Clarksburg: an Exception to School Segregation
 Class photos have an eternal charm, with their mix of children who are happy, grumpy, candid, posed, awkward, or indifferent (and inevitably at least one with wildly unkempt hair). This 1921 photo from Merritt School – now known as the 1883 Clarksburg Schoolhouse – is no different.
But there’s something about this photo that is not eternal, and actually surprising for its time: diversity. White and Asian children – probably mostly Japanese-American – are interspersed randomly, as you would expect to see in a school photo taken today, over 100 years later.
Brentwood 75th Anniversary Edition released
Brentwood celebrates its 75th anniversary with the release of a special edition of historian Carol A. Jensen's Brentwood.
Jensen - author of Arcadia Publishing’s Byron Hot Springs, The California Delta, and East Contra Costa County - presents here in vintage photography the best of Brentwood as culled from local archives and collections. Combined with Jensen’s prose, these images showcase Brentwood’s progression from its rural beginnings as an agricultural stronghold to the modern city of houses, shops, schools, and places of worship we know today.
The book is sold directly from Arcadia Publishing Co., as well as through the East Contra Costa Historical Society.
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National Heritage Area News
NHA sign damaged in car accident
This sign welcoming motorists to the Delta National Heritage Area had been up for scarcely a month before it was damaged in an accident.
Around 12:30 p.m. on Friday, July 21, a Honda Civic ran off the road and hit the sign. There were no injuries, no DUI and no hit-and-run.
The California Conservation Corps, which installed the sign for the Delta Protection Commission, is working to replace it.
Read more about the Commission's sign program here.
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Upcoming Meeting
The next Delta NHA Advisory Committee meeting will be held in October at a date yet to be set.
Visit the Delta NHA Advisory Committee webpage for more information - an agenda will be posted at least 10 days in advance of the meeting.
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Exhibits, Events, and Classes
Submit your event for inclusion in our newsletters by emailing submit@delta.ca.gov.
Events
Vallejo Museum Gala - Sept. 9
The Vallejo Museum's annual gala celebrates Vallejo music through the decades - Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone, H.E.R., and E-40 are all from Vallejo. Event, which runs from 5 to 9 p.m., includes full dinner, cocktail bar, DJ music and performance by Vallejo musicians. Buy tickets here.
Tractor Fest - Oct. 14
Get ready for clouds of dust, a bit of rust, and a ton of family fun at the 3rd Annual San Joaquin County Tractor Fest. The Caterpillar tractor and the company that would become Caterpillar were both born in San Joaquin County.
Sponsored by Holt of California, Tractor Fest will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the San Joaquin County Historical Museum in Micke Grove Park in Lodi. Anyone interested in showing a tractor can download the Tractor Entry Form here and submit it via email to ehust@sanjoaquinhistory.org. All entries are due by Sept. 29.
Training and Classes
Los Medanos College Lifelong Learning Lectures - September through December
The Los Medanos College's Lifelong Learning Center's fall lecture series includes several lectures by local historian and Delta NHA Advisory Committee member Carol Jensen, Advisory Committee member David Stuart and Delta writer Dan Hanel.
Lecture offerings include:
- "Chinese in Agriculture: Levees, Asparagus and Bayside Cannery" (9/19)
- "Death at the Healing Waters" - about the Byron Hot Springs Resort's history (9/28)
- "Traditional Lifeways of Indigenous Peoples in East Contra Costa and the Delta" (10/10)
- "Beneath the Tangled Vines" - about Winehaven, once the world’s largest winery (10/12)
- "Agriculture: Meet a Farmer" (10/17)
- "The History of Winemaking in Contra Costa County" (11/21)
- "Water Wars: Water History of California to the Delta Tunnels" (12/19).
Lectures are held in Brentwood, Pittsburg, and Oakland. Enrollment at Los Medanos is not required, but you must register in advance (classes fill quickly) at the Los Medanos College website.
Museum Exhibits
Filipino American National Historical Society Museum - Alaskeros
The Alaskeros Exhibit at the Filipino American National Historical Society Museum in Stockton kicks off Saturday, Sept. 9 and runs through Dec. 31. This exhibit was made possible by an endowment from Ray Paular. If you or someone in your family has experience being an "Alaskero," the museum invites you to share your story - email fanhsmuseum@aol.com.
East Contra Costa Historical Museum Open - Ongoing through October
The East Contra Costa Historical Society Museum opened for the season on April 1. The Museum will remain open on Saturdays and the third Sunday of each month through October. Learn more about the East Contra Costa Historical Museum.
Uprooted: an American Story, Bridging the Past and the Present - Ongoing
The California Museum's revised signature exhibit remains open. This fully rebuilt, technology-enhanced exhibit focuses on the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII and explores how they responded to their forced removal and incarceration. It also highlights Japanese Americans’ ongoing efforts to ensure no other groups experience similar civil rights violations. Learn more on the California Museum website.
Grant Opportunities
 National Trust for Historic Preservation, National Trust Preservation Funds
National Trust Preservation Funds are an umbrella group of grant funds intended to encourage preservation at the local level by supporting ongoing preservation work and by providing seed money for preservation projects. Applications are due on Oct. 1. For more information, visit the National Trust for Historic Preservation website.
California Humanities, California Documentary Project Research and Production Grants
The California Documentary Project (CDP) is a competitive grant program that supports the research and development and production stages of film, audio, and digital media projects that seek to document California in all its complexity.
Funding is available in three categories: Research and Development Grants up to $15,000, Production Grants up to $50,000, and CDP NextGen Grants up to $15,000. CDP Production and Research and Development grant applications are due Nov. 1. For more information, visit the California Humanities website.
National Archives, Publishing Historical Records in Collaborative Digital Editions
This program supports projects that publish online editions of historical records. All types of historical records are eligible, including documents, photographs, born-digital records, and analog audio. Projects that center the voices and document the history of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color are especially welcome. Grants are awarded up to $125,000 for one year. Applications are due on Nov. 2. For more information, visit the National Archives website.
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