Museum of Local History both a showcase and a resource

By Victor Carvellas

By 1994 the collections of the Mission Peak Heritage Foundation and Washington Township Historical Society had grown so large as to deserve a permanent place for both the display of historical artifacts and the preservation of their thousands of documents and photographs. Opened in 1996, the Washington Township Museum of Local History admirably fulfills that purpose as it tells the stories of the people and events shaping the Tri-City area of Fremont, Newark, and Union City.

The Museum occupies the former Fire Station #4 at the corner of Anza and Ellsworth Street one block from Ohlone College. Opened in 1954, it was first home to the Mission Peak Volunteer Fire Department, then, the Fremont Fire Department after incorporation. After firefighters moved to the new station in 1990 the building sat empty until 1992 when Fremont offered it to the two historical societies for $1 per year.

Visitors can drop in Wednesdays, Fridays, and three weekends per month, either to explore the museum, get a guided tour, or research in the archive. There are also tours of Rancho Higuera Historical Park and many guided historical walks through Irvington, Mission San Jose, Niles, Centerville, and more.

The Higuera Adobe is one of the last remaining buildings in Washington Township from the Spanish-Mexican area and was built between 1830 and 1840. Every year, 30 to 50 groups of fourth-graders learn California history on the tours that include activities such as making adobe bricks and hand-dipped candles.

“We’re here,” says Kelsey Camello, president of the Board of Directors, “to help people research history.” The archives of the Museum include a huge collection of photographs, documents, maps, household objects, paleontological finds, clothing, furniture, an early piano, horse-drawn buggies, and much more. Researchers who wish to examine the museum resources will always find knowledgeable staff on hand to assist.

Much of the mission of the Museum is to excite the current generation of school children, not just about local history, but history in general, and photographs are some of the most important tools for teaching it. “Spark their imaginations and you generate interest,” says board member, Barbara Baxter. Camello relates how excited kids are when they see for themselves the difference between the past and the present. “They really want to know more.”

One of the Museum’s most valued recent acquisitions is a box of photos donated by the Fremont Chamber of Commerce, culled from its files during its recent relocation. The high-quality mostly black and white images show celebrated individuals, parades, pageants, business openings, ground breakings, real estate developments, and more. As a group they form an incredible resource documenting the growth and progress of the Tri-City area over the past sixty years.

More than a source of intriguing narratives, the Museum’s archives also aid in more practical pursuits. “The most common reason for people to visit our archives,” says Camello, “is for property research. They’re remodeling, or they’re a developer, or the city has hired them to do a report. Of course, many people come looking for pictures of their relatives and old family homes. 

The records are not always complete, but “if we really put our minds to it, we can usually find something,” says Camello. “The further back one goes,” says Baxter, “the more gaps there are. Some of the items we have are here by sheer happenstance. For no apparent reason, something ends up in an attic and eventually gets donated. Like an Assessor’s Record from 1910. Who decided to keep that?”

Some of the resources are the result of years of work by individuals. Philip Holmes (1924-2018), a transplant to the Fremont Area, was an educator and author who spent thirty years pursuing his personal interest in the people and events of the Tri-City area, writing hundreds of articles and co-authoring several books. He kept extensive notes on his studies, and those documents are today one of the first places staff recommend to people looking to research the area. Another individual was Dr. Robert Fisher. His many albums, now in the museum archives, contain hundreds of annotated photographs of historic places, painting a marvelously cohesive and extensive picture of the area’s growth since the mid-nineteenth century.

The Museum welcomes new members and is always happy to find places for volunteers. “We’re a really nice group of people,” says Camello. “We have a lot of energy, and we love new people coming in. If you’re someone who is interested in history, just come in and we’ll find a way to fit you in; and, if you have any kind of question, no matter how small, we’re here to serve the community.”

For more information, or to begin your own research project, visit the Museum’s extensive on-line resources at https://museumoflocalhistory.org/.

Washington Township Museum of Local History

190 Anza St

Fremont CA 94539

https://museumoflocalhistory.org/. 

(510) 623-7907

Open Wednesdays and Fridays 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and some weekends (call or visit website)

Free for self-guided visit

$2.00 per person ($5 per family) for docent-led tours

Free street parking

Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour 2026

By Victor Carvellas

On Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3, the public will have the privilege to tour more than 70 beautiful private gardens showcasing plants, trees, and flowers Native to

Northern California.

