For the fourth year, Old Monterey Foundation is pleased to continue its free lecture events as part of its 2017 Lecture Series sponsored by The Marcia F. Devoe Fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County.

Monterey’s Old Fisherman’s Wharf: Past, Present & Future

Monterey’s Old Fisherman’s Wharf has seen bales of Chinese silks and barrels of Spanish wine, whaling ships, Navy cutters, and fishing boats by the score; Fisherman’s Wharf, in its various incarnations, has been the focus of Monterey’s economic life for centuries.

Based on a 2016 study by the Monterey County Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, Monterey’s Old Fisherman’s Wharf is the #1 destination for visitors to our region. Enjoy a great presentation about Monterey’s Old Fisherman’s Wharf including its more than 100 years of history.

In her fascinating presentation, Monterey native Mary Alice Cerrito Fettis, immediate Past President and current Board Member of Fisherman’s Wharf Association, who grew up at her father’s restaurant on the Wharf, will discuss:

• Key historic highlights at Monterey’s Old Fisherman’s Wharf over the past 100 years
• Monterey’s Old Fisherman’s Wharf today
• Whalefest Monterey
• Other happenings at Monterey’s Old Fisherman’s Wharf

She will also show many historic photos of Monterey’s Old Fisherman’s Wharf.

Bill Wojtkowski, President of the Old Monterey Foundation Board of Directors, will present a short overview of improvements planned for the Lower Presidio Historic Park.

Thursday, October 19, 2017 – 6:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Irvine Auditorium, McCone Building, MIIS; 499 Pierce Street, Monterey
Free Admission – Reception to follow

For more information, call (831) 346-3030.
The lectures are very popular so attendees are urged to come early to secure a seat.
This lecture is suitable for ages 9 and up.

 About the Presenter: Mary Alice Cerrito Fettis

Mary Alice Cerrito Fettis is a dedicated community leader.  She currently serves on the Fisherman’s Wharf Association Board of Directors as immediate Past  President and is Chair of the annual Whalefest Monterey event held on the Wharf. She is Past President and serves on the Board of Directors of the North Fremont Business District, and is a member of Monterey Commercial Property Owners Association. She serves on the Boards of Advisors for the Hellenic Cultural Institute and the Merienda Committee. She is Past Co-Chair of La Merienda, Past Board member, Monterey History & Art Association, Past Board member Hellenic Cultural Institute, and Past President Monterey County Hospitality Association.

Mary Alice was born and raised in Monterey and graduated from Santa Catalina School and received her BA and MAT from Santa Clara University. As an international charter flight attendant, Mary Alice traveled to over 45 countries which gave her a broad view of life. She managed the family restaurant, banquet, and entertainment businesses and was also a real estate agent with Pan American Real Estate over 25 years. Currently, she is a real estate property manager representing family interests. Mary Alice is married to Nick Fettis who composes, plays, and tunes pianos.

Old Monterey Foundation continues to team up with noted Monterey Bay historian and author, Tim Thomas, who offers outstanding “Lower Presidio Historic Park Walking Tours” on the third Saturday of every month from 10:00 AM – Noon.

The next walking tour will be held on Saturday, September 16, 2017:   “Lower Presidio Historic Park Walking Tour: “Focus on Fort Mervine”. Tim Thomas will discuss the era of Fort Mervine at Lower Presidio Historic Park.

The First American Fort on the Pacific After the United States took control of the Mexican capital of California at Monterey in July 1846, the US Army built its first American fort on the west coast on this hill. Fort Mervine overlooks the harbor, located above what had been an earlier Spanish and Mexican fort called “El Castillo.” It was eventually named for Captain William Mervine.

Under direction from Commodore Sloat, Captain Mervine led the forces ashore to raise the American flag over the Custom House of Monterey. Construction of the fort began in 1846 under the direction of engineer Lt. Henry Halleck and the supervision of Lt. Edward O. C. Ord. Both men would later go on to become notable Civil War generals as would a young lieutenant who assisted in the fort’s construction named William Tecumseh Sherman. The fort was completed in 1847.

Fort Mervine was first known as Fort Stockton in honor of the Navy commander of the Pacific Squadron. When the U. S. Army’s Third Artillery arrived in 1847, they renamed it “Monterey Redoubt.” But the renaming didn’t stop. The fort was called Fort Hill, Fort Savannah (for Commodore Sloat’s flagship), Fort Halleck, and so on at various times. But Fort Mervine is the name that finally stuck. Fort Mervine consisted of barracks, officer’s quarters, a bakery, and other buildings enclosed by a wood palisade atop an earthen mound. It was 650 feet long and 400 feet wide with ravelins – angled, fortified embankments housing artillery pieces – at each corner. Today only the forward ravelin remains, mounted with four 1861 Siege rifles and one 24-pound siege howitzer.

