(Visited 10/04/14 SA @ 10:00am): Don't blink or you'll miss this humble source of community history…read moretucked away in the basement of Eagle Rock's Center of the Arts!
I came upon the Eagle Rock Valley Historical Society in 2013 during my first volunteer year of the Eagle Rock Music Festival which was run by Eagle Rock's Center of the Arts. Then, I received only a glimpse of what this society did which whet my appetite. But this year, I took more of an interest and searched to find out even more what they were all about:
As with all historical societies, they were run by a handful of volunteers who had a deep connection with a given community (Eagle Rock in this case) and the love and passion to preserve anything deemed of worthy historical significance. Here was their mission statement found at their website:
"The objective of the Eagle Rock Valley Historical Society:
* To preserve, clarify through research and to perpetuate the history of Eagle Rock Valley
* To make this history available to students, researchers, libraries and all interested persons
* To preserve and protect our local landmarks, especially the Eagle Rock"
Service - The President of the society, Eric Warren, was an older gentleman who greeted me on each of my visits, along with a good friend of his and fellow contributor, Frank Parrello. Eric was very passionate and talkative and was ready to offer any assistance or drop knowledge onto you. He was more than happy to answer any questions you had. Be mindful that they were only open from 10am-12pm on Saturdays http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=nEknK5F1vrpgr5PJ4SDzXQ.
Parking (free) - No private parking of their own, there was plenty of metered street parking along the main drag of Colorado Blvd. or free residential parking on all the surrounding side streets. Please be mindful of any posted street signs for parking restrictions.
Atmosphere, décor, ambience - A cluttered and ramshackled basement that primarily doubled as a recreational art room and storage area for the aforementioned Center for the Arts, old filing cabinets and pulled-out drawers housed an assortment of vital archives that helped to tell the story of Eagle Rock. Only bright flourescent lighting available as there were no windows. A couple chairs were present; otherwise, stand or you took your chance as you placed your derriere on a box or table. There were no TVs or any background music.
Attire - Totally casual, so I would normally be in a t-shirt, boardshorts, and flip-flops.
Overall, as a native Angeleno now in my adult years who actual spent quite a bit of time in the city of Eagle Rock, I've grown to truly appreciate and be proud of the rich and fascinating history of Los Angeles, its surrounding communities, and in this particular case, the Eagle Rock Valley Historical Society was now another outlet for me to learn even more. I honestly haven't dove in yet because frankly, I didn't know where to start yet, and maybe a $20.00 annual membership fee - which included a quarterly newsletter http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=YCJkh7d7WFdSpqFoyTuprg - might be the best way to go all-in, but we'll see. It was all about a labor of love for those who ran this place which was always refreshing to see in anyone. I found very good value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (total paid experience was $0.00). And, through Paypal on their website if you wanted to donate or become a member, they accepted my credit card of choice...AMEX! 4.0 STARS