Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Museum of Local History (Fremont, California)


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep.  Sandstein  08:52, 8 July 2018 (UTC)

Museum of Local History (Fremont, California)

 * – ( View AfD View log  Stats )

Unsourced and online search yields nothing other than a couple passing mentions. Does not pass WP:GNG. Tillerh11 (talk) 00:29, 24 June 2018 (UTC)


 * Try also under alternate name (and perhaps add "Fremont" or "Alameda"):
 * --Doncram (talk) 01:04, 5 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of California-related deletion discussions.  CAPTAIN RAJU (T) 01:04, 24 June 2018 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Museums and libraries-related deletion discussions. Baby miss  fortune 03:07, 24 June 2018 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Museums and libraries-related deletion discussions. Baby miss  fortune 03:07, 24 June 2018 (UTC)

 Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion and clearer consensus.

Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks,  Sandstein   06:30, 1 July 2018 (UTC) Hello, so sorry, but I'm new at this. I do not own this but volunteer at this museum. What does "unsourced and online search yield nothing other than a couple passing mentions mean?" They recently changed their name to "Washington Township Museum of Local History". Does that help for online searches? — Preceding unsigned comment added by WashTownHistory (talk • contribs) 00:15, 5 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Hi, User:WashTownHistory, it's my guess that the deletion nominator meant to assert the article is unsourced, and to assert they performed an online search about it and found little. Your providing an alternative name for it is helpful.
 * Can you possibly please provide any links to online sources about the museum, or citations to any offline coverage of it, e.g. any local or regional newspaper clippings? Is the museum housed in a historic building, by any chance?  I checked for its address within listings of National Register of Historic Places in Alamada county but am not finding any match. --Doncram (talk) 01:04, 5 July 2018 (UTC)
 * I have added one reference from the newspaper, but also wasn't seeing many online. Read WP:GNG to understand what is needed to have an article. More details in WP:ORG, WP:RS, and WP:Museum. You might have something before it had its name. Maybe this stub could be merged into Fremont, California. StrayBolt (talk) 02:03, 5 July 2018 (UTC)


 * Keep, tentatively, as museums open to the public are basically public attractions and are routinely found to be notable. I expect that coverage in reliable sources exists. --Doncram (talk) 01:04, 5 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Hi, I figured out how to change the title to the full name. No, the museum is not in a particularly historic building. It's in an old fire station and is not a historic place. The museum is a repository for our local archives, has exhibits, hosts classes, visitors.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by WashTownHistory (talk • contribs) 06:26, 5 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Okay, thanks i added about fire station to the article. It is more than 50 years old, the usual lower limit for National Register eligibility by the way. --Doncram (talk) 12:59, 5 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Actually, no, I didn't figure out how to change the title to its full name. — Preceding unsigned comment added by WashTownHistory (talk • contribs) 06:44, 5 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Instructions for changing the article's title are at Moving a page. Articles for deletion says: "While there is no prohibition against moving an article while an AfD discussion is in progress, editors considering doing so should realize such a move can confuse the discussion greatly, can preempt a closing decision, can make the discussion difficult to track, and can lead to inconsistencies when using semi-automated closing scripts." Cunard (talk) 07:54, 5 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Right, so please just don't move the article now, wait until after this AFD is closed. --Doncram (talk) 12:59, 5 July 2018 (UTC)

