The Historical Society of Pomona Valley, Inc. With 7 historic sites to visit, please check our website for tour dates! J.W.
was organized on March 2, 1916, and now protects, promotes, and preserves the history of the Pomona Valley in Southern California! was organized on March 2, 1916 in the committee room of the Pomona Public Library with a charter membership of 28. The organization came as a result of the vision and inspiration of Mrs. Wilkinson, who recognized the importance of the history connected with the lives o
f the early settlers of this valley and the distressing lack of recorded data concerning these people. Miss Sarah Jacobus, the Librarian, was the driving force behind the creation of the Society. The Society set about collecting and preserving these important documents and photos. The Society quickly gathered a vast collection of manuscripts, documents, papers, maps, books, and photos which were placed in the Pomona Public Library under the protection of the Librarian who was also the Curator of the Society. The materials were made available for reference. Today, these materials are still available in the Special Collections section. In the early years the Society held public meetings at which noted individuals were invited as speakers. Once each year a dinner meeting, now our Annual Meeting, was the social event of the year for members and their friends. The Society maintained a courtesy booth at the Los Angeles County Fair with members always being present to extend greetings. Today the Society continues to be very much a part of the Fair with a booth in Heritage Farms providing activities for children. In the 1930's and 40's, each year the Society hosted a tour of the various historic spots in Southern California. Descriptive data was provided concerning the places visited. The Society's albums contain many photos of the annual tours. In 1936 the Society sponsored an historical pageant in cooperation with the Los Angeles County Fair depicting the life for one hundred years in the Pomona Valley. The pageant was performed in the grandstand with all of the Pomona Valley communities participating. Markers placed by the Society at historic sites can be seen today, the most significant being the monument in Ganesha Park honoring the memory of the three original owners of Rancho San Jose-Ygnacio Palomares, Ricardo Vejar and Luis Arenas- which was placed on Oct 13, 1934. The first major restoration project undertaken by the Society was that of the Adobe de Palomares in the late 1930's. The Society did a great deal of research and carefully drew plans so that the home would stand authentically restored as the "House of Hospitality" of by-gone days. The plans are available for viewing in the Museum. The restored and authentically furnished home was dedicated on April 6, 1940. the grandson of Ygnacio Palomares, Don Porfirio Palomares, and his wife were the first resident host and hostess. During the first year 13,500 visitors from 46 states and 8 foreign countries toured the Adobe. In 1966 the Historical Society purchased the Phillips Mansion and, after minor restoration opened it to the public in 1974. Since the 1990 earthquake the Mansion has been closed and in the process of restoration. The Society purchased La Casa Primera and restored it, in a joint effort with the City of Pomona in 1973. In 1975 the Pomona Unified School District deeded the Barbara Greenwood Kindergarten to the Society. The Kindergarten was moved to the Casa Primera property and was enjoyed as a field trip for Pomona kindergarten students for many years. In 2005 the building was completely restored through a grant obtained by the City. In 2004 the Historical Society was given the Currier Ranch House by the City of Industry, who also paid for the cost of relocation. The building was relocated to the Phillips Mansion property and almost immediately was the setting for the Tobe Hooper film The Mortuary. In October of 2004 the Society conducted a Haunted Mansion with a thousand people touring the Mansion and the event generating $8,000 profit and a lot of interest in the history. The Society will again conduct a Haunted Mansion in the Phillips in October with a Victorian theme of premature burial. In 2005 the Historical Society was given the Pomona Ebell Club Building and in April opened the Pomona Museum of History. The Ebell Building has allowed the Society to support the museum and has generated funds for the maintenance, restoration, and preservation of the Ebell and for the other sites. The history of the Historical Society includes the preservation of many beautiful old buildings. Most recently the City approved the plans for the adaptive re-use of the Hugues Winery for which the Society applied for single Historic Landmark status in 2003. The Society is very proud of our work and of our many accomplishments. Of the many advantages of being an active part of the Historical Society, the greatest advantage, as has been true throughout the ninety years of the existence of the Society, is the association with the wonderful people who are involved. The Society is made up of people of vision, dedication, commitment, passion, tenacity, energy, and creativity. We welcome all to become an active part of the Society and to share our rich and productive history.
06/07/2026
Save the Date!
Join us to discuss the development of the area surrounding the Spadra Cemetery, and it's potential impacts on the Spadra Cemetery!