Since 2005, visitors have had a yearly opportunity, thanks to Bringing Back the Natives Garden tours, to visit homeowners’ gardens across the East Bay featuring foliage native to our area and seeing for themselves the beauty and practicality of adopting these low-maintenance, drought-resistant, and wildlife-friendly species in action.

Kathy Kramer began the tours a few years after moving to Northern California. “When I was 30, I moved up here from Los Angeles,” says Kramer. “I had read in the paper that steelhead trout were migrating up Wildcat Creek, and I was just enchanted by the idea that I could live in a place where that could happen.”

After hearing The Ohlone Way author Malcolm Margolin speak, “I wanted to take my garden and try to make up at least a little for all the habitat that was destroyed to make my life pleasant,” says Kramer. She wanted to see what other people were doing, but, “it didn’t work for me to go to the UC Botanic Garden or the Tilden Botanic Garden and look at these big places with professional landscaping, so I decided to start a garden tour. That allowed me and others to see what people were doing in their own yards, and that would hopefully make it easier and more attractive for others to garden with native plants.”

This is Susan Teefy of Castro Valley’s third year on the tour. She has adopted native plants for their ease of maintenance and water conservation, but she especially loves the birds they attract. “All kinds of birds will visit,” says Teefy. “I can take the screen off the window and photograph them from the kitchen.”

The birds also take care of the bugs. “I never have been one to use a lot of pesticides, anyways,” she says, “but once I understood the connection between local plants, local bugs, and local birds, it really just made sense to go all native.”

Stefanie Pruegel of San Leandro also enjoys the abundance of wildlife. “I bought this property in 2016 specifically because I wanted a place with a large lot that I could turn into a wildlife refuge,” says Pruegel. “I did the garden first, even though there was a lot to be done on the inside of the house. The garden was always the most important part.” Even though Stafanie’s yard covers about 6,000 square feet, she’s planted nearly all of it herself. “There were a couple of fruit trees, a lemon, and a pomegranate that’s still here, but everything you see was planted either in 2017 or since then. They grow so fast, it’s quite amazing how quickly you can make a difference. In the beginning, you’d see the usual sparrows and mourning doves, but over the years I’ve seen so many different species, I have to keep a list. It’s so rewarding to see them thriving and that keeps me going.”

For Stefanie, the garden is a place of renewal. “Being in the garden is very grounding, you literally have your hands in the ground, and it resets you.”

One unique feature of Stefanie’s garden is her rain catchment system. Three large tanks on the side of her house take care of all her watering needs. “I never touch a pesticide, never fertilize, and the garden is very drought tolerant, though, I do water in the summer to keep some plants that would go dormant just a little fresher.”

In Newark, this is Yen Bui’s second year on the Tour. Her encounter with native plants started as a volunteer with the California Native Plant Society (https://www.cnps.org/). “I was just helping them plant native plants in places like the public parks. That’s how I learned about how to plant and maintain them.” For Yen, the monarch butterfly has a special place. “I remember seeing them all the time when I was a kid in San Jose. Now the population is dwindling tremendously.” In response, Yen has populated large areas of her garden with monarch-friendly native milkweed, helping her achieve status as an official Monarch Waystation. (https://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/)

Teefy best sums up the garden tour experience: “Without exception, everyone who comes to the garden tour is smiling. They’re excited about the plants, they’re excited about the birds, they want to see an example of this or that plant they’ve heard about, and they’re really enthusiastic. The energy just builds on itself with that many people sharing a vision. It’s so, just, wow!”

As more gardeners discover their desire to act for the environmental good, more knowledge is required. Reading and research are excellent pathways, but there is something truly inspiring about visiting the real thing. To learn more and register for the tour (which is free), be sure to visit the website, https://bringingbackthenatives.net.

The website is also a great resource, with links to nurseries, garden designers, and educational resources, including talks by and interviews with Dr. Doug Tallamy, an expert in the application of native species.

Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour and

Green Home Features Showcase

Saturday, May and Sunday May 3, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Tour is free, but registration is required at https://bringingbackthenatives.net/view-

gardens

Accessibility and parking vary

 Fremont Pride Fair 2026

A space of celebration where all are welcome

By Victor Carvellas

On Saturday, June 13, the City of Fremont’s Human Services Department partnered with the city’s Human Relations Committee and the Main Library for the Third Annual Pride Fair.

Amid the festive atmosphere provided by a live DJ and vibrantly decorated booths, guests met and mingled with friends, local LGBTQ+ organizations, community service providers, vendors, and more.

Amelia's Kitchen served delicious Mexican fare from their food truck, and the Magical Box Bakery of Newark delighted the crowd with fresh baked cookies.