Keep per the significant coverage in multiple independent reliable sources.  The article notes: "When you move, you make discoveries. You own more stuff than you thought. There aren't enough shelves, and people have given you a lot of old pictures. Members of Fremont's two historical organizations are making those discoveries. Still, they're delighted with their new home -- the Museum of Local History, housed in a former fire station on Anza Street in the Mission San Jose area. 'Both groups have collected absolutely marvelous things,' said Sherry Nighswonger, chairwoman of the Mission Peak Heritage Foundation. 'We're hoping everyone will just be astounded by our treasures.' Since last month, Mission Peak and the Washington Township Historical Society have moved more than 100 years' worth of history -- yellowing maps, land grants, steamer trunks, clothes, a sulky for trotting races, a piano that came around the Horn, cobbler's tools, farm implements -- into the building. These artifacts had been hidden in the city's corporation yard, upstairs at the Olive Hyde Art Gallery, the Mission San Jose museum and various other sites throughout the Tri-Cities. ... The city modified the 2,400-square-foot space -- making the building accessible to all citizens, modifying restrooms and adding climate control for the room with documents and photographs -- at a cost of about $100,000. Under a 20-year lease, the historical societies will rent the building for $1 a year, staff it, maintain the landscaping and pay utilities, expected to be around $150 a month."  The article notes: "IT'S BEEN YEARS in the making and involved a cast of thousands: Ohlones, Spanish, Mexicans, Chinese, Japanese, Americans. Even movie stars Charlie Chaplin and Bronco Billy. The museum, Mission San w Jose's third, is in a converted fire station on Anza Street and will focus on 19th century Washington Township, which became today's cities of Fremont, Union City and Newark. Another museum, at the old mission, covers Ohlone and mission periods while a third, at Ohlone College, deals with the Irvingtonian fossils of the Pleistocene epoch, 1.36 million years ago. The museum is a joint effort of the city, the Washington Township Historical Society and the Mission Peak Heritage Foundation. AMONG THE artifacts in the 2,400-square-foot museum are a carriage used at the Patterson Ranch, the cradle of C.J. Stevens (the first white child born in Washington Township) and the only remaining spotlight from Charlie Chaplin's Essanay Studios in Niles. There is a huge wok used by the Chinese cooks at the Shinn Ranch, a giant bellows from the blacksmith in Niles and lots of books, maps and newspaper clippings."  The article notes: "Regina Dennie, docent coordinator of the Museum of Local History, had missed only one monthly museum board meeting in eight years -- until last October. That's when the 72-year Mission San Jose resident said directors refused to disclose how museum money was being spent. She hasn't been to a meeting since then. Dennie, a member of the original board in 1995 whose term expired several years ago, still opens the Anza Street museum twice a week, leads occasional tours and coordinates about a dozen volunteer docents. ... The museum, in the former Mission Fire Station, opened in 1992 under the supervision of the Washington Township Historical Society and the Mission Peak Heritage Foundation. In October 1995, the two groups formed the nonprofit Museum of Local History, and continued to rent the building from the city for $1 a year. The group has an average annual budget of approximately $5,000 for expenses such as utilities and insurance."  The article notes: "In 1950, Southern California native Robert Fisher set up a doctor's practice in southern Alameda County's Irvington district, settling in what was then a rural-but-growing Washington Township after Army service. Soon the doctor discovered many of his patients were from the founding families of the region that would become Fremont. ... Recollections of the elderly patients prompted Fisher's decadeslong efforts to gather archives, photographs, oral histories and other records on the area -- now Fremont, Newark and Union City -- dating from Spanish colonial times. Fisher, who later helped incorporate the city of Fremont in 1956, became its foremost historian and a staunch defender of historic sites. ... Monday morning, movers donating their time hauled the multitude of items from Fisher's retirement home in Mendocino into a small room of the Museum of Local History." <li> The article notes: "Philip Holmes and Jill M. Singleton, local historians from Fremont's Museum of Local History, are at it again. After the success of their last historical book about Fremont, called 'Niles, Fremont,' Holmes and Singleton decided to approach Irvington to educate readers about the community's unique history. ... All proceeds from the book, which features more than 200 photographs and the first-time publication of personal photographs from the collection of Dr. Robert B. Fischer, will be donated to the Museum of Local History. Published on Oct. 20, 'Irvington, Fremont' is available at bookstores, independent retailers, online bookstores and through Arcadia Publishing at http://www.arcadiapublishing.com."</li> <li> The article notes: "A group of hard-working volunteers is transforming a weed-covered lot near Mission San Jose into a colorful garden that showcases Fremont's early years. For months, the volunteers pulled weeds, spread compost, dug trenches and researched native plants to create a memory garden in front of the Museum of Local History at Anza and Ellsworth streets. The garden is about two-thirds complete. Their goal is to beautify a small section of Fremont, introduce local residents to native plants that need little water and maintenance, and educate students about the days when Ohlone Indians had thriving communities here."</li> <li> The article notes: "Local historians Philip Holmes and Patricia Wipfli Schaffarczyk have collaborated to create an illustrated history of Warm Springs. Holmes, the founder of Fremont's Museum of Local History, feels lucky to have Schaffarczyk as its curator. Each has a deep appreciation of history."</li> <li> The article notes: "Cecilia Weed, who fought to protect parks and historic sites using a mix of charm and a fiery Irish spirit, died Saturday at her home in Fremont after battling a series of ailments. She was 91. ... She also led the effort to create the Museum of Local History in Fremont, on the site of a former fire station on Anza Street."</li> </ol>There is sufficient coverage in reliable sources to allow Museum of Local History to pass Notability, which requires "significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject". Cunard (talk) 07:54, 5 July 2018 (UTC) </li></ul>
 * The first three sources provide significant coverage of the museum. The other sources provide less significant coverage but I have included them here so that interested editors can use them to source and expand the article. Cunard (talk) 07:54, 5 July 2018 (UTC)

ok, interesting seeing the process. glad for the decision. thanks!WashTownHistory (talk) 01:36, 6 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Keep This looks notable to me, based on the fact that it is a museum open to the public and there are RS (see above). It needs work but deleting it seems counter-productive for our readers.Zigzig20s (talk) 08:23, 5 July 2018 (UTC)
 * The final decision hasn't been made yet. It will happen 7+days after being relisted on 06:30, 1 July 2018 (UTC). Read the primers in the upper right for more info on the process. You or others can add the new info/refs above to the article. StrayBolt (talk) 02:03, 6 July 2018 (UTC)


 * Keep Sources demonstrate notability. \\\Septrillion:- &#8237;  10 Eleventeen 23:30, 6 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Keep There quite enough sources to establish notability. Arthistorian1977 (talk) 08:41, 8 July 2018 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. <b style="color:red">Please do not modify it.</b> Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.