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Campbell Historic Museum and Ainsley House |
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| Events |
The Ainsley House will be closed January and February. It will reopen March 4, 2010.
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Opening at the Ainsley House March 4, 2010 |
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| The Many Faces of Fun |
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| Through good times and bad, Campbellites have always sought out diversions; activities which restored them in body, mind and spirit. Whether it was high school sports or picnics in the park, traveling the world or game nights with friends; our hard working community has always found time for fun. This spring, the Ainsley House will be filled with objects representing a variety of recreational activities from the early twentieth century. Join us March 4th thru June 27th and experience the many of faces of fun. Free with general admission to the Ainsley House. |
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| Museum and Ainsley House News |
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Council Adopts New Museum Strategic Plan
On October 20th the City Council adopted a new Strategic Plan for the Campbell Historical Museum. The last plan was prepared in 1998 and outlined a significant number of goals and action strategies for the Museum staff to work on over the next ten years. With the exception of a few major construction projects that require significant capital funds, all items have been achieved. It was time to review the Museum’s mission and develop a vision for the future with new goals and objectives for the Museum staff to address in the next ten years.
The 2009 plan contains the following four primary goals with a number of action strategies identified for each:
- Improve the Museum’s Self-Sufficiency
- Develop an On-Line Presence
- Improve Collections Storage
- Provide for Adequate Collections Restoration
The full document provides significant background on the Museum as well as the goals and action strategies to be addressed in the coming years.
- More Information (1mb pdf) |
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Greeters Needed
Become a Greeter at The Campbell Historical Museum or Ainsley House
- More Information (28kb pdf) |
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Gardeners Needed
Do you love to garden, but don’t have the space? Are your thumbs green? Become a Gardener at The Ainsley House
- More Information (28kb pdf) |
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Rauch & Lang Electric Vehicle on Display at the Campbell Historical Museum
After years of restoration by the "Trolley Guys" at History San Jose, the 1919 Rauch & Lang electric vehicle is on display. The electric "coach" was originally donated by Jeanette Watson in 2001, but it needed restoration to bring it back to its original glory. In particular, the front and back compartments that held the 11 batteries needed to operate the vehicle had completely corroded over the years. History San Jose’s volunteers offered to work on the vehicle for Campbell. They worked diligently and over 2,000 hours to restore this unique and special car. |
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| The Rauch & Lang electric coach was originally designed for ladies. They were safer and cleaner then the gas-powered vehicles which required a crank start. Starting a vehicle with a crank could be dangerous if the vehicle recoiled and, heaven forbid, gloves might get grease on them! Only a handful of these Rauch & Lang vehicles exist, so it is very exciting to finally be able to display this rare vehicle. |
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The Ainsley House has a New Roof!
The home of Campbell canning pioneer J.C. Ainsley, received a much needed roof in the Spring of 2008. The project involved significant research to locate craftsman roofers who had the experience and qualifications to work on such a specialty roof and historically significant project. The project also involved a lot of fund-raising from grants and private sources to supplement the City’s funds to allow the project to proceed. |
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| The Campbell City Council awarded the project to Walter Lacey of Craftsman Roofers Inc. Walter Lacey started shingling faux thatched roofs 20 years ago in Castle Pines, CO. Since then Lacey has specialized in this type of roof working in New York, Minnesota, Washington, Illinois and California. In 2001, Better Homes and Gardens featured Lacey in a video roofing a home in Cherry Hill, CO which aired on HGTV’s Modern Masters. In 2006, Lacey re-roofed the Green Gables estate, owned by the Fleishhacker family, in Woodside, CA. The house was the largest project of noted California architect Charles Greene. |
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| Craftsman Roofers, Inc. did such an amazing job on the Ainsley House. Lacey steamed the shingles on a frame to achieve the curved roof-line associated with the thatched roof look. It took skill and craftsmanship to create the correct curves needed for the roof, and each shingle was hand nailed into place. It will still take several years for the roof to turn the dark brown of the original roof.
The Raise the Roof Campaign was successful in raising over $121,000 for the new roof over the last several years. In addition to a $25,000 grant from the Santa Clara County Historic Heritage Commission, the Hicks and Bowen families (granddaughters of J.C. Ainsley), the Campbell Historical Museum and Ainsley House Foundation, and the Campbell Country Woman’s Club have all made significant donations to make this project happen. Thank you to everyone who gave to the Raise the Roof Campaign and thank you to the community of Campbell for their support in this project. We invite everyone to see the results of this community project. |