Bay Area Community Health (BACH) provided HIV and Hep C testing, while Haller's Pharmacy Community Vaccine Clinic and Alameda County Public Health administered COVID-19 and Flu Vaccines.

Drag King Storytime brought together an audience of kids 6 and under with their parents to listen to Jota Mercury read enchanting stories. The Local Queer Author Meet & Book Signing gave readers an opportunity to hear authors discuss their work and get their free copies signed. Genres ranged from adult non-fiction and memoirs to teen graphic novels, poetry, and children’s picture books. Participating were Lio Min, María Mínguez Arias, MariNaomi, and Nidhi Chanani. 

Three years ago, the idea for Pride Fair originated out of brainstorming sessions between Fremont’s Human Service Department and the Alameda County Library’s Fremont Branch for ways to celebrate the local LGBTQ+ community. “Our conversations were about our connection to the community,” says County Librarian, Deb Sica. “Staff and Commission members wanted an annual celebration to demonstrate that connection and Pride Fair came about organically as a result.”

“Pride Fair means different things to different people,” says Sica. I had people come who were not out but just wanted to be among community quietly, while others who like being loud and proud felt equally welcome.”

 BART Tool Time – Fun for Kids and Adults

By Victor Carvellas

On Saturday, August 8, BART Deputy General Manager Michael Jones hosted Tool Time, an event where the public had a chance to explore the inner workings of BART and the people equipment that keep it running.

The event was free all-ages event and was situated beside the active construction area at Fremont station, where BART is currently working to replace a vital interlocking nearing the end of its lifespan. Interlockings are fail-safe systems that allow trains to safety cross from one track to another. Heavy equipment such as high-
railers, a vactor truck, a speed swing, a “stinger” (truck mounted crane) and other vital tools could be viewed up close, and staff was on hand to answer questions.

BART Chief Communications Officer Alicia Trost led the effort to present Tool Time. Drawing on experience with other BART special events she knew that the public would enjoy getting to know BART better. “With the construction on the interlocking and attendant adjustments to service, we wanted to do something fun for the neighbors and everyone that enjoys BART.”

The highlight of the day was a live crane demo, featuring the project’s massive crawler crane capable of lifting 600 tons -- the second largest of its kind on the West Coast. The demo was a favorite as a crowd of several looked on in awe of the height (over 200 feet) and sublime grace of the titanic mechanical monster.

Other activities included a BART Police K9 demonstration where Kygo, a German shepherd stole the show with demonstrations of substance detection and personnel reconnaissance. A favorite concession was BART’s merchandise store, Railgoods, where caps, t-shirts, water bottles, tote bags, Clipper Card holders and more could be had.

BART track engineers discussed the training that equipment operators undergo, the specialized uses of the various pieces on display and the coordinated team efforts required to build new infrastructure as well as maintain the 131 miles of track, bridges, and power systems. Operator Michael Schiefer talked about the challenging written and field testing he completed in order to operate the excavator, as well as how the vactor truck uses water jets and suction for precision excavation where large diggers won’t fit. Trackman Ed Noriega described how the speed swing is used to carefully lift and place heavy and unwieldy track lengths with speed and accuracy.

Anyone interested in BART facts and figures should visit bart.gov. The latest ridership figures, scheduled maintenance, upcoming improvements, and BART events are all there. In particular, those looking specifically for events easily reached via BART shout visit bartable.bart.gov, where farmers’ markets, eateries, great walks, concerts, kid-friendly activities and all the fun tourist attractions of the Bay Area can be found alongside BART maps and schedules.

Will Francis and the Art of the Family

By Victor Carvellas

Grenada-born Will Francis is an artist whose bright colors, abstracted figures, and playful, dynamic compositions both tell the stories of his past and illuminate the joys of his present.

His beginnings were not promising. Though he confesses to having “always been an artist,” it was a flash of inspiration in 1997 that resulted in three paintings, back-to-back. “Then,” says Will, “I stopped for the next 20 years.” He would have more living to do before his subjects would appear.

In the meantime. Francis started both a family and a transportation business. “We were doing really well,” he says, “we had clients all over the Bay area.” When a New York account wanted him to expand to the East Coast, he realized he was already spending more time away from his family than he cared for. Then COVID struck, business evaporated, and he sold the company. “My wife said, ‘now’s your opportunity; start your art business.’”

