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Serving Altadena since 1935

The Altadena Historical Society (AHS) was founded in 1935. As a 501(c)3 organization, we gather, preserve, and share print and digital information about the people, places, and events that have shaped the Altadena community.

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Events

Visit our Programs page for upcoming events. Subscribe to our email list to stay in the loop.

Research requests

Wondering about the history of your house? Or a notable person from Altadena’s past? Just ask us.

In the Archives

We have thousands of printed items related to the history of Altadena. Visit this page for details.

A slice of history

See “Fourteen Decades of Altadena History 1883-2017” at the Altadena Community Center.

Travel to the past

The Disneyland of its day, the Mount Lowe Railway drew visitors from around the world.

Honoring a hero

We celebrated the life of activist Ellen Garrison Clark—and purchased a headstone for her grave.

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Backyard landmarks Some backyards in Altadena hav

Backyard landmarks

Some backyards in Altadena have historical structures or relics that may be unknown to the current owners. We received a research request recently that asked about a small roofed structure in a local backyard. It turns out that it was part of the landscaping at the Gartz estate, a landmark mansion from the early 1900's owned by Kate Crane Gartz, an activist in socialist and feminist causes, and her husband.
The mansion no longer exists, but this structure lives on.
—--- 1st image - Current image of the structure. (Photo by Ann Scheid)
—--- 2nd image - Current image of the structure. (Photo by Ann Scheid)
—--- 3rd image - A photo from our archives. The Gartz home in 1907 with the backyard structure shown at the red arrow.
—--- 4th image - This is an aerial photo from 1934 showing the Gartz estate, left center. The backyard structure is probably in the red oval.
To the right of Santa Rosa, the estate you see is still there, now owned by the Theosophical Society.
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Mt. Lowe postcards from the Mike Post Collection (

Mt. Lowe postcards from the Mike Post Collection (Part 2)

We recently acquired a collection of Mt. Lowe Railway artifacts from Mike Post. Included in this donation is a set of over a hundred postcards showing scenes from the old railway. These appear to have been sold widely throughout southern California at many tourist destinations. The railway was a major tourist destination for many decades, much as Disneyland, Universal Studios, and Griffith Park are now.
#altadenahistoricalsociety #altadena #altadenahistorical #altadenahistory #mtlowe #postcards #mtlowerailway #artifacts #hundred #sold #widely #southerncalifornia #tourist #destination #touristdestination #major #decades #disneyland #universalstudios #griffithpark #mikepost #donation #horseshoe #curve

Mt. Lowe postcards from the Mike Post Collection

Mt. Lowe postcards from the Mike Post Collection

We recently acquired a collection of Mt. Lowe Railway artifacts from Mike Post. Included in this donation is a set of over a hundred postcards showing scenes from the old railway. These appear to have been sold widely throughout southern California at many tourist destinations. The railway was a major tourist destination for many decades, much as Disneyland, Universal Studios, and Griffith Park are now.
#altadenahistoricalsociety #altadena #altadenahistorical #altadenahistory #mtlowe #postcards #mtlowerailway #artifacts #hundred #sold #widely #southerncalifornia #tourist #destination #touristdestination #major #decades #disneyland #universalstudios #griffithpark #mikepost #donation

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