Alameda County Historical Society

Main Street, Niles

County Landmarks Historical Societies & Museums

Quarterly Newsletter

The Quarterly, a newsletter sent free to ACHS members, is published four times a year. Following is a list of back issues of the Quarterly. Copies, where available, may be purchased using this Publications Order Form.

July 2008, Vol. XXXIV, No. 3
Feature Article:
The Origins of Livermore Valley Viticulture, by Garrett B. Drummond. A history of the vintagers and vintners of Alameda County.
Book Reviews by Harlan Kessel:
Black Artists in Oakland, by Jerry Thompson and Duane Deterville.
The Pullman Porters and West Oakland, by Thomas and Wilma Tramble.
Special Feature:
We remember long-time Quarterly editor, Kenneth Pettit.

April 2008, Vol. XXXIV, No. 2
Feature Article:
Auto Racing History in San Leandro, by Tom Motter. A history of the land and the Oakland Speedway at E.14th Street and Hesperian Blvd. from 1880 to 1954.
Book Reviews by Harlan Kessel:
Berkeley: A City in History, by Charles Wollenberg.
Eccentrics, Heroes, and Cutthroats of Old Berkeley, by Richard Schwartz.

January 2008, Vol. XXXIV, No. 1
Feature Article:
The Railroads Through Irvington, by Wes Hammond. A personal story recounting the arrival and expansion of the railroads to and through this transportation hub from 1886 to 1945.
Second Article:
A Southern Alameda County Halloween -- 2007, by Al Minard.
Book Reviews by Harlan Kessel:
Pleasanton, by Mary-Jo Wainwright and the Museum on Main.
Cottages & Castles: The Centennial Houses of the City of Piedmont, by Ann Swift.

October 2007, Vol. XXXIII, No. 4
Feature Article:
Brookhurst: The Perry Legacy of Hospitality, by Christopher J. Renz. The story of Raymond and Winifred Perry, dredging and real estate entrepreneurs, who established their estate, "Brookhurst," in the Rockridge area of Oakland and devoted themselves to art, hospitality, and community until the untimely death of Winifred led to the sale of the estate and its transformation into the College of St. Albert the Great.
Book Review by Harlan Kessel:
Berkeley Rocks: Building With Nature, by Jonathan Chester and David Weinstein.

July 2007, Vol. XXXIII, No. 3
Feature Article:
Queen of the Hills: The Story of Piedmont. Originally published in 1954, Rosamond Craig Castle's centennial edition of the story of the city's founding is reviewed by Annalee Allen. Heretofore unpublished photos of early Piedmont, courtesy of collector Albert E. Norman, are included.
Second Article:
My Fourteen-Mile Hike, by Warren Howell. From the Willard Jr. High School Target, June 1925, Berkeley, California.

April 2007, Vol. XXXIII, No. 2
Feature Article:
The Changing World of Publishing Local History, by Harlan Kessel. A review of local histories, authors and publishers, past and present. Including the Oakland Tribune's 'Knave'; Beth Bagwell's Oakland: The Story of a City; Annalee Allen's Selections from The Oakland Tribune Archives; Woody Minor's The Architecture of Ratcliff; and James Benney's Native American Indian Sites in the East Bay Hills, A Guidebook.

January 2007, Vol. XXXIII, No. 1
Feature Article:
Joaquin Miller and his Influence on the Oakland Hills, from a Lecture by Rex Burress. An introduction to the life of the "Poet of the Sierras" and a history of the property that became Joaquin Miller Park.
Book Review by Harlan Kessel:
Temescal Legacies: Narratives of Change from a North Oakland Neighborhood, by Jeff Norman.

October 2006, Vol. XXXII, No. 4
Feature Article:
Dublin, California by Elizabeth Isles. The story of the people and events that shaped the early history of this crossroads community in Alameda County's Amadore Valley.
Book Review by Harlan Kessel:
California's Frontier Naturalists,by Richard Beidleman.

July 2006, vol. XXXII, No. 3
Feature Article:
Jack London's Boyhood in Livermore by Janet Newton, reprinted with permission of the Livermore Heritage Guild. Jack London's life in rural Alameda County from 1883 to 1886.

April 2006, Vol. XXXII, No. 2
Feature Article:
Albany: Cow Pastures to Condos, by Ruth and William F. Ganong. Traces the evolution of the City of Albany, including its early settlement and incorporation, public institutions, waterfront, race track and past and current development pressures.
Book Review by Harlan Kessel:
Earthquake Exodus, 1906: Berkeley Responds to the San Francisco Refugees, by Richard Schwartz.

January 2006, Vol. XXXII, No. 1
Feature Article:
Oakland's Second City, by Pamela Magnuson-Peddle. The growth of Fruitvale - its orchards, industry, commercial district, and annexation by Oakland.
Book Review by Harlan Kessel:
Arcadia Publishing Company's recent releases from its Postcard History Series: Oakland, by Annalee Allen, and Alameda, by Greta Dutcher and Stephen Rowland.

