The Carlsbad Historical Society increases and enhances the knowledge of the area’s history. CHS assures and maintains cultural traditions of the community; works with the City of Carlsbad on cooperative preservation, restoration and display of historical resources; and solicits the help of the community in acquiring historical items and property.
The Carlsbad Historical Society was established in 1975 to preserve,
promote, and enhance knowledge of the surrounding area's history,
significant landmarks, institutions and memorabilia. We are a
non-profit organization dedicated to reaching out to the community
through educational as well as social events.
Our museum and archives are located in The Shipley-Magee House, at 258 Beech Ave.
The museum portion is furnished in a turn of the century
style which reflects the life style of the early settlers of Carlsbad who once
owned the house. Also, displays of Carlsbad and the surrounding
agricultural community are housed here in order to educate the public
during the tours.
Our historical gardens feature a nationally
registered Rose Garden, in addition to a Victorian Herb bed, a native
Southern Californian bed, a Carlsbad commercial growers bed and a
Patriotic Red, White and Blue bed.
Magee Park hosts the Shipley Barn furnished with displays of Carlsbad agricultural memorabilia; the Granary, relocated from the historic
Twin Inns Restaurant; and Heritage Hall, the relocated original St. Patrick's
Church which was also used for the original Carlsbad City library and
Carlsbad Police Department.
A -- is for annexed, La Costa was one;
B -- for the Barrio – History! Fun!
C -- is for Crespi, for Carl, and for Chase;
D -- for the Dog Park, where pooches can pace.
E -- is for Elm the old main street through town;
F -- for the Flower Fields, they’ve brought renown.
G -- for guayule and old Luther Gage;
H -- for Hosp Grove where the “eucs” replaced sage.
I -- for the Indian tribes still here now;
J -- is for Juno, the Shipley’s bow-wow.
K -- for the Kelly’s and all their good deeds;
L -- is for Ledgerwood planting those seeds.
M -- for Marron and for Florence Magee;
N -- is for nature, lagoons and the sea.
O -- for Our Paper, our very first read;
P -- Portola, he rode here on a steed.
Q -- for our Quadrants, northwest is the best;
R -- for the railroad, it brought folks out west.
S -- for the spring that the seekers did find;
T -- for Twin Inns, that’s where lots of folks dined.
U -- for utopia, paradise found;
V -- for the Village, the best, it’s renowned.
W -- for water, it’s part of our history;
X -- as in X marks the spot, it’s a mystery.
Y -- for the years since our City was started;
Z -- for the Zany Hats, now long departed.
Timeline
1542 - Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, sailing for Spain, claims "California" for the crown.
1602 - Sebastian Vizcaino anchors off Point Loma, and names San Diego Bay.
1769 - Sacred Expedition - First written historical document of Carlsbad by Father Crespi
1798 - Father Lausen established the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia
1821 - Mexico gains independence from Spain
1844 - Rancho San Francisco changes name to Rancho Agua Hedionda
1848 - California becomes part of the United States of America
1860 - Rancho Agua Hedionda changes ownership to Frances Hinton
1870 - Hinton dies, wills Rancho Agua Hedionda to Robert Kelly
1880 - Robert Kelly gives right of way to railroad through Rancho Hedionda coastal land
1881 - John Frazier settles on Government surveyed land north of Rancho Agua Hedionda
1883 - Frazier discovers artesian and mineral water near coast
1886 - Capitalizing on Frazier's discovery, the real estate development company "Carlsbad Land and Water Company" is formed. It purchases Frazier's property and additional
acreage north of Rancho Agua Hedionda and establishes the town of Carlsbad
1887 - Building lots subdivided, building boom in Carlsbad
1890 - Robert Kelly dies, wills Rancho Agua Hedionda to nieces and nephews
1900 - Land bust in Southern California- Carlsbad almost abandoned
1914 - South Coast Land Company purchases remaining land from defunct Carlsbad Land and Water Company
1922 - Water piped in from the San Luis Rey River allow development of Flower and avocado industry
1927 - Highway 101 diversion completed through Carlsbad, State highway bypasses downtown business district.
