Kansas, Dickinson County, Abilene
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(Patriots & Patriotism • War, Korean • War, Vietnam • War, World II) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
[Title is text]
(Patriots & Patriotism • War, Korean • War, Vietnam • War, World II) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
Originally built in 1896, this was the site of Novato's first Presbyterian Church. The church was built in the Victorian Gothic style of architecture. The building served as Novato City Hall from 1963 until it was closed for safety reasons in 2005. At various times it housed the offices of the City Manager and City Clerk, and later the Community Development and Public Works Departments. In 2009 it was renovated for community use, City Council meetings, and other public events. With the addition of an outdoor patio area, and a new civic green, 901 Sherman Avenue once again serves as a civic anchor in the heart of Novato's historic downtown.
This mural depicts Oildale around 1899, from the bridge to the surrounding oil derricks on the hills.
Founded in 1817 by Padre Vincente Sarria as an “asistencia” or adjunct to Mission Dolores. Mission San Rafael was originally designated a sanitarium for native converts suffering from San Francisco’s generally damper climate. Here, under sunnier skies and the medical care of Padre Luis Gil, many of the “neophytes” were restored to good health. With the addition of local converts, the asistencia soon grew from a few hundred to over 1000 inhabitants. Under the impressive tutelage of Padre Juan Amoro, native women were taught a range of domestic skills while the men were trained as farmers, blacksmiths, carpenters, cowboys, and boat builders. So successful were they in making the asistencia a thriving self sufficient community, that in 1822, San Rafael was raised to full mission status. In 1834, however, the Mexican government, far less committed to the missions as was Spain, decided to secularize them. Following secularization, the Church maintained some presence in San Rafael, but the mission’s subsequent history is one of abandonment and gradual decline. At times, its facilities were used by civic and other groups. In 1846 General John Fremont used the mission as headquarters in his battles to establish the Bear Flag Republic. The mission buildings were ultimately destroyed to make room for the growing pueblo of San Rafael. The Church, nevertheless, maintained its presence here. In 1847 a priest was once again living at the mission; in 1861 a small chapel was built near the ruins of the original one. 
The Old Spanish Trail from Santa Fe to Los Angeles, in the years 1829 to 1848 pack mule trains regularly left the Santa Fe Plaza and northern New Mexico carrying woolen goods produced in New Mexico bound for California. Horses and mules were purchased and traded for and then driven back along the Old Spanish Trail to New Mexico and on to the mid west. This was a dangerous, but highly lucrative trade during those years. Several modern-day New Mexican families have ancestors who traveled the routes that linked Santa Fe, Abiquiu and Taos with the San Gabriel Mission and Los Angeles Plaza where the trail ended.
The Santa Fe Opera, founded in 1957, has won worldwide acclaim for the high standards of its presentations and the success of its apprentice program. World and American premieres as well as standard operatic favorites are presented here. Most operas are performed in English.
Native Charlestonian and daughter of a former lowcountry slave, Mrs. Septima Clark was a leader of the Civil Rights Movement. A graduate of Avery Normal Institute, Clark's first job was teaching African-American children on Johns Island. Her experiences with racial inequalities in the school system inspired her to fight for social change. After 40 years of teaching, Clark was fired because of her membership in the NAACP. She then taught at the Highlander Folk School in Tennessee, and traveled extensively voicing her support for social justice. One of her greatest legacies was the development of citizenship schools where adult African- Americans learned skills needed to register to vote.
