Homestead Museum

A Recap of Holiday Programs at the Homestead

by Paul R. Spitzzeri The Homestead’s slate of holiday-related programming, aside from our regular schedule of public tours Wednesday through Sunday, ended this evening with the second day of our “Weekend of Holiday Merriment.” About 600 visitors enjoyed seasonal music, lectures on Victorian-era holiday food, had story time with Santa, made holiday-related crafts, and toured... Continue Reading →

Portrait Gallery: Lucinda and Charles Temple with Manuel Zuñiga and Julia Davis, ca. 1890s

by Paul R. Spitzzeri Antonia Margarita Workman (1830-1892) and F.P.F. Temple (1822-1880) had eleven children, eight of which lived to adulthood.  There were nearly twenty-six years between the birth of the eldest, Thomas, in 1846 and the youngest, Charles, in 1872.  Not surprisingly, there were widely varied life stories for each of them with major... Continue Reading →

Native California Indians in the Annual Message and Reports of President Franklin Pierce, December 1853, Part 2

by Paul R. Spitzzeri The very interesting and detailed information found in reports published with the annual message of President Franklin Pierce in December 1853 for the House of Representatives and one of which is in the Homestead’s collection, includes some remarkable material about California’s native aboriginal Indians. As introduced in the first part of... Continue Reading →

Native California Indians in the Annual Message and Reports of President Franklin Pierce, December 1853

by Paul R. Spitzzeri Yesterday’s post concerned references to California land claims for ranchos and other property granted under Spain and Mexico in the annual message and accompanying reports to Congress by President Franklin Pierce at the end of 1853, his first year in office.  Today and tomorrow, we look at the materials in the... Continue Reading →