On Monday, May 25, 2020, the City of Antioch will host a social distance drive-by Memorial Day Commemoration honoring those who gave their all for the freedoms in our country. The event will begin at 11:00 AM at the Antioch Marina in front of the Veteran’s Memorial at the foot of L Street.

Those who attend will then proceed to the Contra Costa Event Park (fairgrounds) to lay a wreath at the World War I Memorial.

That will be followed by a drive to Oak View Memorial Park to lay a wreath at the First Responders Memorial and conclude with a grab and go lunch in the parking lot of the VFW Post 6435 on Fulton Shipyard Road. The event is sponsored by the Rivertown Lions Club, VFW, and Delta Veterans Group. Please join us as we honor the lives of our fallen heroes.

For more information, please contact the event coordinators JR Wilson, Darlene Horn or Velma Wilson.

Photos by Antioch Historical Society Museum.

By Milanka Schneiderman

Antioch is recognized as one of the most diverse communities in the Bay Area and the Antioch Historical Society Museum would like to celebrate that diversity during the month of February with a multicultural exhibit called “Antioch, a Cultural Perspective”. The exhibit includes the following cultural groups who each has their own display: Italian, Portuguese, African American, Hispanic and Chinese.

Other cultures will be featured in future exhibits as this is hoped to be an annual exhibit. The exhibit will be on display in the Riverview Room on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 P.M. during the entire month of February.

The museum, located at 1500 W. 4th Street at the curve of Auto Center Drive, has a mission statement to preserve history of “cultural and historic value”.

“We really want the Antioch Historical Society Museum to be very inclusive of all and relevant to the changing demographics of residents of Antioch by showcasing their history and culture in February,” said Dwayne Eubanks, President, Antioch Historical Society Museum. “A focus on diversity will be a major goal of the museum now and in the future as we embrace all of Antioch’s residents including the youth.”

The exhibit’s African American display will be updated to include Roger Henry, the first African American to serve in elected office, having been elected to the Antioch School Board, and the first to serve on the city’s Planning Commission. In addition, Teri Lynn Shaw, the first African American woman to serve on the Antioch School Board, will also be added to the display.

Modernizing presentation equipment is one method that the museum hopes to reach out to younger generations of residents. They recently received two grants from the City of Antioch and the Antioch Community Fund to purchase new electronic presentation equipment. February’s “Antioch, a Cultural Perspective” hopes to reach out to a wider audience of Antioch residents with this exciting, new exhibit.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Carrie Chapman Catt, President of the National American Woman Suffrage Association from 1915-1920 and founder of the League of Women Voters. Photo courtesy of LWV.

The public is invited to an opening reception on Saturday, February 1 to kick off the new exhibit “Women Win the Vote, in California, Contra Costa and the Nation” at the Contra Costa County History Center in Martinez.  “A Toast to the Indomitable Suffragists,” a program featuring feminist local historian Beverly Lane, will begin at 1 p.m.

The exhibit features the 72-year battle for American women’s right to vote, ending 100 years ago with passage of the 19th Amendment on Aug. 26, 1920.  It includes a display from the National Archives “Rightfully Hers,” suffrage banners, and a history of the movement. Stories of Contra Costa County woman leaders beginning in the 1920’s are also included.

The reception is sponsored by the Contra Costa County Historical Society and the League of Women Voters of Diablo Valley. It runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the History Center, 724 Escobar in Martinez.  Street parking is available.

The Contra Costa History Center is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the first and third Saturdays each month.  Go to cocohistory.org for more information.

For more information on reception contact: lwvdv.org.

Mt Diablo lit Beacon. Photo by Clayton Worsdell

By funischeap.com

In honor of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, we invite you to attend the annual “Eye of Diablo” beacon lighting ceremony to pay tribute to and honor our veterans, Saturday, Dec. 7 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Cost is free and the event will be held at Cal State East Bay – Concord Campus, 4700 Ygnacio Valley Road in Concord,

Every year since 1964, the Pearl Harbor survivors and their families have memorialized Pearl Harbor Day by relighting the historic Beacon atop Mount Diablo’s summit. When those who experienced Pearl Harbor are gone, the history is lost with them. That tragedy should never happen again, “Lest We Forget.”

“When that beacon light is turned on, that’s a tribute to those individuals that lost their lives at Pearl Harbor,” said Earl “Chuck” Kohler, Pearl Harbor Survivor

The Pearl Harbor Survivors and Save Mount Diablo are grateful for the assistance and support from Mount Diablo State Park, CCTV, California State University East Bay Concord Campus, Vietnam Helicopters Museum and the Sons & Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors.

