News

Members of the Benicia Historical Society recently embarked on a captivating excursion to nearby Mare Island for an exclusive guided tour of St. Peter’s Chapel, the oldest non-denominational church built by the United States military.

The tour was led by Dan Glaze of the Mare Island Historic Park Foundation who shared insights into the structure's distinct architecture and heritage. Attendees learned how Craftsman-style influences shaped the design and guided the selection of local construction materials. Inside, the chapel’s detailed woodwork directly reflects the remarkable skills of early naval shipbuilding craftsmen.

A highlight of the visit was the opportunity to view the chapel's 29 memorial stained-glass windows, 25 of which were crafted by the renowned Tiffany Glass Company. Following Mr. Glaze's presentation on the chapel’s most notable features, society members were invited to explore the building at their own pace, with knowledgeable docents positioned throughout to answer questions.

To conclude the outing, the group gathered for a no-host lunch at the historic Coal Sheds along the east side of Mare Island, where a unique maritime attraction awaited. Members took in views of historic tall ships currently docked at Mare Island while their primary piers in San Francisco undergo restoration. Members were able to board the C.A. Thayer—the last Pacific lumber schooner—which was open for free special tours above and below decks. Two National Park Service rangers were on hand to enrich the experience and answer detailed questions about the ship’s storied past.

On Saturday, July 18, 2026, members of the Benicia Historical Society gathered in Sonoma for an exclusive, members-only excursion to Lachryma Montis, the historic Victorian estate of General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo and his wife, Francisca Benicia Carrillo de Vallejo.

The weekend field trip offered local history enthusiasts a closer look at the deep-rooted architectural and historical connections tying Benicia to the broader history of California’s Mexican and early statehood eras.

Participants toured the 1852 Carpenter Gothic residence, nestled within Sonoma State Historic Park, highlighting a rare structural parallel to Benicia's own local history. General Vallejo’s home is one of three identical prefabricated Gothic Revival houses manufactured on the East Coast, dismantled, and shipped around Cape Horn to California in the mid-19th century—a twin design to Benicia’s renowned Walsh House.

During the guided walkthrough, members explored the estate's preserved grounds, decorative gardens, and the adjacent "Swiss Chalet" museum. Highlights of the interior tour included original 19th-century European furnishings, marble fireplaces, imported crystal chandeliers, and personal artifacts, including a needlepoint portrait made by Benicia Vallejo for one of her daughters.

The private field trip is part of the Society’s ongoing series of educational programs, public lectures, and member-exclusive events designed to preserve and highlight the region's rich cultural heritage.

The Society was proud to welcome back the San Francisco Yacht Club for their highly anticipated annual outing. Organized this year by Julia Shumelda, the visit offered the sailors a deep dive into Benicia’s pivotal role in state and national history, while connecting the town's past directly to their own maritime experiences.

Board members Jerry Hayes and Kerry K. Carney led the group on an engaging walking tour of First Street, which included a stop at the historic State Capitol. A major highlight of the tour was viewing the famous 1885 "Bird’s-Eye View" map of Benicia. The illustration sparked a fascinating discussion on how drastically the shoreline has transformed over the last century—evolving from a bustling hub of heavy industry into today’s beautiful, natural waterfront that serves as a major draw for tourism.

Having sailed into port just the night before, the yacht club members had firsthand experience with the Carquinez Strait’s notoriously tricky currents. This made for a lively conversation when the tour guides shared the history of the Solano train ferry. The group was captivated by the tale of the massive vessel's first trial run to Port Costa, where it battled those same fierce currents and actually slammed into the dock before finally completing a successful landing.

The memorable day wrapped up in classic Benicia style, with the visitors enjoying a spirited bocce tournament followed by dinner at Bella Sienna. Thoroughly delighted by the hospitality and history, the San Francisco Yacht Club is already looking forward to keeping the tradition alive with another voyage to Benicia next year.

Once again, history fans filled the Dona Benicia Room. This time, they came to learn about researching the history of historic homes from Wayne Eisenhart. Wayne has done extensive work in Merced and more recently Benicia. His focus has been on the lives of the families who have built and occupied the historic residences. He works lot by lot, block by block. He enjoyed learning about Merced, his home for some 45 years.

Now in Benicia, Wayne began with the neighborhood between West 3rd and West 7th Streets from the water up to West Military. As he described the web of family histories he has uncovered, he showed starting with Sanborn Maps and then proceeding with many online resources. These include Ancestry.com which has city directories, Newspapers.com which often show real estate sales, Internet Archive which has books with county histories, Findagrave.com, the US Census mortality schedule, and the Bancroft Library at U.C. Berkeley. Local resources include the Museum of History Benicia online archives, speaking with long-time Benicians, and the Benicia Herald.

Wayne also noted that Benicia street addresses were changed in late 1950s. This address change has long confused local researchers and the Society hopes to put together a guide to help navigate future research. Creating that guide and many other subjects, is the focus of the Society's new research committee that is actively recruiting interested volunteers. If you are interested in learning more, or volunteering your time, please reach out to us.