We're be watching the Poltergeist movie, signing letters of support, and having drinks (the bar will have both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options for the two-drink minimum) while we discuss the cemetery.
Before tickets are available, please save the date and plan on joining us!
Saturday, June 27, 2026
2:00pm
$5
American Legion, Post 30
Two-Drink Minimum
05/28/2026
The La Verne Historical Society is having a Giant Plant & Vintage Sale THIS WEEKEND!! Join us there to tour the historic Bradford House and buy a homeade cookie or jam to support a local historical society!
05/25/2026
The Historical Society met with Trumark Homes and staff members from the City of Pomona on Tuesday, May 5th. The meeting was to discuss the development at Elephant Hill, it's impact on the Spadra Cemetery, and the HSPV response to the Environmental Impact Report on the project. It was held at the office of the Chamber of Commerce, and the HSPV was represented by Board Members Mike Schowalter, Benny Ayala, Daniel Thomas, and newly retired board member John Clifford.
The ninety-minute meeting covered a number of issues. In the end, it was decided that City Staff members would meet with both parties seperately and then bring all parties together for a follow up meeting to see if any agreement could be reached regarding the development, it's effect on Spadra Cemetery, and our requests.
05/08/2026
This Sunday only, May 10, 2026, we're celebrating the LA County Fair by making the Barbara Greenwood open to the public for FREE, from 1pm to 4pm!!! Come see the historic 1907 Craftsman custom built for small children by Ferdinand Davis and Barbara Greenwood, for the purpose of teaching smaller children in more hands on and group settings, right here in Pomona! There's never been a better time to take a stroll through local history on your way to the Fair!
02/26/2026
Development is threatening the Spadra Cemetery!
Trumark is determined to build a large reaidential complex in the green space alongside the historic 1868 Spadra Cemetery:
They have cut down several of those giant old oak trees, and intend to cut down more.
Their plan involves blasting away some of Elephant Hill behind the cemetery, to clear more space.
The Environmental Impact Report indicates that there is no way to fully protect the cemetery we love from the various adverse impacts of this project. The construction plan does not even include the bare minimum protections we are now asking for.
If you can, please write a quick note about how much the cemetery means to you, that you support protecting the Spadra Cemetery, and send it to the Senior Planner Alex Jiminez, at Pomona City Planning Division, at [email protected]
A sample letter is available on our website at PomonaHistorical.org
Please call us if you need any help printing or mailing paper letters, or have any questions about this project!!!
02/24/2026
The final touch has been returned to the Ebell! The memorial stained glass dedicated to Marjorie Rusler by her surviving husband in 2012 has been skillfully recreated and installed into the front door of the Ebell by the artists at Redwing glass!
02/13/2026
The Annual Meeting is just one week from Sunday!!! Live music has been added, and we're hoping to see you there! Tickets are a availablle on our website at PomonaHistorical.org
02/11/2026
Join us for the 2026 HSPV Annual Meeting!
Sunday, February 22, 2026
5pm to 8pm
At the Ebell!
Cannot miss the soft opening Ebell Museum of Pomona History, the celibration of board president Ms. Deborah Clifford's 9 years in office, the swearing in of the 2026 board of directors, and a discussion of project plans for the next year!!!
Tickets are available at PomonaHistorical.org
Please let us know if you plan to attend! We need to order the right amount of food!
02/06/2026
Join us for moving boxes this Saturday, February 07, 2026 between 9am to 4pm! See cool things, grab a donut, and join us to making moving boxes!
Please let us know if you can make it by commenting ot messaging this account! We want to buy enough fonuts and water bottles!!!
01/30/2026
February is an exciting time at the Historical Society of Pomona Valley this year!!!
🕯️Our Annual Meeting is on Sunday, February 22, and it's set to be a grand one! We're unveiling the restoration work at the Ebell Ballroom, with the century old ballroom floor sanded back down to it's original color and the chandaliers back up on the ceiling. This is a cannot-miss event!
Our Sunday tours let you peek in at the history of our other sites, and February is the perfect time to catch the earliest blooms in our gardens!
💡01-The Palomares Adobe
💡08-The Phillips Mansion
💡15-The Casa Primera
🕰️ Times and tickets are on our website at PomonaHistorical.org 🎟️
❓Questions? Message us here or send us an email at [email protected]
06/07/2026
05/28/2026
05/25/2026
05/08/2026
02/26/2026
02/24/2026
02/13/2026
02/11/2026
02/06/2026
01/30/2026