New Officers Installed

Dr. Glenn R. Stewart, Professor Emeritus - Cal Poly Pomona

The annual Installation Dinner was held Sunday, March 29th at the First Congregational Church Fellowship Hall. Salmon appetizers followed by Pork Loin and Breaded Chicken provided by Quinn Hawley and his Perris High School Interact students were a big hit. Special kudos to Joyce Kerns for her leadership and her fabulous pork and chicken recipes.

Everyone was entertained by guest speaker, Dr. Glenn R. Stewart, Professor Emeritus - Cal Poly Pomona and grandson of Wilbert W. Stewart, owner of the Bank of Perris. He spoke of his family's migration to Perris and the history of the Bank of Perris. With the old bank building up next on the city's redevelopment plan and slated to be our new Archival Library, it was of special interest to all present. Everyone found the Stewart’s unconventional security measures fascinating. Why would customers stand sideways to the teller windows? That information and much more will definitely be kept in the archives of our historical association.

The association thanks Ralph Keyes for letting us borrow his collection of antique collectable banks. They were a new and unique spin on table centerpieces and everyone had a lot of fun figuring out how they worked.

Business of the meeting/dinner was conducted with the following officers installed to serve until next year:

President.....................................Quinn Hawley
1st Vice President................................Rudy Lee
2nd Vice President...........................Katie Keyes
Secretary.......................................Mae Minnich
Treasurer................................Dennise Manning

Directors

Ann Motte
Vincent Magana
Kay Busch
Bill Hulstrom
Maethorne Fowler
Midgie Parker – Director at Large

Museum Hours

The Perris Valley Museum is OPEN, four days a week.
It's located at:
120 4th Street
Perris, CA 92570

Thursday - Noon - 4pm

Friday - Noon - 4pm

Saturday - Noon - 4pm

Sunday - Noon - 4pm

Docent tours are available on request. Please call (951) 657-0274

Volunteers Needed

Docent First Graduating Class of 2009

With the reopening of our newly renovated museum with brand new and exciting exhibit space, comes the increased need for volunteers.

We need:

• Staff to man the Gift Shop


• Docents to amaze, entertain, and educate the public


• Capable individuals to accession, conserve, and maintain museum and archival objects.

We are still actively working toward fine-tuning our new exhibits. Collecting, preserving, and sharing your local history is an ongoing project. Please come and share the joy of continuing this valuable work.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please leave your name and phone number on our message machine 951-657-0274. We will be in contact soon.

Fred T. Perris Day a Big Success

Descendents of the Perris and Levet families had a great time.

There was quite a crowd for the Fred T. Perris Day celebration January 31st, at the newly renovated Santa Fe Depot. After many months of work from our entirely volunteer staff, the new exhibits in the museum were unveiled to the delight of the public. A large contingent of Fred T. Perris (railroad man) and Benjamin F. Levet (depot architect) family members came from near and far for the affair. Under clear, sunny skies we listened to tales of old from direct descendents Christina Perris and Mel Levet. Even Huell Howser showed up with the City of Perris' Michael McDermott, for a tour.

Even Fred T. Perris showed up in his survey wagon.

New museum hours are:

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Noon – 4:00 PM

Come visit our new museum. You might want to relive your childhood, teach your children and grandchildren their local history, or just simply have a look inside that building you have been driving by for so long.

We have a great little gift shop, knowledgeable docents on duty, and it is always free.

Perris Museum Reopens

The Perris Museum is now open. Feel free to call (951) 657-0274, for hours.

Two days before the grand opening to the general public, on Saturday (1/31/09), the Press Enterprise ran the fallowing article.

Perris Museum Reopening to Honor City's Past

by HOPE PIERSON

The opening of the Perris Valley Museum in the renovated Perris train depot will be celebrated Saturday. Members of the Perris Valley Historical & Museum Association have been working for four years to get museum collections ready for the opening. "Ninety percent of the work was done by our volunteers who love our history," said Katie Keyes, vice president of the historical society. "The most satisfying aspect is that we are preserving our history for future generations."

Katie Keyes, vice president of the Perris Valley Historical & Museum Association, holds a photo of Fred T. Perris, the man for whom Perris is named.

The museum is in the newly renovated Perris train depot at the corner of Fourth and D streets. The museum will open at 10 a.m. Saturday and the program will start at 11 a.m. Quinn Hawley, president of the group, will give a history of the museum. Christina Perris, the granddaughter of Fred T. Perris, the city's namesake, will present a program. Also on the program will be Mel Levet who will speak about his grandfather Benjamin Levet, architect of the Perris Depot. The museum includes exhibits on Native Americans, the gold mines, the mining district, farming and schools. The museum also displays the restored survey wagon used by Fred T. Perris. Free double-decker bus tours will take visitors to the historic downtown area of Perris. The bus will run every half hour until from noon to 3 p.m.

The historical group the Harvey Girls will help with the event. Harvey Girls took their name from Fred Harvey's Harvey House restaurants that were located along the Santa Fe Railroad in the late 1800s. The Model T Club from Riverside will exhibit automobiles. The Orange Empire Railway Museum will sell tickets for steam train rides during the event. The historical society, founded in 1963 to maintain the history of Perris, is looking for donations, including vintage clothing and artifacts from the Perris Valley area.

"We are the keepers of the history and donations must pertain to the history of the Perris Valley," Keyes said. Keyes, 66, who has lived in Perris all her life, joined the society 10 years ago. She said she "has always been interested in helping the people of Perris. My family was honored as one of the pioneering families of the valley."

Information: 951-657-0274.