​There is currently an oral history project in the works by Katrina Parks which is documenting the role of women in the history of Route 66, also referred to as the “Mother Road.” Two of the 24 videos already completed may be of special interest to MOHPG members and the Monrovia community at large. One is an interview with Keiko Sakatani, the grand-daughter of Monrovia’s “Strawberry King,” and the other is with Larry Spicer who grew up in Monrovia and is currently a member of the Monrovia City Council. The interviews were arranged through Susie Ling, who is a member of MOHPG and a professor at Pasadena City College. Susie has given several presentations over the years to the community about the role that African-Americans, Latinos and Asians have played in Monrovia’s history.
 
To view the videos, click on the following link: http://www.route66women.com/explore-by-location/california/
To learn more about this project, visit their Facebook page.

On Sunday, March 15, the MOHPG Board of Directors held a special meeting to discuss the upcoming home tour scheduled for May 3. It was a unanimous decision by the board to cancel the tour for this year over health concerns for the homeowners, tour goers, and docents. Although the tour is the main yearly fundraiser for MOHPG, our financial situation is strong enough that future decisions regarding our operation will not be impacted.
We want to thank all of those who have supported our tour in the past, and we plan to resume hosting the tour in 2021.

​     Devotees of history are aware that this year we celebrate the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in America. To observe this important milestone, the Monrovia Historic Preservation Group and the Monrovia Historical Museum are joining forces to present a special program. It will be held on Sunday, March 8, 2020, at 1 pm at the Monrovia Historical Museum, 742 E. Lemon Avenue. The event is free and open to the public.

In 1979 the Monrovia Historical Society was formed to care for the Anderson House, a 1886 Queen Anne Victorian that was one of the first houses built in the new town of Monrovia. Today the home is a museum, but the roof is in dire straits and needs to be replaced. Materials for that purpose have been secured, but the cost to install them will run about $10,000. The Society has set the end of February as the deadline for taking donations.
Because the Society is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation, donations are tax-deductible and can be made in two ways:
1. Mail a check to:
    Monrovia Historical Society
    P.O. Box 1898
    Monrovia, CA   91017
   (Note: Write Anderson House Roof Fund on your check.)
2. A GoFundMe account has been set up to take donations. Click here to donate.
​3. Through the Historical Society’s website: https://monroviahistoricalsociety.org/anderson-house      See “Donate to a New Roof”   
​
To watch a short video on the Anderson House, click here.

Upland Heritage will be hosting a free workshop on home restoration on Saturday, October 5, 2019, and everyone is invited. The workshop will be conducted in the home located at the Simons House, 738 W. 17th Street, Upland, from 9 am until 4 pm. A sack lunch will be available for purchase onsite. There will also be door prizes and a silent auction.

The 3rd annual earthquake workshop, sponsored by MOHPG and the Monrovia Fire Department saw 47 people, not including presenters, turn out on Saturday morning, September 14, to garner the necessary information needed to be more prepared and better able to cope with disastrous seismic event. There were representatives from the American Red Cross, the local CERT chapter (Community Emergency Response Team), SoCal Gas, the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management, and Wonder Dog Ranch.
The guest speaker was Margaret Vinci from Cal Tech whose 26 years of experience there enabled her to share lessons learned from past earthquakes and how to minimize the impact one might have. Every household in attendance received a free gas shut-off tool for their gas meter.
If you were unable to attend this event, plans are being made to hold another workshop next September. Look for details on this website.

NOTE: We regret that there are no longer any openings for the earthquake workshop.
For the third year in a row, MOHPG will be partnering with the Monrovia Fire Department to host a workshop on earthquake preparedness. The workshop will be held on Saturday, September 14, 2019, from 11 am until 2 pm. You must RSVP as seating is limited. The event will be held in the Community Room of the Monrovia Public Library.
The keynote speaker with be Margaret Vinci from Cal Tech. She has been the speaker for the previous two workshops, and she has a wealth of information to share.

Don't miss this opportunity to prepare yourself and your family in the event of a disastrous tremblor. Light refreshments will be served.
​And the best part? It's free!

MOHPG is selling a baby grand piano, with the entire proceeds benefiting the group. The piano measures 4’8” wide, 4’9” long, and 39” high. It has ivory keys and comes with a bench. ​

     The weather cooperated, the crowds were larger than last year, and everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves at the 37th Historic Homes Tour that was held on Sunday, May 5, 2019. The tour featured six special houses, all Victorians and all built before the end of 1887. For non-residents of Monrovia, it was an opportunity to see up close the value that citizens place on our vintage homes.
     Partial to vintage cars? They, too, were in abundance and added to the ambiance of the day. They parked in front of the tour homes and helped create an atmosphere of a time gone by. Once inside the homes, visitors got to see the care and attention to detail that the homeowners have brought to restoring and maintaining their Victorian gems.
     Almost 100 docents volunteered to share stories and histories with the tour goers, giving them a better understanding of the homes built during the first years of Monrovia, which was founded in 1886.
     The final attendance tally? 520 paid admissions, the highest since 2013!
View the slideshow of pictures below, taken on tour day by photographer Larry Marotta.

The Monrovia Historic Preservation Group is pleased to announce the lineup for its 37th Historic Homes Tour, on Sunday, May 5, 2019, from 10 am to 4 pm. Featured on the tour will be some of the really special homes in town - six of our "First Houses" (those built before the end of 1887). Also open for viewing will be the Monrovia Historical Museum and the Anderson House Museum.

Advance tickets are on sale now. Tickets can no longer be purchased at the Online Store. They can be purchased until 2 pm Saturday only at Dollmakers' Kattywompus  (412 S. Myrtle Ave) .
On Sunday, May 5, tickets are sold at only one location - the Monrovia Historical Museum, 742 E. Lemon Avenue. They can be picked up starting at 9:30 am. This is also where Will Call tickets can be picked up.
Be sure to join us on May 5 when vintage "horseless carriages" will roam the streets of Monrovia, ushering in memories of time long past but alive for this special day. Docents will be stationed within each home to share stories, anecdotes, and architectural details of these "Gems of Monrovia."
Popcorn will be provided by Deasy Penner Podley and cookies by the Rivanis Baking Company, gratis of course.