Downtown Pittsburg offers a variety of places to explore, including eateries, shops and a theater. A beautiful building among the citylife — once the Coast Counties Gas and Electric Company — now houses the Pittsburg Historical Museum, home to many exciting exhibits for the public to enjoy.
While established in 1961, this museum has been located in the heart of downtown Pittsburg since 2002. The organizers revamped the illustrious building so that visitors feel as if they’re really taking a trip through historical Pittsburg, with halls leading up to separate rooms that include mannequins in historical dress, real tools and materials from a range of eras.
One particularly exciting room houses memorabilia from Pittsburg High School — alma mater of many LMC students. This exhibit contains costumes worn by the school’s marching band, instruments and photos from the past.
Recent college graduate Angeline Brade became a volunteer at the Pittsburg Historical Museum this past February because of her interest in learning more about the history.
“My grandparents lived in Pittsburg,” Brade said. “I’m an anthropology major, so I wanted to get involved in the museum and I thought this would be perfect because I had roots here.”
Brade also recommended volunteering at the museum to any students who may be interested in its history. She mentioned the schedule being flexible and the process to begin volunteering being very easy.
“It’s a great chance to learn more about if you have roots here, and learn about your family and about other people that you may not have heard about otherwise,” Brade added.
Volunteer Historian Vincent Ferrante has been with the Pittsburg Historical Museum since 2014.
Ferrante mentioned many favorite exhibits within the museum, including LMC’s namesake Rancho Los Medanos, as well as the deep history of industry within Pittsburg and Camp Stoneman.
Ferrante encouraged young historians to consider volunteering with the museum.
“If you have an interest in history or the operations of a museum, and are interested in volunteering your time, come on by and visit us,” Ferrante said. “We do have several junior [guides]. They all have some sort of background in history or related subjects, so they’re getting hands-on experience,” he added.
The Pittsburg Historical Museum is open Wednesdays 1p.m. – 4p.m., and Saturdays from 11a.m. – 3p.m.
