To all our veterans, THANK YOU, for your service!

Memorial Day is a special day for all Americans to remember and pay tribute to the men and women in our armed forces who gave their lives in service to our country. Since Monrovia was founded as a city 137 years ago, many Monrovians responded to the call of duty, and many paid the ultimate sacrifice. And so Memorial Day is a fitting tribute to them and to those who returned home to help pick up the pieces and work together as a community, to make this country, this town, this city, a better place to live -- the beautiful and picturesque Gem of the Foothills community we all enjoy and love! 

On Memorial Day, many activities, parades, and events are held around the country to celebrate, honor and thank our veterans and heroes. In Monrovia, there will be the annual Memorial Day Ceremony, held at 10:00 am at the Live Oak Cemetery. At the Monrovia Library Park, you will find markers dedicated to the memory of those Monrovians who sacrificed their lives in the First and Second World Wars, as well as the Korean and Vietnam Wars. The images of old newspaper clippings* shown here are just a few examples of how we, as a community, have honored and celebrated our own heroes through the years. 

At the Monrovia Historical Museum, our mission, among other things, is to be a place for people of all ages to experience history both as a spectator and a participant. We have been helping Monrovians remember the past for more than 31 years now and we are here to share our city's history. At the museum, you will learn about some of these people who served our nation in two world wars and beyond. Come visit us to see our displays and the stories of Monrovians who sacrificed their lives for us. Visit our general information page for hours and location. We look forward to seeing you! 

* We apologize if the images are not very readable as they are. From a desktop view, you may extract an image to read it by doing the following: right-click on an image and select 'open in a new tab.' From there, you can zoom in. Alternatively, you can simply contact us and we will be happy to email them to you.​

​If you could travel back in time, wouldn't you? This sentimental flashback to 1949, in the good old days of the Monrovia Days parade, a celebration proudly held every year by the city since 1890, might just be the ticket!  Henry Wagner, a local family man and business owner in the city of Monrovia, California, liked to go around town to film local scenes. This footage is one of several 16mm film reels donated to the Monrovia Historical Museum by Henry Wagner's daughter-in-law, Anne Wagner, digitized through the generous donation of Tom Adams, former mayor of Monrovia! Thank you, Tom!

The film is only 18-minutes short. See if you can recognize a few faces, maybe your cousin, uncle, grandmother or old neighbor and friend? How about some familiar buildings and landmarks? 

Some links to the history of Monrovia Days and other info:

• A Brief History of Monrovia Days, article written by Jim Wigton on behalf of the Monrovia Historic Preservation Group, published in 2012 on Patch.com
• Monrovia Historical Society Legacy Project archival photos of Monrovia Days Parade
• Monrovia Days.org  website
• A Video History of Monrovia Days Parade, Monrovia Now website

​The Monrovia Historical Museum announces the addition of Ms. Ili Lobaco as our newest board member. Ili had served on the museum board from 2016 through 2021, but continued on as a temporary volunteer on an as-needed basis. This month, the museum board invited her back and we are thrilled to have her! Welcome back, Ili.

Ili has a long history with the City of Monrovia, where she lived and attended Monrovia schools from 1964 to 1975. She has fond memories of swimming at The Plunge, which has been the museum’s home since 1992.  For fifteen years, Ili worked for the City of Monrovia as a city planner and oversaw the historic preservation program, among other planning duties. She retired from the City of Monrovia in 2015, but returned to her roots in city planning when she joined the City of Monterey Park in 2021 on a part time basis. In December 2023, Ili retired again to “have more time to assist the museum,” she says. With her previous affiliation and affinity for our city, it was only fitting to ask her to rejoin the board!

Ili and her husband, Scott, are Glendora residents, but in her heart, Ili is a bonafide Monrovian!

Dedicated volunteers and board member staff clocked in very early on Sunday morning, May 5th, to prepare for this annual event. Soon, the Monrovia Historic Preservation Group (MOHPG) members led by Lee Schamadan, came in to set up their table where day-of tickets were sold and will-call ticket holders checked in.

To complement this annual tradition made possible by MOHPG's Historic Homes Tour, the Monrovia Historical Museum (MHM), as one of the tour stops, holds its annual yard sale. All proceeds benefit the Museum operations.  Thanks to our donors, the Museum raised funds to help with the upkeep of our displays and exhibits.

The Museum would like to express its heartfelt gratitude to its dedicated staff and volunteers for another successful yard sale!  Seen in the photos are MHM board members: Franci Bolen, Mark Harvis, Oliver Beckwith, Vicky Hansen, Sharon Motheral, Nennette Ferris. From MOHPG are Lee Schamadan and Kathleen Fresquez. MHM volunteers in the photos are Lea Robinson, Andrew Miller, Carina Arias, and Eliazar Diaz. 

IT’S LIKE COMING HOME!

For 17 years, Denise Trentalange (pictured on the left) served as board member, collections manager and archivist at the Monrovia Historical Museum. 
​
Collection Management is an arduous process that requires meticulous steps, from researching to documenting and cataloging of data, not to mention special handling of vintage, fragile artifacts. During her time with the Museum, Denise processed over 12,000 artifacts. Her unsurpassed knowledge and dedication led to the naming of the second-floor office and library at the Museum, the Trentalange Research Center, an honor so befitting of her major contributions. 

In April, Denise revisited the Museum, along with her friends from her PEO* Chapter EC group.  Museum Board President, Franci Bolen was on hand (pictured on the right) to give them a private, VIP tour!  The photo was taken in our vintage telephone exhibit, where the ladies had the most fun, sharing memories of the good old days of landline telephone communications! 

*PEO, Philanthropic Educational Organization is a Sisterhood of purposeful and passionate women celebrating, supporting and motivating women around the world to advance through education, including scholarships, loans and grants. They also support Cottey College, a four-year liberal arts women's college in Nevada, Missouri. Please contact us if you would like to know more about PEO. 

Click here to book your private tour in advance. Larger groups must be scheduled during our non-open hours. There is no fee for the tour, however, donations are always appreciated!

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The Monrovia Airport / Foothill Flying Field (1928 – 1953)

Don Roberson first opened the “Foothill Flying Field” in 1928 at the southeast corner of Shamrock Ave. and Huntington Drive, due south of the Museum. It provided a single, 2,700-foot-long, unpaved runway, oriented northeast/southwest.

Many Monrovians learned to fly at the airfield, including Betty Scott and Leroy Criss. Instructions cost $1.50 per lesson. The U.S. Post Office used the airfield for airmail transfers, including the first helicopter mail flight.
The airport ceased operations in 1953, but its spirit endures at the Monrovia Landing shopping center, directly across Huntington Drive from its former location.

Some fun facts about the Monrovia Airport:

➢ In 1937, brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald opened a snack bar called the Airdrome at the Monrovia Airport. They moved the building to San Bernardino in 1940, renamed it “McDonald’s,” and soon started franchising their restaurant. Ray Kroc purchased the company in 1961.

➢ Four movies were partially filmed at the Monrovia Airport:

• The Fighting Pilot (1935)
• The Great Plane Robbery (1940)
• 20,000 Men A Year (1941, starring Randolph Scott)
• The Big Noise (1944, starring Laurel and Hardy)

➢ Stuntman Ralph Wiggins made a parachute jump the first time he ever flew in a plane, from the Monrovia Airport, in the barnstorming days of 1936. He went on to complete more than 600 parachute jumps.