History
It was August, 1945. In Europe, the Second World War had barely ended; in Asia, the peace was less than a month old. But already the U.S. government was making plans to demobilize the unprecedented war effort it had assembled over the previous half-decade. That month, the government announced plans to shut down the system of federally-funded childcare centers that had sprouted across the country to support the legions of “Rosies” working outside the home in the war effort. The…
There’s a strange monolithic structure on Richmond’s shoreline just north up the highway from the San Rafael Bridge. With castle-like towers and fortifications, the red brick structure stands in high contrast to the bay, and to the trees and overgrowth that surround it. The fact that it’s locked behind a chain link fence makes it all the more mysterious. The iconic red brick building is known as Winehaven. Before Prohibition, the warehouse building was home to the largest winery in…
Curator Melinda McCrary stands next to a clunky antique radio that’s perched on a classic wooden stand in the Seaver Gallery at the Richmond Museum of History. She signals for me to shut up and listen, then flips on a switch. Immediately the room fills with the voice of a sports commentator, and I am transported to the 1950s, listening to blow-by-blow accounts of the ups, downs and heartbreaks in a classic baseball game. This subtle but powerful use of…
The SS Red Oak Victory has a long history of carrying cargo. After being commissioned in 1944, it transported ammunition during three wars. The Richmond Museum Association took ownership of the vessel in 1998, and now the ship is being restored in the same port where she was built: the Richmond Kaiser Shipyards. A group of faithful volunteers is getting the ship prepped to take passengers on cruises across the San Francisco Bay four to six times a year. Click on…
An international treaty recently recognized the San Francisco Bay estuary — California’s largest wetland — as a “wetland of importance,” but while conservation groups called the news a victory, the designation won’t directly halt development that has threatened the area for years. The 1,600 square mile region is home to hundreds of species of plants and animals, including many that can’t be found anywhere else, such as the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse, San Francisco garter snake and the Delta…
Ducking under the water, seven-year-old Colin twists his body around in a tight corkscrew, shoots his hands in front of his head and pushes off hard against the pool wall. His slight frame cuts through the water like an arrow in flight—graceful, precise, direct. And then the arrow goes awry: a few yards down his head pops up, his right arm readies for the first stroke and his right leg suddenly juts out of the water too. Like a periscope,…
More than 300 people attended the 6th Annual Black History Celebration held Friday at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium. The three-hour gala led off with a plate of soul food and a documentary about North Richmond, and ended with raffle drawings for money, a TV, and a one-night stay in Tahoe. The evening itself felt like an Oscar night party as everyone was dressed to the nines, some in colorful West African fashion, and sat at circular tables watching young entertainers…
Even though Martin Luther King is technically a holiday, Urban Tilth is asking residents to spend the day helping beautify the city to celebrate the accomplishments of the civil rights leader. On January 21, Urban Tilth is asking volunteers to help plant seeds in the Greenway Community Garden, improve bike trail paths, create a mural for the Richmond’s Greenway, plant pollinator seeds to attract butterflies, and assist with several other outdoor projects. “On Monday we will spend the day, giving…
After 30 years as the President of the Richmond Museum Association, Lois Boyle is retiring—sort of. “I’ll be 80 this year,” Boyle said, eyes shining as she reclined back in a felt chair in her office. Her office these days is a small, bare room on a historic battleship—the SS Red Oak Victory Ship. To get to work, Boyle drives into Richmond’s long, windy port, past modern day freight carriers and hundreds of recently offloaded brand new cars, before the SS Red…