The Foundry and Office buildings on East H Street– whose preservation is currently a topic of debate among residents– will be the subject of a local history lesson by the Benicia Historical Society tomorrow evening at Camellia Tea Room.
(Photo by Nick Sestanovich)

As citizens continue to debate about the preservation of the historic Pacific Mail Steamship Company buildings on East H Street, the Benicia Historical Society will host a presentation Thursday to go over the long history of the site. The presentation is part of the society’s Spring Speaker Series.

The event, titled “California Would Be Deficient Indeed: The Long History of Industry at the Yuba Manufacturing Site,” will discuss the property’s heyday when it was the hub for the Yuba Manufacturing Site. The region is widely considered the first industrial complex west of the Mississippi River and provided operations for the Pacific Mail Steamship Company starting in 1850 and continuing for many decades. Over the next century, the property housed several industries which reflected the historical trends of California at the time.

The talk will be delivered by David Hyde, a Benicia High School graduate, Historical Society board member and Ph.D candidate in historical archeology at the University of California, Berkeley. His talk will go over the site’s history from its beginnings to the present day, in which residents have argued for preservation of the two buildings and the Benicia City Council recently voted to deny an emergency demolition permit.

“California Would Be Deficient Indeed” will be held at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 27 at Camellia Tea Room, located at 828 First St. The cost is free for Society members and $5 for non-members. For more information, visit http://beniciahistoricalsociety.org/2017-03-23-greg-tilles-presentation or email info@beniciahistoricalsociety.org.

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