October 2005, VOL. XXXI, No. 4
Feature Article:
From History of Berkeley, by George A, Pettitt. ACHS reprises excerpts from Pettitt's 1976 ACHS keepsake booklet (out of print), on Berkeley's growth, including the competing needs of Ocean View and the university.
Book Review by Harlan Kessel:
Emeryville, by Donald Hausler, Nancy Smith, and Seth Lunine.

July 2005, Vol. XXXI, No. 3
Feature Article:
The Duarte Garage: Stop Along a Legendary Highway, by Ed Miller. A brief history of the Lincoln Highway and the evolution of the Duarte Garage in Livermore, from service station on America's first transcontinental highway to Livermore Heritage Guild museum.
Book Review by Harlan Kessel:
East Bay: Then and Now, by Dennis Evanosky and Eric J. Kos.

April 2005, Vol. XXXI, No. 2
Feature Article:
Oscar Starr, Engineer, by Al Minard. The role of Oscar Starr in the development and manufacture of the track layer machine ("caterpillar") built by rivals Benjamin Holt and Clarence Leo Best in Alameda County.
Book Review by Harlan Kessel:
Images of America: Oakland's Chinatown, by William Wong.

January 2005, Vol. XXXI, No. 1
Feature Article:
Julia Morgan, by Annalee Allen. A review of the life and works of celebrated architect Julia Morgan.
Book Review by Harlan Kessel:
American Babylon: Race and the Struggle for Postwar Oakland, by Robert O. Self.

October 2004, VOL. XXX, No. 4
Feature Article:
Emeryville: The Entertainment Center of the East Bay, by Donald Hausler. Emeryville's various forms of amusement, beginning in the 1870s.

July 2004, Vol. XXX, No. 3
Feature Article:
A History of San Leandro, by Cindy Simons.

April 2004, Vol. XXX, No. 2
Feature Article:
Early Black Immigration to Alameda County, by Donald Hausler.
Book Review by Harlan Kessel:
History of Holy Names College, by Ethel Mary Tinnemann, snjm.

January 2004, Vol. XXX, No. 1
Feature Article:
Recollections of Farm Life, by Joshua Fong, O.D. Memories of farm and family life in the Niles area from the 1920s to the 1940s.
Book Review by Harlan Kessel:
Oakland: A Photographic Journey, by Bill Caldwell. A "then and now" photo comparison of Oakland landmarks.

October 2003, Vol. XXIX, No. 4
Feature Article:
Documenting the Blasdel House, A Fremont Landmark, by Steve Head.

July 2003, Vol. XXIX, No. 3
Feature Article:
Smith and Carpentier at Odds, by Annalee Allen. An account of rivals H.C. Smith and H.W. Carpentier's behind the scenes maneuvering to establish the site of the Alameda County Seat.
Second Article: From A History of the City of Pleasanton, by Herbert L. Hagemann, Jr. Book Review by Harlan Kessel: Remembering My Life in Irvington, California and Other Memories, 1931 - 1943, by Wesley L. Hammond.

April 2003, Vol. XXIX, No. 2
Feature Article:
Swingtime in Oakland, by Wes Hammond. Remembering Oakland's ballrooms and dancers from the 'teens to the 1970s.
Book Review by Harlan Kessel:
Historic Spots in California, Fifth Edition 2002, Revised, by Douglas E. Kyle.

January 2003, Vol. XXIX, No. 1
Feature Article:
From The Charm of Old Livermore, by Janet Newton.
Book Review by Harlan Kessel:
Berkeley, A City in History, by Charles Wollenberg (an E-Book available at www.infopeople.org/bpl).

October 2002, Vol. XXVIII, No. 4
Feature Article:
Berkeley Public Library's Berkeley History Room, by Sayre Van Young.

Book Review by Harlan Kessel:
Celebrating Family Fun at the County Fair!: A Pictorial History Honoring 90 Years of the Alameda County Fair, 1912 - 2002, edited by Bob & Pat Lane.

July 2002, Vol. XXVIII, No. 3
Feature Article:
History of Fremont, California, by Philip Holmes.
Second Article:
The Shinn House, by Al Minard.

April 2002, Vol. XXVII, No. 2
Feature Article:
Oakland: The First 25 Years, by Beth Bagwell (reprinted from the Montclarion).

January 2002, Vol. XXVIII, No. 1
Feature Article:
Old Altamont Pass: Travel Memories by Wesley L. Hammond.

October 2001: VOL. XXVII, No. 4
Feature Article:
The 1906 Earthquake in Oakland�The Police Response, from Oakland Police Department History, Part II, 1900 - 1919, by Phil McArdle. Second Article:
Twenty Years Ago in the ACHS Quarterly, October 1981: A Trip to the John Muir House and Tracy Pumping Plant, by Frances Buxton.