1930 - Carlsbad Mineral Springs Hotel opens- tourism industry born in Carlsbad
1936 - Army Navy Academy moves to Carlsbad
1937 - Leo Carrillo purchase
Matthew Kelly homestead Los Kiotes
1940's - WWII comes to Carlsbad, houses demand increases
1952 - City of Carlsbad incorporates
1954 - I-5 Freeway connect Carlsbad to Oceanside
1956 - Carlsbad City's first city library established
1959 - Palomar Airport opens
1966 - I-5 from La Costa to San Diego opens
1969 - Plaza Camino Real Shopping Mall opens
1972 - La Costa annexed to City of Carlsbad
- Car Country Carlsbad opens
1981 - Carlsbad Triathlon begins
1999 - Lego Land opens
2002 - 50th anniversary of incorporation
2003 - Carrillo Ranch Park opens
2004 Magee Park Barn Restored
2005 50th anniversary of Voters approved a 1.25 million construction bond that funded building Carlsbad High School- the first high school ever built in Carlsbad
2006 Prop D- Strawberry Fields Tails voted in, and California State Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appears at Carlsbad High School and announces plans for education funding
2007 Ray Pachett, City Manager for 20 years retires
2008 Learning Center Opens, and Carlsbad changes from a General Law Municipality to a Charter City
2009 New Village Arts opens at Foundry and Carlsbad High School Renovated
2010 Kelly Elementary School Shooting
2011 Twentieth Carlsbad Annual Marathon
2012 Bud Lewis DeSal Plant Construction begins
2013 Sage Creek High School Opens
2014 Poinsettia Fire and Alga Norte Park opened
2015 No On A Ballot and Bud Lewis DeSal Plant opens
2016 Carlsbad City libraries; Dove and Cole renovated
2017 City transitions to District specific voting for City Council Members
2018 Carlsbad Small Stack Energy Center goes online
2019 Carlsbad's first church St. Michael's Celebrates its 125th anniversary
2020 Global Pandemic Covid 19
2021 Fire Station #2 razed
2022 Encina Power Plant /smokestack razed
2022 Interstate I-5 lane widening
Appendix II- Elected Officials
Election of Mayors by Electors- 2002
Mayor Claude "Bud" Lewis 2002-2010
Matt Hall 2010-2022
Council Members
2002-2004 Mark Packard and Matt Hall
2004-2008 Ann Kulchin and Norine Sigafoose
2006 Norine Sigafoose resigns
2006-2008 City Council Appoints Julie Nygaard to fulfill Sigafoose’s term
2006-2010 Matt Hall and Mark Packard
2008- 2012 Ann Kulchin and Keith Blackburn
2010-2014 Farah Douglas and Mark Packard
2014 Farah Douglas Resigns
2014 March- City Council Appoints Michael Schumacher to fulfill 8 months of Farah Douglas’s term
2012-2016 Keith Blackburn and Lorraine Wood
2014-2018 Mark Packard and Michael Schumacher
2016- 2020 Keith Blackburn and Cori Schumacher
2018-2022 First District Elections
District 1- Barbara Hamilton; District 3 Priya Bhat- Patel
2019 -Barbara Hamilton resigns
2020 Special Election Cori Schumacher District 1 to fulfill Barbara Hamilton’s term
2020 -2024 Nov. Election District 2 Keith Blackburn; District 4 Teresa Acosta
2021- Cori Schumacher Resigns; District 1- City Council appoints Peder Norby
2022 - Keith Blackburn elected Mayor for 4 year term
2022 - Melanie Burkholder elected to City Council for 4 year term
2002 City Clerk Lorraine Wood; City Treasurer- Jim Stanton
2006 City Clerk Lorraine Wood; City Treasurer- Harold Mc Sherry
2010 City Clerk Lorraine Wood; City Treasurer- Jim Comstock
2014 City Clerk Barbara Engleson; City Treasurer Craig Lindholm
2018 Barbara Engleson; City Treasurer- Craig Lindholm
Books on Sale
"Windows on the Past: An Illustrated History of Carlsbad, California" by Susan Schnebelen Gutierrez, was written in 2002 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the incorporation of Carlsbad as a City. It updates the previous books on the subject.
This book measures about 8.75 x 11.25 inches and is 160 pages hardbound. It has numerous historical pictures and documents from Carlsbad.
We have this book on sale at the Shipley-Magee House for $12.
The Carlsbad Historical Society museum is located within Magee Park at 258 Beech
Ave, Carlsbad, California. Surrounding the museum are a variety of old
fashion gardens that attempt to demonstrate Carlsbad's agricultural
past. All of the gardens are maintained through the combined volunteer
efforts of the Arboretum Society, the Carlsbad Historical Society and
the California Coastal Rose Society, as well as city staff.
One of the most outstanding features of the garden is the nationally registered Rose plantings on the west side
of the park. Separated into several rose beds, visitors will find over
125 different roses that represent 15 different rose families.
Development of these rose beds earned Carlsbad the honor of the
American Rose Society's distinction of An American Rose City in 2002.
At the museum entrance, an old fashion garden greets visitors with its jumble of
plants ranging from the stately Foxglove to a diminutive ground
covering daisy.
Carlsbad, known as the Avocado Capital in the 1920s and the Flower Capital in the
1940s, has a diverse and enduring agricultural past. The Commercial
Growers plantings represent a small number of the commercially viable
crops that Carlsbad produced. Additionally, two highlights for any
visitor are the Southern California native plants and the Victorian
herb garden.
Location
The Carlsbad Historical Society is located at 258 Beech Ave,
Carlsbad, California 92008.
The Carlsbad Historical Society offers something for everyone by
hosting lectures, social events, trips, and tours for its members as well as local
students. Under the direction of the Carlsbad Historical Society, a
specially designed tour was developed to teach local third grade
students about local history. Each spring Carlsbad Historical Society
Docents greet third graders at our museum and provide information about Carlsbad that helps
teach students about life in the past.
Guides lead a tour for interested visitors through our historic
park gardens, giving insight and information about Carlsbad's
agricultural past.
December welcomes our Victorian Christmas Celebration. Utilizing local
native plant material, volunteers decorate the Shipley-Magee House in a manner similar to
the method of early Carlsbad residents.
The Carlsbad Historical Society sponsors a variety of guest lectures and
member tours of historic sites throughout the year. All events are open to the
public. Please call our office at (442) 500-4471 for a listing of
upcoming events.
Membership
We are always looking for new members. For those interested in preserving,
promoting, protecting Carlsbad history please print out and mail the membership
application below to:
Carlsbad Historical Society
258 Beech Ave.
Carlsbad CA 92008
A membership entitles you to a subscription to the newsletter and
entrance to all Historical Society functions and activities and helps fund
our efforts. If you have any questions or comments, please call our office
at (442) 500-4471.
Ammonites in Carlsbad
Life on a San Diego County Ranch (~1925) by John Kelly -- PDF 
Influencias Iniciales
