The Museum Docents will present a special Veterans’ Day weekend “Healdsburg on the Home Front” History Talk on Friday, Nov. 8, from 1 -2:30 p.m. hosted at the Healdsburg Senior Center, 133 Matheson St.

Learn about Healdsburg life during the war, including how school children raised funds to pay for construction of a P-47 jet fighter, which was named for the city.

Find out what happened to the Japanese families who lived here…many of whom came back to stay after the war.

Hear about the many roles women took to help the war effort including planting Victory Gardens, staffing a hospitality house for soldiers, selling war bonds and more.

And we will be serving “Make Do Cake,” baked by Meredith Dreisback from a World War II-era recipe designed to help homemakers make dessert while staying within rationing limits.

The presenters will be Jerry Haag, Patrick Mukaida and Joanne Taeuffer. Special thanks to Healdsburg Senior Center for co-sponsoring this History Talk.

Join us for the History Lives Dinner and Auction at Robert Young Estate Winery on September 10, 2024. This year’s History Lives honoree is Anne Vercelli.

Event Information and Tickets

Each summer, the Healdsburg Museum’s docents present History Talks in the Plaza on Saturday mornings at the gazebo. In 2024, programs run from June 1st to August 31st. Each Saturday there will be two presentations:

10:00 – 10:30
The Healdsburg Story                           
This quick overview of the town’s past is perfect for newcomers and visitors. You’ll learn the town’s history from Pomo Village to Destination Healdsburg.

10:30 – 11:30             
From Mayberry to Beverly Healdsburg
Joanne Taeuffer
Joanne Taeuffer will talk about the downtown area when she was young, the deterioration of the area with the coming of the freeway, the city’s decision to become a destination wine resort area in the early 1980s, and the subsequent redevelopment agency’s quest to bring an upscale hotel to the plaza area. She’ll finish with a walk around the Plaza to look at what has taken the place of her childhood Plaza memories.

Each summer, the Healdsburg Museum’s docents present History Talks in the Plaza on Saturday mornings at the gazebo. In 2024, programs run from June 1st to August 31st. Each Saturday there will be two presentations:

10:00 – 10:30
The Healdsburg Story                           
This quick overview of the town’s past is perfect for newcomers and visitors. You’ll learn the town’s history from Pomo Village to Destination Healdsburg.

10:30 – 11:30             
For the Common Good: Medicine and One-Room School Houses
Kay Robinson and Steve Deas
Two critical aspects of the social net are medicine and education. Steve Deas will talk about the history of Healdsburg medicine, from Traditional Healers to Modern Doctors. Kay Robinson will talk about how children were educated in a plethora of small country school houses that dotted the Dry Creek Valley in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Each summer, the Healdsburg Museum’s docents present History Talks in the Plaza on Saturday mornings at the gazebo. In 2024, programs run from June 1st to August 31st. Each Saturday there will be two presentations:

10:00 – 10:30
The Healdsburg Story                           
This quick overview of the town’s past is perfect for newcomers and visitors. You’ll learn the town’s history from Pomo Village to Destination Healdsburg.

10:30 – 11:30             
Hops, Prunes, Grapes  & Early Wineries
Don Mitchell and Dennis Hill
Healdsburg life has always revolved around agriculture, although the crops have evolved over time. You’ll learn about the arc of that history – hops, prunes, grapes and more -- from Don Mitchell. Then Dennis Hill will talk about wineries, vineyards and the family ownerships that were important in pre-prohibition and prohibition times.

Each summer, the Healdsburg Museum’s docents present History Talks in the Plaza on Saturday mornings at the gazebo. In 2024, programs run from June 1st to August 31st. Each Saturday there will be two presentations:

10:00 – 10:30
The Healdsburg Story                           
This quick overview of the town’s past is perfect for newcomers and visitors. You’ll learn the town’s history from Pomo Village to Destination Healdsburg.

10:30 – 11:30             
Healdsburg’s Great Outdoors
Ted Calvert
Learn about Healdsburg’s Forever Wild Preserves: Fitch Mountain Park and Preserve, Healdsburg Ridge Preserve, and Riddell Preserve. Ted Calvert will share information about their trails, their plants and wildlife, and how to forage their bounty. You'll also learn about land stewardship and why we want to preserve our agricultural roots. Plus, of course, he'll remind you of all the health benefits you get from hanging out in our great outdoors.

Each summer, the Healdsburg Museum’s docents present History Talks in the Plaza on Saturday mornings at the gazebo. In 2024, programs run from June 1st to August 31st. Each Saturday there will be two presentations:

10:00 – 10:30
The Healdsburg Story                           
This quick overview of the town’s past is perfect for newcomers and visitors. You’ll learn the town’s history from Pomo Village to Destination Healdsburg.