Will create $800 million in economic activity and 1,300 construction jobs; Antioch city staff checking to see if program can benefit the Hard House, home of the city’s first mayor.

Sacramento, CA: On Tuesday, October 9th, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 451, the California Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit, adding California to the list of more than 35 states that have passed such incentives. The bill, which passed both the Senate and the Assembly with unanimous approval, will enable the renewal of aging structures and communities throughout the state, and promote the development of affordable housing.

The bill will create a 20% state tax credit for the rehabilitation of historic structures listed on the California Register of Historic Places.  An additional 5% bonus can be granted for certain projects, such as affordable housing for lower-income households and projects in transit-oriented developments or regions with high unemployment and poverty rates. All projects must be approved by the California Office of Historic Preservation and the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee to determine if a project qualifies. The tax credit goes into effect on January 1, 2021.

“The California State Historic Tax Credit is an important tool that we can use to revitalize communities throughout California,” said Cindy Heitzman, Executive Director, California Preservation Foundation. “This is a major victory for every Californian who believes that our architectural and cultural heritage is worth protecting.”

The State Historic Tax Credit will help to address the critical need for affordable housing in underutilized historic buildings by providing an important financial incentive. Between 2007 and 2017 over 38% of all federal historic tax credit projects in California created new housing units or improved existing units. Of that amount over half were affordable housing projects, and SB 451 will make even more of these projects feasible.

Since February, the California Preservation Foundation (CPF) and the American Institute of Architects, California Council have led a major coalition to shepherd the bill through the legislature, working directly with California Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins. The bill received broad support from organized labor, affordable housing groups, historic preservation organizations and local governments.  This effort built on the work CPF did in 2014 to pass AB 1999, the first version of this legislation. While it passed both houses of the California legislature, it was ultimately vetoed by then Governor Jerry Brown.

“This legislation will breathe new life into the buildings that give our cities and communities character and charm…Further, the Historic Tax Credit will increase the supply of affordable housing, support growth through infill development and encourage property rehabilitation and maintenance in economically depressed areas,” said Senator Atkins.

The Cannery Lady statue across W. First Street from the Roswell Butler Hard House. Photo courtesy of NoeHill Travels in California.

When asked if this is something that could benefit Antioch’s Roswell Butler Hard House, the home of the city’s first mayor, located at 815 West First Street, City Manager Ron Bernal asked Community Development Director Forrest Ebbs to look into it. The home is #93001020 on the National Register of Historic Places. For more information about the Hard House, visit the Wikipedia page or the Facebook page.

About the Federal Tax Credit

Since 1976, the Federal Historic Tax Credit (HTC) has offered tax credits equal to 20 percent of the qualified rehabilitation expenditures (QRE) for the rehabilitation of certified historic buildings, such as those listed on the National Register of Historic Places or architecturally contributing to a National Register district. Over the last 4 decades, more than 35 states have passed their own bills to boost this tax credit, making thousands of projects financially feasible.

From 2002 to 2016, $468.1 million in Federal Historic Tax Credits catalyzed 169 projects in California, totaling $2.8 billion in qualifying rehabilitation expenditures. This activity has generated:

• 39,279 jobs
• $2.8 billion in Gross State Product
• $160 million in state and local taxes
• $493.3 million in federal taxes
• $468.1 million in federal tax credits

SB 451 will provide further incentive for historic rehabilitation, increase the supply of affordable housing, support growth through infill development, and encourage property rehabilitation and maintenance in economically depressed areas. Below are a few examples of the types of projects that will benefit from SB 451, but there are hundreds more stories just like these throughout California. The tax credit will make these kinds of projects more feasible, and will encourage meaningful investments in communities across the state.

For more information:

Bill Text: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB451

Images and additional information: https://californiapreservation.org/tax-credit-press/

Press Release from Senator Toni Atkins on the passage of SB 451: https://sd39.senate.ca.gov/news/20190912-press-release-atkins%E2%80%99-tax-credit-historic-preservation-passes-assembly

Preservation & State Historic Tax Credits overview from the National Trust for Historic Preservation: https://forum.savingplaces.org/learn/fundamentals/economics/tax-credits/state-htc

2017 Report from the National Park Service on the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credit’s impact: https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1207/htc2017.htm

Case Statement: https://californiapreservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Case-Statement.pdf

Allen Payton contributed to this report. 

Smith’s Landing, founded in 1849, was renamed Antioch at the town’s July 4th picnic in 1851.

See the left (south) end of the commemorative mural on the wall of the 505 W. 2nd Street building.