Museum on Main Street Offers a Unique View of Local, Regional History

Have you ever been curious about the history of Pleasanton and the Tri-Valley? Then the Museum on Main Street is the place for you.

In addition to having the region's best photo and document archive available for researchers, the Museum on Main Street offers both permanent and rotating exhibits, lectures, special events, and more. Run in conjunction with the Amador-Livermore Valley Historical Society, the museum was founded in 1970 and took its current location, an historic building constructed in 1914 and formerly used as Pleasanton City Hall, in 1984.

As of last month, the Museum also has a new executive director. Mary Chervet, an eight-year Pleasanton resident, previously served as the director of the Macculloch Hall Historical Museum in Morristown, NJ and brings a unique perspective to her new position.

"We're looking to develop exhibits that have a wide appeal, like our current exhibit on winemaking in the Livermore Valley," she says. "We also want to continue the education programs that we've been doing and to find more ways to reach out to families and children. How can we give them an experience that they can relate to? I think that those are the things that people look for. How are we the same and how are we different? Those are common themes that you can bring out in history when you're trying to engage people."

Chervet adds that they're planning an exhibit that will open this summer called "Those Who Wait Also Serve," which will focus on the experience of families left behind by those in the military and how that experience has changed over the last century. The museum is also working on "mini exhibits," such as one which was recently on display at City Hall about the history of music.

The museum will continue to sponsor events and lectures. For example, they are working with Hope Hospice as co-sponsors of the Pleasanton Historic Homes Stroll, a self-guided tour through some of the city's vintage residences. The event, which takes place from noon to 4:00 pm on Saturday, May 14, also features a Victorian tea at the museum, with sittings at 11:00 am and 4:00 pm. Two lectures are also coming up soon: an April 21 lecture on the history of the dairy industry in the region and a May 14 talk on hops, the vine which is used in brewing beer which once served as a major crop in the area.

Tickets for that event as well as all other museum events are available at the Museum on Main Street, 603 Main Street, or by calling (925) 462-2766. Museum hours are 1:00 to 4:00 pm on Sundays and 11:00 am to 4:00 pm Wednesday through Saturday. Admission is a requested donation of $2. Their web site can be accessed at www.museumonmain.org. The organization's events are usually listed in the Hacienda Network calendar.

Also in this issue...

Share this page!