Napa County Historical Society

Happy International Cat Day! 🐈🐾We love cats past and present! Share a photo of your favorite furry friend in the comments and help us celebrate our feline companions.

From Left to Right:
1. Miss Dunleavy and cat at Shurtleff Hospital, 1917
2. Grimm, owner of a NCHS staff member
3. Author Missy Dizick's cat with her book "Cats are Better Than Dogs" 1993
4. Cat belonging to the Monte family, C. 1920
5. Phoebe, owner of a NCHS staff member
6. Caspian and Rochester, owners of a NCHS staff member
7. Cat at Volume One Used Books, 2002
8. Woman in Napa with her cat, C. 1940

Join as at the Goodman Library on Wednesday the 12th to celebrate the Magnavox Speaker's return to First Street. Limited edition commemorative stickers available while supplies last.

Tuesday, August 11 - Join the City's Public Art Coordinator for an interactive talk on the history of public art. From state-sponsored monuments and decorative pieces to social practice, and community-driven installations. We will discuss the philosophical, political, and ethical contexts of public art and think about what it can be in the future. This talk will be indoors and accompanied by images from public art in Napa and around the world!
This talk is free to attend, but registration is required. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Register here: https://secure.rec1.com/CA/napa-ca/catalog?filter=c2VhcmNoPTQyMzE5NjQ=

We're honored to announce that Chinese in Napa Valley: The Forgotten Community that Built Wine Country has been selected for the 2026 California Capital International Documentary Film Festival! Join us on Saturday, August 8 at 2:55 PM in Rancho Cordova for a special screening of this new documentary based on John McCormick's groundbreaking book. Tickets are available through the film festival's website: calcapdocfest.org/events/single-ticket

As the end of summer approaches, we're sharing this classroom photograph for "back to school," newly donated to our collection. While the school is not identified, it is possibly the Main Street School and was taken in December (the year is unfortunately indecipherable, but it may say Monday, December 11, 1882.) A drawing of Santa's sleigh can be seen on the chalkboard, along with some of the children's lessons and dictation exercises.

Happy International Day of Friendship! Tag your best friend in the comments and tell us your favorite thing about them.

Image: C. 1930 group of girls and their pets. This was taken at a pet show across from Fuller Park. The house may be 1737 Laurel St.

Mayor Cinnamond, Councilmember Greco, City Electrician Griffin, and two police officers at the installation of the city's first stop-and-go signal at Third and Main on April 28th, 1947. The officer standing by the ladder has been identified as Officer Henry Anderson.

In cooler news, the Napa Journal reported on October 14, 1927 that Levinson's Pharmacy had installed a brand-new refrigerator for the "proper storage of ampoules, glandular products, biologicals, etc." Exciting stuff!
Be sure to check out Lauren Coodley's "Memories of Napa's Small Pharmacies" blog article on our website at napahistory.org/napas-small-pharmacies

Our Summer 2026 season has begun! Tickets available on napahistory.org/events for 90 minute walking tours at Tulocay Cemetery and in Downtown Napa.

Tulocay: June 5th at 3:00PM and August 8th at 10:30am
Downtown Napa: June 27th at 10:30am and August 28th at 3:00pm

Private bookings available for groups of 4 to 25.

Our last Tulocay Cemetery walking tour of the summer 2026 season is coming up on Saturday, August 8th at 10:30 AM! Join Napa County Historical Society in this peaceful, historic cemetery, which has served the community of Napa County since 1859. The tour takes about 90 minutes and is guided by our Tulocay Cemetery Records intern Kaeli Stephens.
Tickets are $45 General Admission and $30 for NCHS Members. Get your tickets today at napahistory.org/events/!