“Art is my career now, so it blends in with my regular routine. I drop the kids off at school, go to the gym, then come back and paint for a few hours until I pick them up.” Will is prodigiously productive. “The creative process would come to a halt if I wasn’t painting every day. The ideas just keep flowing, so I’m able to finish four or five paintings a week.”

 

The Paintings

For this article Will chose some recent works representative of the subjects and themes that inspire him:

Do I Love You

Do I Love You: “I visited my mom some time ago and I realized something I hadn’t known before—that she loves dogs. The person holding the dog in her picture is her husband. He had a stroke and has been unable to move for the last 10 years, so the dog, playfully frisking about, compensates for the lost mobility and acts as an intermediary, a sort of vessel that shares and embodies the love they have for each other.”

Chapters of Me

Chapters of Me: “It’s about different phases of my life. Different times. The grids there represent the buildings and streets of New York, an important time in my life. That red represents how I see the world today. So many disparities. The space Is so polarized with people fighting for the wrong thing. The red is the blood; it’s the suffering of people, especially in places like the Ukraine. The blood that is behind the scenes is now up front and represents how front and center that suffering is to me.”

Family Time

Family Time: During the pandemic, we spent so much time together. I was trying to be creative but also focus on the kids. I was the primary caretaker since my wife was working. My business had to shut down. I had to figure out homeschooling, then paint for 20 minutes. It was a lot of time together, going to the park, taking walks. There’s a lot of colors in there. You see, we had just bought the house and there was all this tall grass and wildflowers in the back. They just ran around in it and had so much fun. Those wildflowers are where all the colors came from. For me, the structure of the piece suggests support and strength. The grids at angles suggest order amid the spontaneity.”

Aunties

Aunties: “I grew up in Grenada and across the street from us was this big house. They were very affluent, while we were quite poor. There was a lady there from Venezuela and she used to call me over and give me food. She’d watch us play. The yellow and black line of the painting is the street. Her husband watched us too. They never had kids, so I think watching us meant something. As to the title, I could have used the apostrophe, but the truth is there were two people there, so I dropped the apostrophe as a kind of play on the words, to signify the pair of them.”

Nothing Else Matters

Nothing Else Matters: Is all about family, about what you cherish most, what you think is most important. My first business was as an owner of a car service business.  I spent a lot of time away from home, often coming home just in time to put my daughter (we only had the one child) to bed. Now what happened was that I could have been a subcontractor for this huge company in New York with rights to the entire West Coast. It would have been huge for the business, but I was all over the place at all times of the day and night. My wife said to me, ‘your daughter is only a few months old. What are you going to do?’ I realized how much I was missing, and I let the account go. I didn’t want to miss that time in their young lives. It was just in time, though, because Uber and Lyft came on the scene and that would have been my competition.

 

Will Francis is hoping to have a new show opening in San Jose very soon. You can find out more about him and see some of his work at willfrancisart.com.

Hats Off to these Young Entrepreneurs

By Victor Carvellas

Brothers Jalen and Nyles Madison, 16 and 12, have an idea for building brick hobbyists too good to keep under their hats. Their company, MOC Gear, sells caps and beanies that use LEGO© and mini bricks to create custom wearable creations.

The line of colorful headwear uses two kinds of “build plates” that can be attached to the brim of the caps and to the front of the caps and beanies. There, builders can showcase their own unique build (thus, MOC – My Own Creations, as they’re known.)

“My brother and I love LEGO©. About 3 years ago we went to a convention where we got the inspiration for the hats. We started putting our builds on caps and wherever we wore them, they got a lot of attention. People wanted to know where they could buy them.”

The boys’ mom, Nikitha Madison, sees this as a learning opportunity. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” says Nikitha. “My mom [Debra Johnson] has owned a real estate company and a consulting company and co-owns a pet product business. I run a real estate consulting company. This is a great introduction to entrepreneurship for Jalen and Nyles while they do something they love.”

The pair are serious about making a success of it. With the help of their grandmother Debra, MOC Gear is a trademarked name. “It was important,” says Debra, “not only to protect the name, but to make sure they weren’t infringing on any existing brands.” MOC Gear has employed a professional design firm to design their website and manage their social media, but the marketing ideas haven’t stopped at the Internet.

“We envision them being sold in vending machines at places where kids hang out,” says Jalen. Nyles sees them as potentially “helping schools fundraise.” There’s also a place on the website, the MOC Gear Club (https://mocgear.club), where kids can safely share their creations, get special discounts, learn about upcoming releases, and ask questions of special guest builders.