July 2001, Vol. XXVII, No. 3
Feature Article:
Hayward: 125 Years of Progress by Richard Petersen.
Book Review by Harlan Kessel:
The Eagle Soars to Enlightenment: An Illustrated History of the California School for the Deaf, San Francisco, Berkeley, Fremont, by Kenneth Walters Norton.
Book Review by Harlan Kessel:
A Selective History of the Codornices-University Village, the City of Albany & Environs: With Special Attention Given to the Richmond Shipyard Railway and the Albany Hill and Shoreline, by Warren F. Lee and Catherine T. Lee.

April 2001, Vol. XXVII, No. 2
Feature Article:
President's Message from New ACHS President, by David Nicolai.
Book Review by Harlan Kessel:
The Spirit of Oakland: An Anthology, Abby Wasserman, Editor; Diane Curry, Photo Editor.
Book Review by Elise White:
The Peraltas and their Houses, by J.N. Bowman (reprinted by ACHS, with update).

January 2001, Vol. XXVII, No. 1
Feature Article:
The Antonio Maria Peralta House and Peralta Hacienda Historical Park, by Mary-Jo Wainwright.

October 2000, Vol. XXVI, No. 4
Feature Article:
San Lorenzo Theater, by Doris Marciel (with update).
Book Review by Harlan Kessel:
Pacific Gateway: An Illustrated History of the Port of Oakland, by Woodruff Minor.
Book Review by Harlan Kessel:
Berkeley 1900: Daily Life at the Turn of the Century, by Richard Schwartz.

July 2000, Vol. XXVI, No. 3
Feature Article:
The Londons of Piedmont, by Ann Swift. An account of Jack London's three years as a Piedmont resident and homeowner.
Book Review by Harlan Kessel:
A Berkeley Antebellum, by Kenneth I. Pettitt, Editor of the ACHS Quarterly. "A small, verit� masterpiece of the simple wonders of daily life in Berkeley and environs from the turn of the century to the present."

April 2000, Vol. XXVI, No. 2
Feature Article:
The History of Holy Names College, The Early Years, by Sister Ethel Mary Tinnemann, snjm. A selection from a work in progress.
Book Review by Stephanie Manning:
Berkeley 1900: Daily Life at the Turn of the Century, by Richard Schwartz.

January 2000, Vol. XXVI, No. 1
Feature Article:
East Bay Explosions!, by Richard Schwartz. Recounting various Powder Works explosions in the early years of the 20th Century.
Book Review by Harlan Kessel:
Prophet of the Parks: The Story of William Penn Mott, Jr., by Mary Ellen Butler.

October 1999, Vol. XXV, No. 4
Feature Article:
The Legacy of Vicente Peralta, by Jeff Norman. A look at traces of Vicente Peralta's life and rancho in North Oakland.

July 1999, Vol. XXV, No. 3
Feature Article:
The Journals of Jesus M. Estudillo, edited and annotated by Margaret Schlichtmann. Second Article:
Pony Express Monument in Jack London Square, by Annalee Allen.
Book Review by Harlan Kessel:
A Voyage to California, the Sandwich Islands, and Around the World in the Years 1826 - 1829, by Auguste Duhaut-Cilly.

April 1999, Vol. XXV, No. 2
Feature Article:
The Story of Agapius Honcharenko, Hermit of the Hayward Hills, from The Rancho of Don Guillermo, a History of Hayward, Castro Valley, and San Lorenzo, by John Sandoval, and Vol. 15, No. 3 of Adobe Trails, the official publication of the Hayward Area Historical Society. Second Article:
The Old Alvarado Pumping Plant, by Jaqueline Beggs (with update).

October 1998, Vol. XXIV, No. 4
Feature Article:
Gabraela Remembered, by Ina Rosenquist. The story of a visit to the site of the Jose Domingo Peralta Berkeley homesite by his last living child, Gabraela Osuna.
Book Review by Carolyn Younger:
One Step from the White House: The Rise and Fall of Senator William F. Knowland, by Gayle Montgomery and James W. Johnson.

July 1998, Vol. XXIV, No. 3
Feature Article:
ACHS: Bench Marking the Peralta Ranch Boundaries, by Jacqueline Beggs. The story of Don Louis Maria Peralta and his sons' settlement of lands that would become a large part of Alameda County.
Book Review by Janet Alderton:
Chronicle of the University of California, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Spring 1998). A new semiannual journal to present "work on the history of the University to a scholarly and interested public" and "thereby strengthen institutional memory."

January and April 1998, Vol. XXIV, Nos. 1 & 2
Feature Article:
Historic House Museums in Alameda County
Book Review by Janet Alderton:
San Francisco Bay Shoreline Guide: A California State Coastal Conservancy Book, Rosa Gustaitis, Editor. Announcement of new Quarterly Editor: Ken Pettitt, longtime ACHS member.