Thursday, April 19, 2012

Treasure Chest Thursday - Sacramento Valley Museum


Famous Willams archway
April 14, 2012
 Williams, California holds a special place in my heart.  I lived there a mere 18 months during fourth and fifth grade but it was an eventful period.  I learned how to do fractions, ride a bike with no hands, and swim.  My brothers and I had lambs named Boomer, Tiny Tim and mine, Daisy, which I fed with a bottle and watched her being sheared for the first time.  The ranch house where we lived was surrounded by walnut and almond orchards. 

My husband and I recently spent the day in Williams going down memory lane.  The population is now over 5,000.  A large housing development is now on the east side of town.  Downtown is not the same as in "my day" mostly due to the building of Interstate 5 in the late 1960's.  The Tidewater gas station where my father worked is now a vacant lot but two doors down Louis Cairo's restaurant is still there serving Italian meals.

The highlight of the day was our visit to the Sacramento Valley Museum.  We were cheerfully greeted by Kathy Manor, the Museum's Director, who explained the layout of the exhibits.  The exhibits are located on two floors with the main area being on the upper level accessed by stairs.  The floors creeked as we walked through each exhibit room, a sound that added to the ambience of an old building.  Kathy cranked up a huge music box for us and other visitors.  The sound was clear, crisp and very pleasant.  


Williams High School  1911
Source: Sacramento Valley Museum

Sacramento Valley Musum
April 14, 2012


The museum's website is very informative; here's an excerpt:
The building that houses the Sacramento Valley Museum was built in 1911 to serve as Williams Union High School.  The school graduated classes until 1956, when a new high school was built.  It sat dormant for six years until Sacramento Valley residents took up its cause [and began renovations].
The 16,000 square foot building that houses the SVM collection contains multiple rooms of exhibits that represent the Sacramento Valley from the mid 19th through the mid 20th century.  Exhibits that have been completed in the last couple of years are a 19th century dry goods and a room representing businesses that could be found in Colusa County in the late 19th century, including hotels, barber shops, and hot springs resorts.  Newer exhibits include a room dedicated to those who represented the Sacramento Valley in military wars and conflicts from the Civil War to the current generation.  SVM staff and volunteers plan on updating popular current exhibits as well.  First on the list is the room representing a 19th century general store and another room representing an apothecary and pharmacy.

The Reading Room is how the public can connect with the larger collection that is not readily available through exhibits. The new Reading Room is under construction but researchers still have access to the collection.  Research is by appointment only.  To make an appointment, contact the Museum Director.
A return visit is in my future to do some in-depth research.  It's only one hour north of Sacramento. Contact the museum  for more information:

Sacramento Valley Museum
1491 E Street
Williams, Ca 95987
Ph: (530) 473-2978

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Treasure Chest Thursday is one of several themes suggested by Geneabloggers created by Thomas MacEntee.  What's your treasure? Share it with us by commenting on this post or send it to rootcellarsgs@gmail.com 
posted by Denise Hibsch Richmond

1 comment:

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