Academic Film Archive Donation
The Academic Film Archive of North America recently donated three Bell & Howell circa 1950 16mm Projectors.
Click here to read the full blog post and see more photos! |
Miss the Film Premiere?
Don't worry! You can still purchase tickets to see
This film is a partnership between CreaTV San Jose, Norman Kline Productions, and History San José.
For more information about the film or to purchase tickets to upcoming showings at Camera Cinemas, please
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Dear Friends,
We have had an exciting start to the month of February! History San
José is proud to announce that we are a recipient of the Capacity Building grant from The DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the University of Maryland!

This grant will provide the opportunity to engage in long-term planning for History San José specifically related to board development, fundraising and marketing.
Above all, we are thrilled to be in the company of amazing arts organizations in San Jose, such as City Lights Theater Company, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, Opera San Jose and many more!
Capacity Building: Greater San José is made possible with the support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the City of San José Office of Cultural Affairs, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, American Express Foundation, and the Castellano Family Foundation. Organizing Support for Capacity Building: Greater San José is provided by MACLA / Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana.
We are looking forward to this opportunity to move toward the future. Onward and upward!
Until next time,
Alida J. Bray
President & CEO
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Collections Corner
KNTV Film Archive
The KNTV Channel 11 film archive was donated to the Museum in the early 1980s and includes television news footage from 1965 to as late as 1979. San Jose's role in the social movements of the 1960s, as well as the transformation of San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley through two decades are all documented in the 800,000 feet of film and transcripts held at History San Jose's Collection Center. Through a partnership with the California Audiovisual Preservation Project, we have begun digitizing and making available these films through the Internet Archive at
Volunteer Profile: Amanda Mellinger
Amanda Mellinger, our student intern, has just finished cataloging the personal belongings of Ellie Marie Dettenhamer, which were donated to History San Jose by her estate in 2013.
Amanda grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and attended Temple University, where she majored in History. She moved to San Jose
over a year and a half ago, and is currently in her first year of the MLIS program at San Jose State University's School of Information.

Dettenhammer Collection
Joseph Dettenhamer was a German immigrant who came to the United States in 1904 via New York City. He married Hungarian immigrant Ella Banovitz in 1910 after meeting her in San Francisco. They settled in San Jose, where they began their own orchard business on their property at 105 Bascom Avenue and officially attained their citizenship in 1937. Joseph's brother, Frank Dettenhamer, also immigrated to the United States and lived in San Francisco. The brothers wrote to each other regularly and on occasion Frank would help with the fruit harvests in San Jose. Ella Marie (photo on the right) was born in 1914 and attended Burbank School, and Notre Dame High School. After she graduated in 1932 she became one of the first employees (#54) at Moffett Field, where she worked as a secretary in the supply department. Ella Marie never married and lived at the family home taking care of her parents and uncle until their deaths. Ella Marie lived on the property until she sold it in 1991 to a developer who built medical offices.

Andrew Putnam Hill Photo Mystery
Recently we received an email from someone looking to identify a photograph of Big Basin Park taken by Andrew Putnam Hill that was owned by her family. Hill took many photographs of the Big Basin area in the Santa Cruz Mountains between 1900 and 1902 as part of his efforts to save the forest from logging and preserve the beautiful area as a protected state park. History San Jose is lucky to have a large number of these in our collection, part of the Sempervirens Club Records. In this case, Hill's photograph led to a family discovery. Visit HSJ's blog to read more. You can visit the home of Andrew P. Hill in History Park or tour the home online by clicking here.
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Upcoming Events
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African American Heritage House
EXHIBIT OPENING
Saturday, February 7: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Please join the African American Heritage House in History Park for the opening of their newest exhibit: The Negro League Baseball Experience, in honor of Black History Month.
Hands-On History:
The Immigration Experience
Sunday, February 22: 12:00pm - 4:00pm
In partnership with Silicon Valley Reads, History San José presents the first event in its 2015 Hands-On History Days series, focusing on the immigrant experience in Santa Clara Valley. Join us for a Scavenger hunt through History Park featuring immigrant experiences both past and present; crafts focusing on the diverse cultures represented at History Park; poetry workshop by Poetry Center San Jose; printing demonstration by the Printers Guild; and much more!
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