10:30 – 11:30             
Two Views of Early-Days Healdsburg Life
Don Anderson and Claire O’Neill
Here are two views of life in Healdsburg in the years between its founding and the first World War. Don Anderson will talk about what was happening here in 1908, based on observations from the diary by his great-grandmother. Claire O’Neill will tell the story of Polly Keeler, who lived in a house on Fitch Street that Claire later inhabited. Polly’s story captured Claire’s imagination and it’s sure to pique your interest too.

Each summer, the Healdsburg Museum’s docents present History Talks in the Plaza on Saturday mornings at the gazebo. In 2024, programs run from June 1st to August 31st. Each Saturday there will be two presentations:

10:00 – 10:30
The Healdsburg Story                           
This quick overview of the town’s past is perfect for newcomers and visitors. You’ll learn the town’s history from Pomo Village to Destination Healdsburg.

10:30 – 11:30             
Early Transportation: Pomo Paths to Autos
Kay Robinson and Don Anderson
Kay Robinson and Don Anderson will explore the history of transportation technology in Healdsburg, from the days of horse and buggy to how streets were laid out to the introduction of autos and finally the building of the 101 freeway. Don will focus on the time around the turn of the 20th century, when the railroad was still important but was soon overshadowed by the new-fangled automobile.

Each summer, the Healdsburg Museum’s docents present History Talks in the Plaza on Saturday mornings at the gazebo. In 2024, programs run from June 1st to August 31st. Each Saturday there will be two presentations:

10:00 – 10:30
The Healdsburg Story                           
This quick overview of the town’s past is perfect for newcomers and visitors. You’ll learn the town’s history from Pomo Village to Destination Healdsburg.

10:30 – 11:30             
Healdsburg Matriarchs: Josefa Carrillo Fitch and Isabelle Simi Haigh  
Claire O’Neill and Tina Ius
Josefa Carrillo Fitch and Isabelle Simi Haigh were both young women forced to take responsibility for their family’s business interests after the deaths of the men in the family --  Josefa in the years right after the Gold Rush and Isabelle at the dawn of the 20th century. Josefa inherited the Sotoyome Land Grant and arrived in Healdsburg to find that squatters had taken over large swaths of her land. Isabelle found herself going from Queen of Healdsburg Rose Carnival to running Simi winery in a matter of a few months in 1904. She managed the winery until the early 1970s, through many ups and downs, not the least of which was the prohibition years. Hear all about the lives of these two strong women who were matriarchs of Healdsburg families. 

Each summer, the Healdsburg Museum’s docents present History Talks in the Plaza on Saturday mornings at the gazebo. In 2024, programs run from June 1st to August 31st. Each Saturday there will be two presentations:

10:00 – 10:30
The Healdsburg Story                           
This quick overview of the town’s past is perfect for newcomers and visitors. You’ll learn the town’s history from Pomo Village to Destination Healdsburg.

10:30 – 11:30             
Lost and Found Buildings
Eric Drew and Fran Schierenbeck
Eric Drew will discuss the lost buildings of Healdsburg – the old city hall, high school and many others. Then Architectural Historian Frances Schierenbeck will lead a walk around the Plaza to tell the stories of the historic buildings that remain.

Each summer, the Healdsburg Museum’s docents present History Talks in the Plaza on Saturday mornings at the gazebo. In 2024, programs run from June 1st to August 31st. Each Saturday there will be two presentations:

10:00 – 10:30
The Healdsburg Story                           
This quick overview of the town’s past is perfect for newcomers and visitors. You’ll learn the town’s history from Pomo Village to Destination Healdsburg.

10:30 – 11:30             
The Healdsburg Home Front during World War II
Jerry Haag and Meredith Dreisback.
Life on the home front during WWII included dealing with labor shortages, women stepping up to support the war effort, treatment of Japanese citizens and many stories of sacrifice by solders from our hometown. Jerry Haag and Meredith Dreisback will talk about everything from the German POWs in Windsor working on our farms to Healdsburg’s own P-47.  Jim Dreisback will be in full WWII army regalia and driving his WWII era Jeep.

Each summer, the Healdsburg Museum’s docents present History Talks in the Plaza on Saturday mornings at the gazebo. In 2024, programs run from June 1st to August 31st. Each Saturday there will be two presentations:

10:00 – 10:30
The Healdsburg Story                           
This quick overview of the town’s past is perfect for newcomers and visitors. You’ll learn the town’s history from Pomo Village to Destination Healdsburg.

10:30 – 11:30             
Healdsburg Life In the 1950s and 60s
Jim Dreisback and Ted Calvert
This look back to an earlier version of Healdsburg will include Jim Dreisback’s tales of our small agricultural town and Ted Calvert’s recounting of the story of Smith Robinson, who led the city to adopt an army battalion of solders during the Korean War and put us on the map as an honoree of “This Is Your Life.”