The fort closed in 1852 during the Gold Rush, then was reactivated during the Civil War, only to be closed again in 1865. The ruins of Fort Mervine now stand as the ancestor to the present day Presidio of Monterey.

Tours meet in front of the City of Monterey’s Presidio of Monterey Museum, 113 Corporal Ewing, Building #113. From Monterey, take Pacific Street past the Monterey Conference Center and the First Theater to the end of Pacific where it forks, take the left fork;, turn left onto Artillery Road, turn right on Corporal Ewing Road and follow it a short way to the Presidio of Monterey Museum in the center of the Park against the hill; from Pacific Grove, take Lighthouse Avenue in New Monterey, bear right to go onto Pacific Street and then go to Artillery Road, turn right, and then turn right on Corporal Ewing Road and follow it to the Presidio of Monterey Museum. Note: there will be construction in the area during September.

Advance reservations are required by calling Tim Thomas at (831) 521-3304 or via email timsardine@yahoo.com.  The tour is for ages 10-adult only and the cost is $20 for adults and kids are $15 (10-15 years).  Group rates are also available.

About Tim Thomas

About the Lower Presidio Historic Park

Don’t miss the special Groundbreaking Ceremony for the new ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible pathways to the Sloat, Serra and Bouchard Monuments at the Lower Presidio Historic Park, located at 76^th Artillery Street and Corporal Ewing Road in Monterey on Monday, August 14, 2017 at 11:45 a.m. The ceremony will take place at the concrete pad just below the Saint Serra monument (across from the Presidio of Monterey Museum).

Speakers at the ceremony will include City of Monterey Mayor Clyde Roberson, Garrison Commander Lawrence Brown, a representative from the Neighborhood Improvement Program, and Old Monterey Foundation’s Board President, Bill Wojtkowski.

Many local organizations have played a role in the development of this project including Old Monterey Foundation, the Neighborhood Improvement Program, City of Monterey, Rotary Club of Monterey, Community Foundation for Monterey County, Monterey Peninsula Foundation, Presidio of Monterey, and Granite Construction. The project is funded by the City of Monterey’s Neighborhood Improvement Program.

For more information, call (831) 346-3030.

About the Lower Presidio Historic Park

Old Monterey Foundation continues to team up with noted Monterey Bay historian and author, Tim Thomas, who offers outstanding “Lower Presidio Historic Park Walking Tours” on the third Saturday of every month from 10:00 AM – Noon.

The next walking tour will be held on Saturday, August 19, 2017:   “Lower Presidio Historic Park Walking Tour:  Focus on the Indigenous Tribes”. Tim Thomas will discuss the indigenous tribes who lived on the Central Coast of California and on the Lower Presidio Historic Park. For over 5000 years, this area was inhabited by the Rumsien/Ohlone.  The Rumsien were the first to be seen and documented by the Spanish explorers of Northern California, as noted by Sebastian Vizcaíno when he reached Monterey in 1602.

Tours meet in front of the City of Monterey’s Presidio of Monterey Museum, 113 Corporal Ewing, Building #113. From Monterey, take Pacific Street past the Monterey Conference Center and the First Theater to the end of Pacific where it forks, take the left fork;, turn left onto Artillery Road, turn right on Corporal Ewing Road and follow it a short way to the Presidio of Monterey Museum in the center of the Park against the hill; from Pacific Grove, take Lighthouse Avenue in New Monterey, bear right to go onto Pacific Street and then go to Artillery Road, turn right, and then turn right on Corporal Ewing Road and follow it to the Presidio of Monterey Museum.

Advance reservations are required by contacting Tim Thomas at (831) 521-3304 or via email.  The tour is for ages 10-adult only and the cost is $20 for adults and $15 for kids (10-15 years).  Group rates are also available.

About Tim Thomas

About the Lower Presidio Historic Park

For the fourth year, Old Monterey Foundation is pleased to announce that will hold the first free event in the 2017 Lecture Series sponsored by The Marcia F. Devoe Fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County on Thursday, August 10, 2017 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Irvine Auditorium, McCone Building, Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, 499 Pierce Street, Monterey.

AT A GLANCE:

What: Focus on the Historic Buffalo Soldier Trail

This presentation will shed light on the little known and mostly forgotten Monterey leg of California’s Historic Buffalo Soldier Trail.  Prior to 1916, the Army was responsible for stewardship of the National Parks, including Yosemite National Park.

