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Tag: 1929

  • March 11th in Seal Beach History

    On this date in 1929, a fire was set in the Seal Beach Methodist Church auditorium.

    This was no criminal act of arson, however. The only damage from the fire was to a mortgage note for the two lots at Tenth Street and Central Avenue where the church buildings stood. The mortgage was $2300 loaned in 1923 by Judge John C. Ord, one of the city’s founders (and the church’s neighbor across the Central Avenue.) The mortgage was completely destroyed.

    The perpetrators of the blaze were Seal Beach mayor R. E. Dolley and J. Simonson of Long Beach. The two lit the fire in front of a crowd celebrating the paid off mortgage and the completion of a church remodeling that included a larger auditorium, a larger kitchen, modification to the stage and the addition of what was called “a commodious club room.”

    Donations made towards the mortgage included $100 plus interest by the Ladies’ Aid Society, $800 from Mayor Dolley, $100 from Mr. and Mrs. D.P. Proctor, $400 from Judge Ord himself, and $1000 in individual gifts from Methodist Churches in Long Beach.

    An additional $1000 for remodeling costs was collected through individual donations. The remodeling work had been done by members of the community.
    – Michael Dobkins

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  • February 14th In Seal Beach History

    On this date in 1929, the Seal Beach City Council awarded the contract for a new city hall to architect W. Horace Austin after considering preliminary plans presented by local architects.

    Austin’s plans included a fire station, a police station, a city library, offices for city staff, and a second story assembly room for public meetings. Austin himself would supervise the Spanish style construction as soon at the city closed a deal to purchase the future city hall site.

    W. Horace Austin was a prominent architect in the area during the first half of the Twentieth Century, and many of his landmark designs still stand today, including Wilson High School, the Press-Telegram building, the downtown Farmers & Merchants Bank, and the Long Beach Airport.

    And, of course, the old Seal Beach City Hall, still located on the corner of Eight Street and Central Avenue today. It was officially opened and dedicated eight and a half months later on October 29th, 1929. City bureaucracy move faster in those days.

    – Michael Dobkins

    Have you enjoyed this and other This Date in Seal Beach History posts?

    If so, please consider making a small donation of a dollar or more to help defray the online subscriptions and other research costs that make this blog possible.

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    This Date in Seal Beach History also has an online store hosted at Cafepress where you can order shirts, tote bags, stationery, and other gift items imprinted with vintage Seal Beach images. Visit the online store by clicking here.

  • February 1st In Seal Beach History

    On this date in 1929, S. B. Ablis of Long Beach and Clide Maupin of Maywood were detained in the Seal Beach city jail for driving while intoxicated. Displeased by having their Friday night adventures cut short, the two men set fire to a pile of magazines and papers that were left in the jail for prisoners. They also turned on the water faucets and flooded their cell. After the smoke alert officers in the jail to the situation, the fire was extinguished and the faucets were tightened shut.

    Once again, the two drunks were left alone to sober up, but before that could happen, they set fire to the bedding and the mattresses in their cell. After this blaze was doused, the police officers wisely confiscated tobacco and matches from the two prisoners.

    The next day Mr. Ablis and Mr. Maupin not only suffered from what were probably terrible hangovers, but they were also fined for their antics by Judge Wilson.

    – Michael Dobkins

    Have you enjoyed this and other This Date in Seal Beach History posts?

    If so, please consider making a small donation of a dollar or more to help defray the online subscriptions and other research costs that make this blog possible.

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    This Date in Seal Beach History also has an online store hosted at Cafepress where you can order shirts, tote bags, stationery, and other gift items imprinted with vintage Seal Beach images. Visit the online store by clicking here. 

  • Our Boys in Blue

    Images of The Week

    Seal Beach Junior Police – 1929

    Fellow Seal Beach history buff Stan Berry e-mailed us a couple of weeks ago to graciously offer to share some of his collection of photographs and memorabilia from Seal Beach Police Department and Fire Department history.  The two photos in today’s post is the first of what we hope will be many contributions from Stan. 

    This is a 1929 group photo of the Seal Beach Police Department under the command of Chief A. G. Johnson. One of the programs that Chief Johnson was instrumental with was the organization of a juvenile police force of six (6) members.   These boys were chosen from their school because of the record  they held for trustworthiness, faithfulness to duty and the ability to work successfully with their schoolmates.  The duties of the juvenile police  were to protect little children at all times and to see that vacant property was not vandalized.  The boys met with the Chief each Saturday to discuss any problems.

     The second photo is of one of the miniature police badges that the boys were presented when being sworn in by Chief Johnson.  This particular  badge is currently displayed at the Red Car Museum.

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    Thanks, Stan.

    We’ll share more historical pictures and photos of Seal Beach as the year progresses.   Be sure to check back each Monday for a new Seal Beach image.

    Have you enjoyed this and other This Date in Seal Beach History posts?

    If so, please consider making a small donation of a dollar or more to help defray the online subscriptions and other research costs that make this blog possible.

    Donations can be made securely with most major credit cards directly through PayPal. Just click on paypal.me/MichaelDobkins to go to PayPal. Thank you.