2/20/2010

When is a Library not a Library?

Answer: When it’s the Hattie Weber Museum of Davis.

Some visitors to the Hattie Weber Museum of Davis are surprised to find a museum behind the “Library” sign on the front of the building. The sign is there because the building originally housed the Davis Free Library and the Davis Branch of the Yolo County Library. Long time Davis residents remember the building when it was on F Street and “Miss Hattie” was in charge. Constructed in 1911 with funds raised by The Bachelor Girls, an early Davis woman’s group, and moved to its present site in 1992 through the efforts of the later Library Club, the Museum’s mission is to collect, preserve and present the composite memory of the City of Davis for the benefit of its citizens.

One of the permanent exhibits in the Museum shows aspects of the Jerome/Isaac Davis ranch, a portion of which was sold to the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1868 to construct a station and town to service the new line from Vacaville to Sacramento and Woodland. Another exhibit honors the arrival of the University Farm in 1906. Hattie Weber, a colorful Davis character for whom the Museum is named, is honored in an exhibit. Another exhibit shows the evolution of library buildings in Davis. The Boy Scout Cabin, a Davis landmark, is featured in mini exhibit, as is a tribute to Phyllis Haig, a Library Club member who was the founding Director of the Museum, and the Dresbach-Hunt-Boyer House on Second Street, one of the few early Davis homes still standing.

The Museum also features topical exhibits such as “Hotels and Bars in Davisville”, “The Bachelor Girls and the Library Club”, “Davis Families”, “Davis Schools 1870-2009”, and “1890’s Davisville”. An annual Christmas exhibit recalls an 1898 celebration in Davisville, complete with “goodie bags” of fruits and nuts for children. The Museum’s extensive collection of materials on Davis is also available for study by scholars and students.

Future topical exhibits contemplated by Museum volunteers include Picnic Day; Davis Mothers, Grandmothers and Other Exceptional Women; Commerce in Davis from Early Days to the Present; Community Events in Davis and Davis Landmarks.

Books on the history of Davis and other Yolo County communities, as well as souvenir mugs and stationary, are for sale at the Museum. In the springtime, inscribed memorial bricks are available for installation on the patio of the Memorial Rose Garden next to the Museum to honor mothers, grandmothers and other exceptional women.

The Hattie Weber Museum of Davis is operated by the Yolo County Historical Society for the community of Davis. The staff is all volunteer and membership in the Society is not required. New volunteers are always welcome and need no prior training.

Located at 445 C Street in Central Park, the Museum is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm. Admission is free.