Bringing Petaluma history to life

Since 1998, actors in the Petalumans of Yesteryear “living history” program have been educating schoolchildren, visitors and local businesspeople about the lives of early Petalumans. The current group of 12 make presentations in costume around town, portraying early Petalumans such as Lyman Byce, the inventor of the chicken incubator, and Isaac Wickersham, founder of the bank that became the First National Bank of Petaluma.

“I joined so I could tell the stories of Petaluma and connect with people,” said Susan Coolidge, a POY member who portrays Clara Williams McNear, the wife of John Augustus McNear and the mother of George Plummer McNear, early pioneers in Marin and Sonoma counties.

Clara’s father, George Bailey Williams, is known for building Petaluma’s American Hotel and Washington Hotel. J.A. McNear came to the city in 1856 and established himself as a real estate dealer. In 1860, he founded a grain and produce shipping business on Petaluma Creek. After Clara died in 1866, J.A. McNear established the Cypress Hill Cemetery, where Clara is buried.

Coolidge said she enjoys putting together her own costumes, researching the details of Clara’s life, and working with other actors in the group to explain how significant people in the town interacted.

“We are able to share a wonderful scrapbook of quick stories. Upon request, we give talks at schools and for groups like the Western Region of Elks. We also appear in a number of annual events, including an annual History Walk on April 20 starting at the Balshaw Bridge, the annual ceremony and bell-ringing at the museum on July 4, and an annual tour at Cypress Hill Cemetery on October 19,” said Coolidge.

The group also holds Saturday history walks from April through October, starting at 10:30 a.m. from the museum on Fourth Street.

Solange Russek, the collections manager of the Petaluma Historical Library and Museum, said POY is recognized as a committee of the museum.

“This living history program is an excellent way to show the generations of today how people in the past dressed, lived and used technology,” said Russek.

Lucy Kortum, a volunteer at the museum’s research library, said the actors “do a wonderful job of learning about who they represent and developing the characters.”

“The museum has newspaper clippings from The Petaluma Argus-Courier, scanned documents, including letters, photographs, diaries, and journals, vintage clothes, paintings of old Petaluma, and unique items, like the signet ring that George Plummer McNear wore,” said Russek.

“We notify them of new boxes of items that come in and they learn more about who they represent. They’re really self-motivated. They just dive in,” said Kortum.

POY was started in 1998 by Bill Hammerman and other museum docents who had been leading free walking tours of the city. Over time, the group evolved into a well-informed set of reenactors who present on their own or together, tailoring their talk to the interests of their audience.

Sherri Ortegren, a member of POY, said she likes being a part of a “supportive, intelligent group of people” who care about preserving Petaluma’s past.

“I’ve hunted around to find bits and pieces of Victorian jewelry, read documents in the museum, and even reviewed recently discovered letters from the person I represent, Addie Atwater, to Andrew Carnegie,” said Ortegren.

Atwater, the founder of Walnut Park and Petaluma’s Humane Society, was also the first president of Petaluma’s Ladies Improvement Club.

The letters to which Ortegren refers detail Atwater’s efforts to apply to Carnegie for a grant to build a library. Atwater enlisted the help of the Petaluma City Council, and with great perseverance, succeeded in obtaining grant money from Carnegie. Together with members of the Petaluma Ladies Improvement Club and contributions of Petaluma residents, she raised additional funds. Atwater also sold property she owned at the corner of B and Fourth Streets to the city. Today, this property is the home of the Petaluma Historical Library and Museum.

Some descendants of represented Petalumans share historical documents and memories with the actors.

Robert Scott Thomas, a member of the McNear family who lives in Marin, said his family donated several boxes of documents about the family history to the museum this year. Thomas’s mother was Lucretia McNear Thomas. Her grandfather was J.A. McNear.

Thomas said recalling talks with his grandfather, the late Zeta-Jones Baker McNear, helps him decide what to share.

“He told me so many stories I couldn’t remember them all. He’d keep me up half the night telling me stories. I’d tell him, “I’ve got to go to bed. I’ve got to get up and milk the cows in the morning,”” said Thomas, who grew up on a ranch in the area that is now Glenwood and Peacock Gap.

Thomas said his family history used to fascinate his teachers.

“My teachers would say, ‘You should write all this stuff down. We’d have no way of knowing about this if it wasn’t for you,’” said Thomas.

Jerry Pozo, who currently portrays J.A. McNear, said talking with other Petalumans of Yesteryear in reenactments and the group’s monthly meetings helps him better understand how the family shaped Petaluma.

“I moved to Petaluma just about a year ago, so I am still very new. Portraying J.A. McNear helps me get deeper entrenched in the community. Now I know more of the history of the town,” said Pozo.

Pozo said after he started portraying J.A. McNear, he started recognizing buildings and landmarks from his narratives.

“I found the McNear’s Building on Fourth Street, the remains of the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railroad, and the Petaluma Golf & Country Club, the latter of which was founded by the McNear family. J.A. McNear was involved with all of these places. Now, it feels like they’re part of me as well,” said Pozo.

Linda Buffo, also a POY member, said the group has helped her understand that the founders of the city are not just “names on street signs.”

“I portray Sarah Lewis Lippitt, a music teacher. She married Edward Spaulding Lippitt, Esq., the founder of the Lippitt & Lippitt law firm,” said Buffo.

E.S. Lippitt was Petaluma’s first superintendent of schools. He also served as a city attorney for Petaluma.

“My husband portrays him (E.S. Lippitt). When we present, we are able to teach our neighbors about the extraordinary people who contributed so much to create this community,” said Buffo.

Ortegren said he first became interested in POY because her granddaughter had recently seen other members of the group speak.

“My granddaughter had taken a children’s tour of the museum and insisted, ‘Grandma, you have to do this. You would be perfect at it.’ I’m so glad I joined. My perspective and personal view of Petaluma and those early Petalumans fit with my lifelong interest in history. Bringing that history to life, weaving a timeline filled with events and stories, is a real pleasure for me,” said Ortegren.

For more information, visit www.petalumamuseum.com/petalumans-of-yesteryear.