Each summer, the Healdsburg Museum’s docents present History Talks in the Plaza on Saturday mornings at the gazebo. In 2024, programs run from June 1st to August 31st. Each Saturday there will be two presentations:

10:00 – 10:30
The Healdsburg Story                           
This quick overview of the town’s past is perfect for newcomers and visitors. You’ll learn the town’s history from Pomo Village to Destination Healdsburg.

10:30 – 11:30             
A Stroll Around the Plaza
Steve Deas and Fred Leoni
In this stroll, Steve Deas will introduce visitors to the Plaza’s history, its trees and the war memorial. Fred Leoni will tell the stories of our athlete heroes who are commemorated in monuments here.

Each summer, the Healdsburg Museum’s docents present History Talks in the Plaza on Saturday mornings at the gazebo. In 2024, programs run from June 1st to August 31st. Each Saturday there will be two presentations:

10:00 – 10:30
The Healdsburg Story                           
This quick overview of the town’s past is perfect for newcomers and visitors. You’ll learn the town’s history from Pomo Village to Destination Healdsburg.

10:30 – 11:30             
Stories Behind the Buildings: Our Architectural Gems
Don Anderson and Joanne Taeuffer
Don Anderson and Joanne Taeuffer will tell the stories of some of the historic buildings in town and share self-guided walking tours you can take to see even more. Don will focus on older institutional and commercial buildings that have been adapted to new uses while retaining their architectural beauty. Joanne will talk about some of her favorite Healdsburg houses that represent local styles popular between 1850 and 1935.

Each summer, the Healdsburg Museum’s docents present History Talks in the Plaza on Saturday mornings at the gazebo. In 2024, programs run from June 1st to August 31st. Each Saturday there will be two presentations:

10:00 – 10:30
The Healdsburg Story                           
This quick overview of the town’s past is perfect for newcomers and visitors. You’ll learn the town’s history from Pomo Village to Destination Healdsburg.

10:30 – 11:30             
2024 Family History Essay Winners (Organized by Phyllis Chiosso Liu)
The winners of the Museum’s annual Family History Essay contest will read their essays about their interviews with a family member.

The Museum will be closed May 23rd for the FFA Twilight Parade.

Join us on Saturday , May 11th from 9:30am - 12:00pm for a clean-up day at Oak Mound Cemetery.

Bring your mask, gloves, rake, broom, portable leaf blower, weedwhacker, etc.

Contact: Susan Sheehy (707) 326-2712 or susansheehy@mac.com

All ages are invited to Barbie's Birthday Bash on Saturday March 9th from 11:00am- 12:30pm at the Healdsburg Museum. 
Enjoy an afternoon with raffle prizes, a photo box, Barbie bingo and refreshments. Feel free to bring your Barbie and dress in pink! 

Event is free; donations are appreciated. 

All ages are invited to Barbie's Birthday Bash on Saturday March 9th from 11:00am- 12:30pm at the Healdsburg Museum. 
Enjoy an afternoon with raffle prizes, a photo box, Barbie bingo and refreshments. Feel free to bring your Barbie and dress in pink! 

Event is free; donations are appreciated. 

Led by Executive Director/Curator Holly Hoods

10:00 am -11:30 pm (Rain cancels)

201 Piper Street, Healdsburg

Tour begins and ends at Oak Mound Cemetery gate.

$20 suggested donation

Guests will be required to sign waiver to participate.

Led by Executive Director/Curator Holly Hoods

10:00 am-12:00pm (Rain cancels)

Tour begins and ends at Oak Mound Cemetery gate

FREE to Healdsburg Museum members or students/$20 for public

The Healdsburg Museum is CLOSED December 31, 2023.

The Healdsburg Museum is closed on December 24, 2023.

Museum closed for the installation of our new exhibition, “Modeling Healdsburg: Creations of a Master Woodworker.”

Exhibition opening: December 14, 2023.

Join us for a presentation on our current exhibition, “We Are Not Strangers Here: African American Histories in Rural California" by Susan D. Anderson, History Curator, California African American Museum.

Healdsburg Museum members and Craftwork Members: $20. Non-members: $40.

Sunday, November 12, 1:00-2:30pm at CraftWork Healdsburg.

Join us at the Healdsburg Museum for a reception with the Curators; Susan D. Anderson, History Curator, California African American Museum, and Holly Hoods, Executive Director and Curator, Healdsburg Museum.

Free for Museum Members and invited guests.

Saturday November 11, 5:30-7:00pm.
221 Matheson Street, Healdsburg