The La Mesa History Center regularly posts on Instagram and Facebook, sharing highlights of La Mesa history, local events, and fun weekly trivia games like Where Is It Wednesday? Follow along for vintage photos, behind-the-scenes peeks at the McKinney House Museum, and updates on our preservation work. Don’t miss our YouTube channel, where you’ll discover engaging videos that explore La Mesa’s rich and colorful history. Follow along, Join the conversation, and get more involved with La Mesa History.
⚜️We are actively preserving La Mesa’s unique heritage for all generations to appreciate & enjoy | 🔱 Community Driven |
Any guess what this is? #WhatIsItWednesday
If you wanted more context for our "What is it" post yesterday. This is part of the dental kit in our collection. (Look at yesterday's post for more details.)
Another interesting object in our collection. Any guess what these are and what they were used for? #WhatIsItWednesday #lamesaliving
Where, when, and what are these highly skilled ladies properly armed and waiting for?
In keeping with our citrus ranch history, we have lemons to share. Swing by the house museum and pick one up.
Grossmont Center and its history have certainly been in the news recently! Did you know that LMHC’s historian, Jim Newland, gave a talk for this institution’s 60th anniversary back in 2021? The recording of this event is available on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63nhIixY-1A.
Additionally, the LMHC is fortunate to hold a collection of publicity scrapbooks and photographs from the original owners. There are 8 scrapbooks and they cover pre-opening in 1961 to 1978. There are 1,000s of photographs in the collection as well. As a small, volunteer-only organization, it is taking time for us to fully process this collection, but work is underway to stabilize the photographs and make them more discoverable. Included in this post are some sample pages from the scrapbooks, including a map of the original layout and some photographs of the Macy’s sign being added to the building in June, 1996.
The LMHC Research Room and the McKinney House Museum is open Saturdays from 1pm to 4pm.
What a view! This is a shot from our archival collection. Any guesses specifically where this was taken and roughly when? #WhereIsItWednesday #beautifulview❤️
What do you know about this building? Extra credit if you can name the architect and tell us some of his/her other projects in La Mesa. #WhereIsItWednesday #lamesavillage
Roundtable video now available on YouTube
Did you miss the Home Tour Roundtable event last October 11th or are interested in revisiting the fantastic content provided by our historian, Jim Newland? The video of this event is now available on the La Mesa History Center's YouTube Channel. Check it out at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zMHpZ9Fkcg .
The talk showcases the work of notable architects such as Irving J. Gill, William Wheeler, Arthur G. Lindley, F.D. Harrington and pioneering local builders J. D. Davis, Harry Russell and the Dennstedt Company.