Explore history online
Local History Groups
Art Collection
"A Mouse in the Hole"
PC
/
Quicktime
Online animation created from Lewis Ryan woodblock prints.
Main Library Collection
View the online gallery of the Main Library's art holdings.
Ryan Collection
View the online gallery of the Pioneer Room's Lewis Ryan collection.
Local History @ the Pioneer Room
Explore Escondido's history at the Pioneer Room
The Pioneer Room, established in 1992 with a bequest from local historian Frances Beven Ryan (1901-1990), houses the Escondido Public Library's non-circulating collection of local history and genealogy reference and research materials.
The Pioneer Room is located at 247 S. Kalmia Street in the brick Mathes Center building next to the Main Library and is currently open to the public Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Free Genealogy Workshop
Pioneer
Room
247 S. Kalmia (Mathes Building next to the Main Library)
Saturday, September 18, 2010
3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Reservations required. Class is limited to
14 people.
Please RSVP to Ginger Kullman at (760) 745-6633
2011 Pioneer Room Calendars
Be sure to pick up your 2011 calendar at the Pioneer Room Friends Booth at the Grape Day Festival. Containing historic Escondido images, this calendar still sells for a mere $5.00 and previous years calendars are still available for $2.00 each.
Grape Day Festival takes place in Grape Day Park
on Saturday, September 11 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Friends of the Pioneer Room Annual Meeting
Local
historian and former Times Advocate (now North County Times) journalist, Lucy
Berk, will be discussing her recently published book detailing the history of
the Grape Day Parade and Festival. The book will be available for
purchase.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010 at 6:00 p.m.
Pioneer Room (in the Mathes Center next to Main Library)
Historic photo of Grape Day Parade
Escondido's Green Scene at Grape Day Park
Celebrate America Reyclces Day at this event where you'll learn to tread more lightly on the earth. Visit the Pioneer Room Friends booth to learn the difference between encapsulation and lamination when preserving historic family treasures and mementos.
Saturday, November 13, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00
p.m.
Grape Day Park
Drive-In Movie Memories Needed
Drive-In Movie Memories are being collected by the Pioneer Room Friends to help preserve Escondido experiences of that great American Mid-Twentieth Century tradition. The local outdoor screen is now gone, but the memories linger on. Share your stories so that future generations may savor them.
*Drive-In employees and audience members of all ages are urged to participate in this memory-gathering.
Contact the Pioneer Room by telephone to set up an oral-interview appointment 760-839-4315. Send a written version of your experience by email, land-mail or hand deliver to the Pioneer Room at pioneerroompress@yahoo.com, or 247 South Kalmia Street, Escondido, CA 92025.
Pioneer Room in the News
- SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE: The Pioneer Room at the Escondido Public Library
- SAN DIEGO NEWS NETWORK: Escondido's history goes digital age
- NORTH COUNTY TIMES: Past turns to present at city library
Digital Storytelling Station:
Showcasing at Escondido Public
Library's Pioneer Room (View
videos here)
Collection Includes:
Click here for a more detailed list of
the collection.