmhNsc
