So many great things about Arcadia were in evidence on Wednesday, May 14, 2008, at the dedication ceremony for a new "History Lives Here" historic marker in Arcadia Park from the Arcadia Historical Society in conjunction with the City of Arcadia and the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation.

  

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   By Scott Hettrick

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(Arcadia Historical Society president Carol Libby and Jack McCrea, above left, unveil the Marker --

Photos by Carolyn Garner-Reagan of Arcadia Public Library.)

  

First, there was the reiteration and illumination of another aspect of the fascinating and multi-layered history of the town, which is rooted in the family of City founder Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin, who built the City's first horse race track on this same Arcadia Park property which was then his Santa Anita Rancho. The track's inaugural meet was exactly 100 years ago in 1907-08 but the 79-year-old Baldwin was to enjoy only two racing seasons before the State of California outlawed horse racing in 1909 and Baldwin died shortly thereafter. Just ten years later in 1918, his younger of two daughters, Anita, deeded that part of the Santa Anita Rancho to Los Angeles County, which in turn allowed it to be used by the War Department as a military airship training field 90 years ago during World War I before dedicating the area as a County Park 70 years ago on July 4, 1938.

  

  

All of which, and much more, is depicted on the Marker assembled by Society board member Jack McCrea, who also gave a five-minute oral presentation during the dedication ceremony (photo below left).

  

         

  

Second, there was the perfect California weather for the mid-day ceremony -- sunny and mid-80s.

  

Then, there was the picture-perfect setting in the beautifully landscaped and maintained park of trees, beautiful tiled water fountain, and wide open spaces of green grass, with the backdrop of a clear view of the majestic San Gabriel Mountains.

  

         

  

And finally, there was the reminder of the never-to-be-taken for-granted show of support by dozens of community leaders from myriad organizations, who consistently demonstrate a remarkable sense of commitment and interest in Arcadia. (A list of a few of the attendees seen in the photographs throughout this blog can be found below.)

  

         

  

For the record, and I failed to detail this during the presentation, the latest Historic Marker by the Arcadia Historical Society is one of a series of "History Lives Here" markers being created to be posted around town to offer a brief history in text and photographs of notable activities and buildings, whether or not anything presently remains of the history on the site. (The "History Lives Here" marker project was a planned element of the City's Centennial Celebration in 2003, which got tabled due to so many other projects mounted that year. Society president Carol Libby and board member Gary Kovacic, who was a Councilman and Mayor during the Centennial, decided to resurrect the project in 2007.)

  

For instance, the next Marker to be dedicated on July 13 will feature photographs and the story behind the first City Hall building that once stood on the northwest corner of the intersection of First Avenue and Huntington Drive, where the Marker will be placed. This was the second Marker created by the Society -- the first three were on display earlier this year at the Arcadia Historical Museum -- but it will be the third Marker to be formally unveiled and dedicated on July 13, the anniversary date of the dedication of the original City Hall 90 years ago in 1918.

  

           

(Above left, Arcadia Historical Society president Carol Libby holds a certificate of recognition presented by Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich's office.)   

  

The Arcadia Park marker (above), standing on the Santa Anita Avenue side of Peacock Fountain near the bus stop and featuring photos, captions and stories on both sides of the 2 1/2-foot marker, is the first to be permanently installed but the second to be dedicated. Keen observers will note that it is marked as "Historic Marker #3," which is the order in which it was created and displayed temporarily at the Museum. The Arcadia Park marker dedication ceremony was moved up ahead of the Marker for the original City Hall so it would be in place in time for Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich's annual celebration and remembrance event for military veterans at Arcadia Park during Memorial Day weekend, being held this year on Saturday, May 24.

  

The first Marker (photo below) was unveiled during the Centennial celebration last October of the First Avenue school, now called First Avenue Middle School. Due to major renovations at the school, that Marker will be installed late this summer near the newly reconfigured sidewalk and flag pole in front of the school building facing the sidewalk on the west side of First Avenue.

  

(Photo courtesy of Arcadia Historical Society.)

  

The non-profit Arcadia Historical Society, as part ot its mission to create broader public awareness of noteworthy historical events, people, and landmarks in Arcadia, intends to create and place many Historic Markers around town, focusing initially primarily on the "downtown" area of town, near the intersection of Huntington Drive and First Avenue. The Society will establish at least a handful of Markers in that area that can be enjoyed on a walking tour. The first three Markers are all within less than 5 blocks of each other.

  

The Markers would not be possible without the help of many agencies, groups, and volunteers, all of whom the Arcadia Historical Society thanks and recognizes. The City of Arcadia is paying for half the cost of each Marker (total cost of each Marker is only a few hundred dollars) and is installing those Markers that are on City property (most of them) as well as the Arcadia Park marker on County property. Specifically, those who have been most helpful every step of the way are City Manager Don Penman, Assistant City Manager and Public Works Director Pat Malloy, Deputy Director of Development Services and City Engineer Phil Wray, Street Superintendent, Public Works Services, Dave Thompson, and former City Manager Bill Kelly, who was the first to approve the partership project with the Society in 2007. Also very helpful at the City have been Mary Buttice and Linda Garcia.

  

The Arcadia Unified School District and First Avenue Middle School approved and have agreed to install the Marker on that property this year.

  

  

The Arcadia Public Library, specifially Director of Library and Museum services Janet Sporleder, and Assistant City Librarian Carolyn Garner-Reagan, as well the Arcadia Historical Museum and Curator Dana Dunn, continue to be an invaluable resource for archive photographs and information, as well as great partners and support in general.

  

The Society would also like to acknowledge the help of Historic Marker Committee founding members and former board members Don Swensen and Tom Duffy.

  

Among the officials attending the May 14 Dedication Ceremony: