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Thanks for visiting Historic Happenings! If you are not on the email list, and would like to be notified via email when a new posting of this newsletter is made, please email Terry Ommen at histerry@comcast.net. I will add you to the list. I will never share your email address with anyone without your permission.
Congratulations go out to many of you who correctly
identified the last mystery spot as the sidewalk clock on Main Street in front of the coin shop at 204 W Main Street, but special congratulations to Stephen Gerrard who was the first to get it right. Nice work, Steve. Ok here is your next one. The clues are:
1) This brick building is very close to the site of the old Mt.
2) The building is near “lots” of automobiles
3) It is nearly hidden by vegetation so you have to look closely
3) It is nearly hidden by vegetation so you have to look closely
4) It is near a street with a name connected to early electricity
in Visalia
Where is this building?
Children have always been an important part of Visalia’s Fox
Theatre. Whether it was when they performed on stage, or when they came for children’s movies, youngsters were always welcome by the theater management. In the old days the theater even created a “Kiddie Club” for the youngsters, and it was a big hit. Guy Shelley shared this official Kiddie Club pin. What a nice keepsake.
Thanks Guy.
Concrete Post Mystery
Solved
Back in 2008 Joseph Vicenti, a local historian, asked about
a strange concrete post that poked up from the sidewalk on the northeast corner
of Main and Liberty streets marked 1948. He wondered why it was there. It was a
great question. David Miller and a couple of others commented that they thought
it was an abandoned post that once held a post office mail collection box.
Well, Henry McLaughlin, while perusing the archives of Historic Happenings read
about the 2008 question and discussion and went to work. Henry happened to find
similar posts in Fresno and eventually solved the mystery when he found this website http://forgotten-ny.com/1999/12/ancient-mailboxes/
Great piece of detective work, Henry. Now it is confirmed! Visalia’s post
mystery is now solved for good …it once held a post office box. The Visalia
post is the first image shown here.
Pioneer Judge—James
S. Clack
judge died in 1934. For several years Justice’s Clack’s office was on
the ground level floor of the Templars Building (205 N Court across from the
courthouse.) On the far left you can see the Justice of the Peace sign hanging down.
The building, of course, is now gone. Sorry about the poor quality of the
portrait of Judge Clack here, but it’s all I have. If by chance you have one,
or know where one can be found, I would appreciate knowing. Thanks.
Cloth Concrete Bag
of the area. The Spanish style building used cement or concrete from San
Francisco. Hundreds if not thousands of these bags of cement/concrete were shipped to Visalia by rail. The bags were opened and mixed on the site. The movie house had its grand opening in 1930. Here is a photograph of one of the empty cement bags that was part of the Fox Theatre construction. Thank Guy again for sharing.
Rodeos historically have been a part of Visalia life for
many years. In the heart of cattle country, Visalia has hosted some of the
finest rodeo cowboys competing from throughout the country. For many years the
local Moose Club organized the event and made it an annual one, and one to be
proud of. Supporters of the different rodeos would buy these buttons and
proudly wear them each year. Here is a partial collection showing just a few.
I’m convinced that many of these and others are to be found tucked away in
jewelry boxes and drawers. They represent some of Visalia’s exciting days.
More Tunnels in
Visalia—Now the Mysterious Courthouse Tunnel
For several years I have heard about a mysterious tunnel
that allegedly connected the old Tulare County Jail at Church and Oak Street to
the Courthouse (presumed to be the Courthouse Annex) in old Courthouse Square.
