Connor Woken
Staff Writer
The Glendora Historical Society Museum has historical artifacts from the 1800s through the 1900s. This museum is run by volunteers who want to preserve the history of Glendora and its people.
“I enjoy volunteering here because I get to teach a lot of people about the history of Glendora and how it was before it was populated,” Jett Valera, a museum volunteer, said.
The museum originally began as an old fire station before it was founded in 1947 to become the museum it is today.
The building is small, but it includes artifacts that were important back when the items were needed. It also includes photographs of specific places in Glendora that were important in the 1900s.
An interesting artifact that seemed to stand out to the visitors was a vinyl cover from the Glendora High School Band from 1971-72.
“I used to be a part of the band when I went to Glendora High School, so to me, this shows a great history of the band and that means a lot to me,” Tyler Cunningham, resident of Duarte, said.
The museum also includes a place called Rubel Castle, located on the corner of North Live Oak and East Palm Drive, which shows the originality of Glendora. The castle offers tours, scheduled by phone appointment.
It is mainly used today for movie shoots and where some people keep their animals. The castle mostly holds horses of local residents that do not have space in their homes.
Rubel Castle includes the finish of the museum and shares more information on how Glendora used to be.
The museum also includes pictures of what Glendora looked like before there were buildings all over the place. It displays photographs of the orange trees with Mt. Baldy in the background. Not only does the museum have pictures of the town, but artifacts that ranged from nuggets of gold to regular household items.
The museum is a non-profit organization, but a lot of money was put into the museum. The new and improved museum’s last renovation in 1989 had a total cost of $134,962.
“With our Museum about ready to open, the Board hopes that many will either give or loan articles pertaining to Glendora’s history,” Ruth Kimball, the old artist curator, said.
Kimball said this in 1947 when the museum just opened and she presented to the city the importance of sharing this with the public. On the opening day of the museum, 200 guests came to visit and have tea.
“I want to learn more about Glendora before I move here because I feel it is important to know what the history is,” Derek Flores, a resident of San Diego, said.
The museum is only open on Saturdays from 11 a.m to 2 p.m. It includes tours, a free roam walk through of the building and is located on 314 N. Glendora Ave., next to downtown Glendora.
Connor Woken can be reached at connor.woken@laverne.edu.