Totem Pole Brings Sacred Space to San Leandro Marina

By Victor Carvellas The evening was cool as the setting sun danced on the golden waters of the Bay. The earthy smell of burning sage billowed in the breeze. A small gathering had come on October 28th to honor the memory of the Lummi Nation’s departed chief, Bill James (Tsi’li’xw, d. 6/1/2020). Strapped to a flatbed trailer, thousands of miles beneath its wheels, the carved memorial, a totem pole, resplendent in bright primary colors and adorned with symbols and scenes from James’ life, lay before the crowd. The totem pole was the work of Master Carver Jewell Se-Sealth James (Praying Wolf) of the House of Tears Carvers. Since 2001, House of Tears has taken a totem pole on an annual journey across the country, visiting sacred sites, villages, and tribes. Jewell couldn’t attend as he has done in the past, but his brother Doug (Sit-ki-kadem) was there, totem pole in tow. This was the next to last leg of a journey that began in Washington State, swept across the country to Baltimore and Washington, D.C., then threaded its way back to the West Coast and the San Leandro Marina before stopping in Sacramento for the annual convention of the National Council of American Indians. As with other stops, Doug recounted the events of Chief James’ life and explained the pole’s carvings (The surname James belongs to both men as the Chief was a second cousin to Doug and Jewell). The evening was also an opportunity for those present to engage in a spirit walk, a time of contemplation, in recognition of the 2022 Sovereignty Run, also taking place in the Bay Area.

In 2002, Tribal Nations, leaders, and Indian Country advocates ran across the country from Washington State to Washington, DC to protest Supreme Court decisions restricting tribal jurisdictions and affecting tribal sovereignty. Commemorating the twentieth anniversary of that milestone, this year’s 1,785-mile relay race from Oklahoma to Sacramento draws public attention to more recent cases (in particular, Castro-Huerta v. Oklahoma. For details see https://www.ncai.org/news/articles/2022/09/13/ncai-president-fawn-sharp-to-lead-20th-anniversary-sovereignty-run-across-indian-country). The Run is conducted in partnership with Bright Path Strong, whose mission is to inspire Native Americans through the example of the superlative athlete, Jim Thorpe. Thorpe, whose Sac and Fox tribal name Wa-Tho-Huk translates to “Bright Path” (1887 – 1953), was stripped of his gold medals from the 1912 Olympics on the dubious application of rules regarding amateur status. He nonetheless went on to successfully play major league baseball, served as first president of the American Professional Football Association (which became the National Football League), and even acted in Hollywood movies. Chief James himself was a Master Weaver, but he was also a strong advocate for environmental issues. Not the least of his efforts included bringing back to her home, the Salish Sea, the orca known to the Lummi as Tokitae. Her story, which is ongoing, is carved onto the side of the pole. The Lummi tribe consider themselves, as Doug James says, “people of the sea,” and as such, they extend that familial bond to the creatures that live below it. Tokitae was four years old when she was captured in 1970 and taken to the Miami Seaquarium (where she has been renamed Lolita.) “We’ve been fighting to get her back ever since,” said James. For those Native Americans whose families experienced forced relocation, her situation is especially poignant.

Notable people in attendance included Miwok Tribal Elder Wounded Knee Del Campo, an activist with the American Indian Movement (AIM) since its founding; Tribal Chair for the Confederated Villages of Lisjan, Ohlone Tribal Elder Corinna Gould; Tribal Elder Ione Mad Plume; Cheyenne artist and poet Kris Longoria; San Leandro City Councilwoman Corina Lopez, and many others. Del Campo spoke to the gathering about the need to preserve the land, forests, and waters for future generations. He reminded everyone that such efforts to change the laws in favor of protecting these things “take time,” and that indigenous peoples need to come together to successfully carry out “what our ancestors want us to do, to protect that which is sacred.”

As a symbol of welcome, Gould presented James and his family with sacred pouches of cedar and tobacco, as well as necklaces representing the earth and sea. Longoria reflected in an interview on the importance of the gift of acceptance. Here family was “shipped to the Bay area” in the late 1800’s but when her Cheyenne family arrived, there was no visible Native population to greet and support them. When the pole came to the area last year, Longoria and her friend Gould uses the sacred space embodied in the pole to “do a prayer together in which she essentially welcomed my family into her territory...it was the first time that I felt I was really home.” The Great Old Broads for Wilderness (https://www.greatoldbroads.org/) sponsored the event, bringing sandwiches and other refreshments. Councilwoman Lopez is on their Board of directors, and members Carol Kuelper and Sheila Jacobs hosted.