The Courthouse Annex building continues to stand on Court Street between Center
and Oak. The people who I have talked to never actually saw or walked into the
tunnel but swear it exists or existed. In each case, they had heard about it from others. The idea of a
tunnel makes sense. Prisoners in the jail could be escorted below ground to the
courthouse for their judicial proceedings and therefore the authorities did not
have to expose them to the public. A tunnel also could help in preventing
escapes. Several people have mentioned that they found what looks like the
tunnel opening, now caved in, in the basement of the Courthouse Annex building
(note this building was finished in 1935). Recently, Faye Phillips, an employee
of the Tulare County Probation Department offered to give us access to the basement,
and we found what was purported to be the tunnel opening. My partner in this
adventure, Russ Hurley, a prominent Visalia attorney and history buff,
accompanied me and he climbed through the relatively small crawl opening
leading to what was supposedly the beginning of the tunnel. Once nearby, he
took a closer look at the alleged tunnel opening. Although interesting, he and
I believe it was not a tunnel, but more than likely a small channel access to
utility pipes and wires. But there are still several possible tunnel theories
that could be in play here. Can you help? Have you heard of the tunnel from sources
other than me? Please share if you have.
If you have personal knowledge of the tunnel between the jail and the
courthouse, I’d appreciate knowing. Also, if you have additional information
about this, please share and help solve this mystery. Thanks Faye, for making
this tour happen and thanks Russ, for your role as Indiana Jones.
For several years I have heard about a mysterious tunnel
that allegedly connected the old Tulare County Jail at Church and Oak Street to
the Courthouse (presumed to be the Courthouse Annex) in old Courthouse Square.
The Courthouse Annex building continues to stand on Court Street between Center
and Oak. The people who I have talked to never actually saw or walked into the
tunnel but swear it exists or existed. In each case, they had heard about it from others. The idea of a
tunnel makes sense. Prisoners in the jail could be escorted below ground to the
courthouse for their judicial proceedings and therefore the authorities did not
have to expose them to the public. A tunnel also could help in preventing
escapes. Several people have mentioned that they found what looks like the
tunnel opening, now caved in, in the basement of the Courthouse Annex building
(note this building was finished in 1935). Recently, Faye Phillips, an employee
of the Tulare County Probation Department offered to give us access to the basement,
and we found what was purported to be the tunnel opening. My partner in this
adventure, Russ Hurley, a prominent Visalia attorney and history buff,
accompanied me and he climbed through the relatively small crawl opening
leading to what was supposedly the beginning of the tunnel. Once nearby, he
took a closer look at the alleged tunnel opening. Although interesting, he and
I believe it was not a tunnel, but more than likely a small channel access to
utility pipes and wires. But there are still several possible tunnel theories
that could be in play here. Can you help? Have you heard of the tunnel from sources
other than me? Please share if you have.
If you have personal knowledge of the tunnel between the jail and the
courthouse, I’d appreciate knowing. Also, if you have additional information
about this, please share and help solve this mystery. Thanks Faye, for making
this tour happen and thanks Russ, for your role as Indiana Jones. 
***Thanks, Sheila Caskey Holder for a nice photograph of
Frank and Betty Lowe, owners of Commercial Printing at 123 N Court Street. They
were important people of the day and it’s nice to have a photo of them.
***By the way, Dorothy Downing found out that Visalia
changed to area code 559 on November 14, 1998. Thanks, Dorothy for that tidbit
we wondered about.
***Betty Treaster shared a photograph of the Dedication of
the Tulare County Historical marker at the old Liberty School that she attended
back in 1992. Thanks Betty. By the way Betty was one of the finest Recording
Secretaries any organization could ask for. She did it for the Tulare County
Historical Society for many years.
“Now, therefore, it is ordered by the Board of Trustees of the city of Visalia that every
person within or who comes within the city of Visalia during the prevalence of
the present epidemic of the influenza shall at all times and places within said
city, wear a mask of a design approved by the health officer of said city: provided, however, that said mask may be
removed at all reasonable times for the purpose of eating and drinking and provided,
further, that the mask shall not be worn in private homes or private rooms
unless a case of influenza shall exist in said place. This order shall be
effective immediately. Dated and done this 30th day of October, 1918
at a duly called meeting of said Board of Trustees.” Visalia Daily Times, October 31, 1918