The Altadena Press

Before ALTADENA NOW and altadenblog, there was the...

COX-O-TYPE Schwart-Seymore 

Flat Bed Web Newspaper Press

The mammoth press was installed at Altadena Press, 750 E. Mariposa (today the building west of liquor store on south side of Mariposa), on Thursday, August 26, 1937. This is what the building looked like in 1937.

The Cox-O-Type Schwart-Seymore Press weighed 10 tons and  modernized newspaper publishing, speeding up printing and folding in one operation.  It changed the size, make-up, and copy style of the The Altadena Press, first published in 1928.  

The paper stated, "The Altadena Press will adopt the newer trend toward "streamlined" newspapers, which will make the paper more easily read and will present the news content in a smarter, clearer page make-up." The publishers felt sure that readers of the press would be pleased with the efforts that were made to "give Altadena only the finest type newspaper - one in keeping with the high ideals and conceptions of the fine southland community."

Eliot Students 1947

Just a reminder – 

Monday night's Altadena Historical Society program (April 27, 2015) at the Altadena Community Center (7:30 p.m.) will feature 1940s Altadena, a story told by Richard Bale who lived here beginning in 1939.  

Don't miss this event – even if you come just for the photos.

Altadena Historical Society Program

Richard Bale 

Altadena in the 1940s

7:30 p.m.

Altadena Community Center

730 E. Altadena Drive

Altadena 91001

Free and open to public

AHS Program - Altadena in the 1940s

Calling all local history buffs! Here's a chance to take a sentimental stroll down memory lane this coming Monday night, 7:30 p.m. at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Drive. You'll see rare Images of Altadena in the 1940s and hear a personal memory of what it was like to grow up here.

ALTADENA IN THE 1940s: RICHARD BALE REMEMBERS

Altadena Historical Society Program at Community Center 7:30 p.m. April 27

Richard Bale, 83, moved to Altadena with his mother and sister in 1939.  He attended Altadena Elementary, Eliot Junior High and John Muir High School before being drafted into the Korean War in 1951. He remembers that it wasn't uncommon to see horses and cows pastured on the west side of Altadena, and chickens and pigs in people's yards. Some remaining orange groves stretched for blocks. He also remembers a few small factories that helped supply America's World War II effort, including a home that had been turned into a   machine shop that spit out precision parts for Lockheed 24 hours a day.

   

Monday April 27, 7:30 p.m.  

Altadena Community Center

730 E. Altadena Drive, Altadena, Ca 91001 

The meeting is free and open to the public

         Celebrating its 80^th anniversary, Altadena Historical Society has extensive archives of local history in the Community Center and is open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and by appointment.  The Society can be reached at 626-797-8016.

Altadenablog and AltadenaPoint to be Archived at Historical Society

Altadena Historical Society seeking $800 in donations to archive altadenablog and AltadenaPoint

Gone but not to be forgotten,
the altadenablog and AltadenaPoint will be
available online at AHS

For over seven and a half years, the altadenablog and its successor AltadenaPoint have documented the news and views of Altadena and its residents. So the announcement that the digital newspaper was closing on April 10, 2015 filled us with regret.

While we will miss the daily posts, there is a silver lining. Editor and owner Tim Rutt has licensed his blogs to AHS for the public to access. All past posts of altadenablog and AltadenaPoint will be available soon on the AHS website. We are honored to be the recipients of this important  documentation of 21^st century Altadena. The sites will join the other news sources archived by AHS going back as far as 1929.

The Altadena Press
First edition
1929

To make a donation write "blog donation" on the message line and send your check to AHS, 730 E. Altadena Dr., Altadena CA 91001

It's Membership Month at AHS- Please Join

Remember to Renew! It's easy. You can do it online.
Thanks to all who've already sent in 2015 dues. We rely entirely on your tax-deductible membership and donations, so if you haven’t yet renewed or joined, we hope to hear from you soon. Here’s a reminder of what your contributions make possible:

A growing collection of documents, 
photos, artifacts and memorabilia:
Altadena's entry in 1912 Rose Parade

Volunteer Opportunities

New donations to the collection

Popular programs about places and
people in Altadena: Prof. Lowe and his
Mount Lowe Tourist Attraction

Rotating displays from our collection at
Webster's Community Pharmacy.
Don't miss this exhibit featuring photos
from then and now. It's up until July.

Research facilities at our office.
We'll research for you
or help you do it yourself.

Discounts on Altadena memorabilia and events:
Members can purchase reproductions
of these two orange crate labels for only $16.

You also get a blog with stories of Altadena's past and our semiannual newsletters that keeps you up to date with our activities.  

An annual family membership is $25, but please consider joining at the premium level this year to help AHS achieve its goals. Your $50 premium membership comes with a gift that includes California poppy seeds and a reproduction vintage post card featuring Altadena's famous poppy fields.

Your post card features this 1895 photo taken
at the corner of Lake and Woodbury, looking northwest,
today the location of St. Elizabeth's Church.

Join online. It's easy!

Or send your check to AHS, 730 E. Altadena Drive, Altadena 91001

Altadena Photography Exhibit Reception Saturday March 14

Stroll down memory lane with your neighbors and share stories of what it was like to grow up in Altadena in the 1960s and 1970s. 

Join AHS Saturday March 14 for a free reception 

Noon to 4 p.m.

Webster's Community Pharmacy 

2450 N. Lake Ave. 

We're celebrating "Altadena Then and Now", a photo exhibit that features the images of Altadena eccentric Leon Ricks. Leon documented parts of Altadena, in particular the north Lake Avenue area, for more than forty years.  Twenty of his early photos are on display next to photos of the same view today.

 "Everyone is invited to stop by, enjoy this fantastic exhibit of 40 photos and exchange their Altadena stories and memories," said Meredith Miller, Webster's Community Pharmacy co-owner.

The exhibit is courtesy of 

Altadena Historical Society