In 1901, the Presidio at Monterey post including what is now the Lower Presidio Historic Park, was reopened by the Army as a cavalry and artillery garrison. Among its first units was the legendary 9th Cavalry, the “Buffalo Soldiers,” who were African-Americans.

A little-known contribution of the Buffalo Soldiers involved eight troops of the 9th Cavalry Regiment and one company of the 24th Infantry Regiment who served in California’s Sierra Nevada as some of the first national park rangers. The Buffalo Soldiers from Company H, 24th Infantry Regiment briefly served in Yosemite National Park, Sequoia National Park, and General Grant (Kings Canyon) National Parks.  The Buffalo Soldiers were stationed at the Presidio of Monterey and traveled from their base to Yosemite in 1903 and 1904 fulfilled this Army duty.

The presentation will also show 1904 articles published by area newspapers along the Trail and will provide the information about and names of the troop members who were garrisoned at the Presidio of Monterey who traveled to Yosemite and back.

About the Presenters

About Geneva Brett

Geneva Brett is a Los Banos Real Estate Broker and ten year advocate for California’s Historic Buffalo Soldier Trail.  In 2010, she testified before a Congressional Sub Committee in support of the Buffalo Soldiers in the National Parks Study Act, which has since become law.

About Bruce Rivers

Former Seaside resident Bruce E. Rivers is the Senior Pastor of the Mount Moriah First Baptist Church in Dos Palos, CA.

Following the lecture, Bill Wojtkowski, President of the Old Monterey Foundation Board of Directors, will present a short overview of improvements planned for the Lower Presidio Historic Park.

This lecture is suitable for ages 9 and up.

When: Thursday, August 10, 2017 – 6:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m.

Where: Irvine Auditorium, McCone Building, MIIS; 499 Pierce Street, Monterey

Free Admission – Reception to follow

For more information, call (831) 346-3030.

The lectures are very popular so attendees are urged to come early to secure a seat.

The second lecture in the series will take place on August 24^th: “Ninety Years of Key Decisions to Preserve Monterey’s History” with presenters Kip Hudson and Mary Wright. Monterey, described as California’s most historic city, has been preserved through the impassioned efforts of its surrounding community.  Individuals, organizations and governments have all played a role in its preservation.  Join us for this discussion by community leaders who have participated in many of these achievements and challenges. Finally, a brief overview of the future of Monterey History and Art Association will be provided by the President of the organization, Larry Chavez.

About Old Monterey Foundation

About the Lower Presidio Historic Park 

Old Monterey Foundation continues to team up with noted Monterey Bay historian and author, Tim Thomas, to offer outstanding “Lower Presidio Historic Park Walking Tours” on the third Saturday of every month from 10:00 a.m. – Noon. Old Monterey Foundation recently installed a monument sign on Pacific Street to make it even easier to find the park.

The next walking tour will be held on Saturday, July 15, 2017:  “Lower Presidio Historic Park Walking Tour: The Buffalo Soldiers.

In 1901, the post was reopened by the Army as a cavalry and artillery garrison, and among its first units was the legendary 9th Cavalry, the “Buffalo Soldiers,” who were African-Americans. A little-known contribution of the Buffalo Soldiers involved eight troops of the 9th Cavalry Regiment and one company of the 24th Infantry Regiment who served in California’s Sierra Nevada as some of the first national park rangers. In 1899, Buffalo Soldiers from Company H, 24th Infantry Regiment briefly served in Yosemite National Park, Sequoia National Park, and General Grant (Kings Canyon) National Parks.

Tours meet in front of the City of Monterey’s Presidio of Monterey Museum, 113 Corporal Ewing, Building #113. From Monterey, take Pacific Street past the Monterey Conference Center and the First Theater to the end of Pacific where it forks, take the left fork;, turn left onto Artillery Road, turn right on Corporal Ewing Road and follow it a short way to the Presidio of Monterey Museum in the center of the Park against the hill; from Pacific Grove, take Lighthouse Avenue in New Monterey, bear right to go onto Pacific Street and then go to Artillery Road, turn right, and then turn right on Corporal Ewing Road and follow it to the Presidio of Monterey Museum.

Advance reservations are required by contacting Tim Thomas at (831) 521-3304 or via email.  The tour is for ages 10-adult only and the cost is $20 for adults and $15 for kids (10-15 years).  Group rates are also available.

About Tim Thomas

About The Lower Presidio Historic Park