On Sunday, May 17th, another standing room only crowd attended a presentation at the library by Allan Gandy, local Benicia author and Society member, on the Benicia-Martinez Railroad Drawbridge. Mr. Gandy presented a very informative talk with many rarely seen photos. Subjects covered were the Solano Train Ferry, design of the bridge by the New York engineering firm Waddell-Hardesty, funding, construction (1929-1930) and the mechanism for lifting and lowering the drawbridge. Attendees asked interesting questions. Mr. Gandy’s books are available at Benicia Main Street, Bookshop Benicia, and the Museum of History Benicia.

May is National Historic Preservation Month, established in 1973 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. During the month of May events are planned to promote historic places for the purpose of instilling national and community pride, promoting heritage tourism, and showing the social and economic benefits of historic preservation.

For this reason the Society has, often, held its Historic Home Tour in the month of May. On some years, including this year, the Society plans to host a holiday version of its home tour in December. We are looking forward to once again hosting the home tour and highlighting the many architecturally significant homes and buildings in our community.

Please join us for the Society's May event The Story of the Benicia-Martinez Railroad Drawbridge to celebrate National Historic Preservation Month!

The Society, in a successful collaboration with the Benicia Public Library, hosted a captivating presentation on Sunday, April 19th that brought the history of California’s founding families to life. The event saw an impressive turnout of over 80 attendees, with a diverse audience spanning all age ranges—from local students to long-time residents—underscoring the community's deep interest in Benicia’s namesake.

The featured speakers, Professors Emeriti Rose Marie Beebe and Robert M. Senkewicz, shared poignant excerpts from their research into more than 180 personal letters exchanged by the Vallejo family. These primary sources offered attendees a rare, intimate window into the daily lives, personal feelings, and private struggles of General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo and Francisca Benicia Carrillo de Vallejo as they navigated the transition of California into the United States.

The atmosphere in the Doña Benicia Room was one of deep engagement; following the presentation, many guests remained to ask detailed questions about the General and Doña Benicia. By the afternoon's end, those in attendance left with a much more profound understanding of the woman for whom our city is named—her resilience, her role in her family, and the complex times in which she lived.

The legacy of Doña Benicia remains highly visible in our downtown through public art, such as the Mantilla sculpture at First and B Streets and the historic tiles along First Street, but this event provided the human story behind those monuments.

The Museum of History Benicia (MoHB) hosted the opening of a wonderful new exhibit on Saturday, February 7th. Celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary, the exhibit features an overview of how Benicia has contributed to our national history. It includes creative displays and information showing the various immigrant cultures, artists, newspapers, and industries including agricultural, shipyards, tanneries, and the refinery. At the request of the MoHB, the Society created a display about Benicia’s railroad legacy, which remains visible in the train depot and pier at the end of First Street. The Society is grateful for the opportunity to participate. A large enthusiastic crowd attended the opening. The MoHB, located at 2024 Camel Rd., is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 1-4pm and has free admission.

The Society hosted its 2025 Holiday Party and Annual Meeting on December 14th. Belinda Smith, the outgoing President, welcomed the members, introduced the current Board, and gave an update on the Society’s 2025 accomplishments. She also presented the Board of Directors’ proposed slate of officers and directors for 2026. The membership unanimously approved the slate, which includes new president Anastasia Heuer and new director Patrick Ward. The evening continued with everyone enjoying wonderful food, wine, and conversation. New this year to our holiday party was a silent auction. Along with our raffle, local gift cards, a backyard pizza dinner, wine, and gift baskets were a few of the many sought after prizes. The Society Board would like to extend a hearty "Thank You" to all of our generous raffle and silent auction donors. Their contributions added so much fun and excitement to the evening. We truly appreciate the support in bringing our community together. Our yearly trivia quiz created by Past President and current Historian Jerry Hayes closed out the event with much laughter and discussion.

The Society spent the month of August celebrating the unique connection between Benicia’s rich history and its vibrant public art scene, with a special focus on the Granizo tile art on First Street. The society’s activities highlighted the importance of preserving the city's heritage through education and community engagement.

The month-long initiative kicked off with "A-Tile-A-Day," a social media campaign on the Society’s Facebook page. Each day, a new post provided detailed information about one of the 28 Granizo tiles, engaging the community with daily insights into the art and history of the project.

On August 2, the Benicia Historical Society and the Museum of History Benicia co-hosted a special event at the Museum's Stone Hall. The event brought together knowledgeable figures involved in the Granizo Art Tile project, including artist Ron Wagner’s son, former Mayor Jerry Hayes, and Dr. Kerry K. Carney, who shared their research and provided context on the meaning of the tiles.

Two weeks later, on August 16, the Society sponsored a highly anticipated semi-guided tour of the tiles. Docents stationed at each of the 28 tiles offered further insight and historical context, providing participants with beautiful cards featuring an image of the tile on one side and a detailed description on the reverse. The images of all 28 tiles and their accompanying text are available here.

"The overwhelming response to these events shows the community's deep interest in our shared history," said Benicia Historical Society president, Belinda Smith. "Through projects like these, the Benicia Historical Society continues to fulfill its mission to bring together people interested in the history of Benicia and California and to preserve our heritage for future generations."

The Society extends special thanks to Dr. Carney and Anastasia Heuer for their vision and execution of the "Month of Tiles," and to all the enthusiastic volunteers who made the events possible.