About The Twentynine Palms Historical Society
Founding Members of 29 Palms Historical Society at reunion 1998
Front row (L-R) Don Malone, Edith Carter, Cheryl Erickson, Dianna
Stevens & Ginny Salisbury. Back row (L-R) Bob Carter & Art Kidwell.
Not shown: Bob Smeaton & Jeff Dunn.
The Twentynine Palms Historical Society was founded
by nine individuals on April 26, 1982. Today, it continues its original purpose of preserving and
interpreting the historical heritage of the Twentynine Palms area through a variety of educational
activities including field trips, lectures, and a quarterly newsletter. The Society is a non-profit
educational organization classified by the Internal Revenue Service as 501(c)(3), incorporated under
California State Codes on August 23, 1982 and is not funded by any city, county, state or federal agency.
The Society’s mission is to collect, preserve and display information, artifacts and memorabilia
pertaining to the culture and history of Twentynine Palms and the greater Morongo Basin. Its purpose
is to educate and to make research materials available to the public.
The Society owns and operates the Old Schoolhouse Museum located at 6760 National Park Drive
in Twentynine Palms. The museum is housed in the oldest public building in the Morongo Basin and provides visitors
with a chance to experience a 1920s era schoolroom and view artifacts and exhibits pertaining to the history of
Twentynine Palms and the surrounding area. The museum is open 1:00 to 4:00 pm, Wednesday through Sunday,
(September - May) and 1:00 to 4:00 pm, Saturday and Sunday during the summer (June - August). Admission is free,
however, donations are always appreciated. Gifts, contributions, endowments, and material donations are all,
or partially, tax deductible.
The Society’s library offers a collection of books and other historic resource materials,
which are available to researchers. Biographies, family histories, photographs, newspaper clippings, Twentynine
Palms High School Annuals, and numerous organizational records and publications provide a wealth of material
for those seeking community history. It also has most of The Desert Trail newspapers dating from 1935 and all
issues of the original Desert Magazine plus an index. The library is open to researchers on Wednesday mornings
from 9:00 am to noon and can be made available at other times by prior appointment.
Throughout the year the Historical Society offers its members and the community special
programs. These programs seek to educate the public in the history of the area. Almost a thousand students
visit the museum annually as participants in class tours designed to help fulfill California history-social
science standards. In October the “Old Timers” gathering
is held at the museum during the City of Twentynine Palms annual “Pioneer Days” celebration.
The first weekend in November there is the annual “Weed Show,”
started in 1940, featuring desert flora in unique artistic arrangements.
Since 1999 the Society and the Desert Institute have co-sponsored the
“Old School House Lecture Series.” These
lectures, presented on the second Friday of each month, September through June, offer information about the
local history, culture, natural science, and arts in the Morongo Basin area. They are presented by expert
instructors and researchers.
Membership in the Society is open to
anyone interested in helping to preserve our area’s rich heritage. With membership you receive
the Schoolhouse Journal every quarter filled with articles of interest, information about the community
and the Society and much more. Business memberships are also available.
As an all volunteer supported organization, the Society offers a variety of opportunities for
individuals who wish to serve their community. There is always a need for volunteers to serve as docents; conduct
school tours; serve on various committees; do building and grounds maintenance work; maintain our archival
documents, library, photograph, and artifact collections; create and maintain displays; edit our Journal; fill
seats on the Board of Directors; and perform the many other jobs - big and small - that keep the Society running
and the museum doors open.
*MISSION STATEMENT*
The mission of the Twentynine Palms Historical Society Museum is to collect, preserve
and display information, artifacts and memorabilia pertaining to the culture and history of Twentynine
Palms and the greater Morongo Basin. Our purpose is to educate and to make research materials available to
the public.
Meetings of the Twentynine Palms Historical Society are held on the first Thursday of each month
at 7:00 p.m. at the Twentynine Palms Historical Society's Old Schoolhouse Museum. All scheduled lectures and
activities are at the museum unless otherwise specified.
The Accessions Committee meets every Wednesday morning from 9 a.m. to Noon.
Our museum and library is located at:
6760 National Park Drive
Twentynine Palms, CA
Our mailing address is:
P.O. Box 1926
Twentynine Palms, CA 92277
Our telephone is: 760-367-2366
Our email address is 29PalmsHistorical@gmail.com
The Old Schoolhouse At Its Original Location
Pen & Ink Drawing by Don Malone
