By Oliver Beckwith, MHM Board Member The building for the Monrovia Historical Museum is celebrating its centennial this year. Formerly the city’s municipal plunge, you can visit on any Thursday or Sunday and the docents will show you where the pool used to be. In the lobby you will find two display cases with photos and other plunge memorabilia, including the pool keeper’s record book. It’s open to the 1943 summer season page, and there, among the air and water temperatures, is a glaring reminder of Monrovia’s past. Along with the other data the word “Colored” is to be found. In that era young Black, Latino, and Asian people were only allowed in the pool on Mondays.
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![]() On October 14th the Monrovia Historical Museum received two distinguished guests. Doug Pottenger and his wife Aleta came bearing some gifts for the Pottenger Sanitorium display at the museum. Doug is the great-great grandson of Francis Marion Pottenger Sr. (1869-1961), founder of the Monrovia Sanitorium which bore his name. They came bearing three gifts: A silver mechanical pencil inscribed with Dr. Pottenger’s name on it, a crocheted cloth piece with the family name, and a framed photo with Dr. Pottenger and his line of descent.These items will be a fine addition to the exhibit.
![]() “Welcome to the Museum! Is this your first time here?”
When you visit the Monrovia Historical Museum these are the words you will first hear from one of our volunteer docents. Our guides are warm and inviting and want to make your visit fun, informative and special. Andrew Miller is one of those wonderful volunteers; a Monrovia local who came to the museum looking to expand his resume and knowledge. He has learned a lot about our local history and does a great job passing that information on to our visitors. By Oliver Beckwith, MHM Board Member ![]() At Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, three Monrovians paid the ultimate price for our freedoms. Seaman First Class Dwight J. Orr (MHS class of 1940) was stationed on the Battleship USS Arizona, and became one of 1177 sailors and Marines killed on the ship. Nearby at Hickam Field Sergeant Gerald Anglich, an Army Air Corps gunner from Monrovia, was shot down by a Mitsubishi Zero as he ran to a machine gun emplacement, one of 139 soldiers killed there. The third Monrovian who perished at Pearl Harbor on that infamous day was Navy First Lieutenant Richard Rall, one of 18 men who perished on board the Battleship USS Pennsylvania.
By Carina Arias and Clara Fouser, MHM Staff Members ![]() As docents who assist in the archive, Clara and I have come across some incredible historical pieces. One thing for certain: we knew that the October newsletter needed to feature something from our archive, but with a spooky touch. We immediately searched through our museum collection database to locate anything that fits within the theme of Halloween. We typed in “Halloween”, “ghost”, “witch”, “pumpkin”–you name it! But nothing came up. Finally, we typed in “haunted” and our database revealed a book by Michael J. Kouri called “Haunted Houses of Monrovia”. Clara and I gasped with excitement. The author, a psychic medium from Los Angeles, wrote this book in 2000 to document ghost stories in historic places in Monrovia. He mentions a variety of buildings– some that no longer exist–but all with spooky ghost-sightings. That said, Clara and I thought we would share our favorite stories from the book!
By Oliver Beckwith, MHM Board Member ![]() You should know that Monrovia’s first mayor was William Newton Monroe, but what do you know about the city’s second mayor, William A. Pile? He was one of the early founders and promoters of Monrovia, and today his Idlewild Home on North Mayflower Avenue is a local landmark.
William Anderson Pile was born on February 11, 1829, near Indianapolis, Indiana. After receiving a formal education he became a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church. When the Civil War broke out he signed on as a Chaplain for the 1st Missouri Light Artillery Regiment. Soon Pile joined in the physical struggle to preserve the Union, and he became known as the “Fighting Parson.”
![]() A Step in the Right Direction Carina Arias and Clara Fouser are two peas in a pod. The only difference between them is – one was raised in Monrovia, while the other was raised by Monrovians. When they met at the Monrovia Historical Museum (MHM), it was like two old souls meeting again after many lifetimes. It was an instant connection. But more important was the common interest in everything historical. They enjoy serving as docents and meeting people from all walks of life, but they’re especially thrilled to help with archiving in the back office. Collectively, they have clocked in over 160 volunteer hours since Spring! It’s no wonder we call them our ‘volunteers extraordinaire!’ We take pride in fostering our young volunteers because in some way, we hope their exposure here helps them to learn, discover and find their niche in society, as well as develop a genuine appreciation for history! We are always looking for new volunteers, not just the young ones, but the mature adults too! Come visit us at MHM and meet our friendly docents. Maybe you’d want to volunteer too! Click the 'read more' link below to see what Carina and Clara have to say about their volunteer experience at MHM. ![]() Wednesday, September 4th, brought a record-breaking heatwave to the City of Monrovia! But city staffers, Joslyn Blakely, Jessie Woo and Paulina Reyes braved the triple-digit temperatures to usher a group of twenty-one (21) middle and high school students to the Monrovia Historical Museum (MHM) to learn more about Monrovia's history. The field trip served as the first session in their 7-week program, sponsored by the Monrovia Area Partnership (MAP)'s Youth Leadership Academy. MHM board members Mark Harvis, Oliver Beckwith and Mike Andrews led the private tour. "Our goal was to make their visit informative and fun, and I think we succeeded," says Mark Harvis, MHM board vice president.
![]() By Mark Harvis Monrovia Historical Museum Board Vice President Back before the turn of the century (no, not the one 24 years ago – the one 124 years ago), Monrovia inaugurated its first “modern” transportation system. Starting around 1888 there was a single train track running up Myrtle Ave. from the first, wooden Santa Fe Depot (Myrtle and Duarte) to the La Vista Grande Hotel at Lemon, where it turned east. Total distance traveled was about 1.5 miles. This most-modern shuttle was called the “Mule and Gravity Rapid Transit,” an accurate, if not exactly catchy name. The Pacific Electric Magazine from May 10, 1929, gave a pithy explanation of how this four-footed shuttle worked: “The mules that constituted the motive power on the north-bound trip and were allowed to ride on an improvised trailer on the return journey. During the course of the countless trips back and forth, on one occasion while coasting down hill the car gained more than the anticipated speed with the result that said mule power was shaken from its platform. After this experience, it was never again possible to get the mules to ride and subsequently horses replaced them, but were required to walk at all times.” So, you ask, what happened to the displaced mules? Lore has it that “When this system was abandoned, its 'central power plant' was sold to the hillside farmer, who complained that although his mules pulled the plow fine up hill they insisted on climbing on to ride back." (Monrovia Legacy Project, https://tinyurl.com/4jtrbha8.) ![]() You can learn about this and other facets of early life in Monrovia at the Monrovia Historical Museum, located in Recreation Park at 742 East Lemon. A miniature replica of this mule trolley is currently on display in our East Wing's icons exhibit (image). It was created for the museum by one of our board members, Mike Andrews. Come visit our 8,000-square-foot museum from 1-4 pm on Thursdays and Sundays. Admission is free and private tours are available! |
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