Photo Credits on the IBAHS Photo Gallery

Most photos on the IBAHS site are from the archives by donors. Photos for the 50th Isleton Grammar School Reunion are by Ed Concepcion. Event photos such as Pioneer Days and Multicultural/Delta Cultural Festival are by Pamela Bulahan. For more information please email info@isletonhistory.org.

Upcoming Events for IBAHS

The Main Street Poker Walk on Saturday, February 21st and Chinese New Year on Saturday, March 7th are the next events where IBAHS has an information booth. For more information please email info@isletonhistory.org.

Historic Main Street Walking Tour Schedule for 2009

Historic Main Street will have walking tours for 2009. Sharon Wong Fong is the docent who is leading the tours of the two blocks formerly Chinatown and Japantown. These tours are on the Third Saturday monthly at 2:30 PM. Sharon will meet the group in front of River's Edge Cafe at 7 Main Street. The Asian District was nominated and selected to be placed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1991. Tours can also be arranged by appointment.

Sharon grew up in Isleton's Chinatown and her mother still resides in the town. Sharon is an active member of the Isleton Brannan-Andrus Historical Society. The tour will be of a historic nature, as Sharon shares her experiences growing up in Isleton and the "stories" told to her by her mother who lived her entire life in the Delta and other former residents.

If you have any questions or want more information, please email info@isletonhistory.org.

Historic Main Street Isleton web site

Many storefronts on Main Street have pictures and captions of earlier times in Isleton and in some cases the type of business the structure housed from years ago. The Main Street merchants appreciate your patronage. Find out the latest that Main Street businesses have to offer by visiting the web site www.HistoricMainStreetIsleton.com.

General Meeting January 22

The first quarter General Meeting for 2009 will be held at 6PM Thursday, January 22, 2009 in the Delta Daze breakfast room, 20 Main Street. For more information please email info@isletonhistory.org.

The latest IBAHS activities

The latest IBAHS fundraising activity is selling World's Best Candy bars. These candy bars are $1.25 each and available in Chocolate Almond or Chocolate Crisp. Currently these are offered for sale at the Isleton Thread on Main Street across from the laundrymat and from Curator Ed Concepcion. Come into the Isleton Thread and ask Janette Gaillard for these chocolates. Buy your fill of chocolate bars now, 'tis the season for candy!

Happy New Year from IBAHS!

Programs from 60+ Years Ago

Check out long ago events in Isleton and vicinity from the mid-late 1940s by viewing these programs which are courtesy of the Sacramento-Delta chapter of the Filipino American National Historical Society. Information on the historical society can be found on http://fanhsac.tripod.com/ , www.fanhs-national.org, and http://fanhsis25.blogspot.com/ Some long-past Isleton Main Street businesses are listed in each of these programs and some who are mentioned in the same programs still have relatives in the area. Here are the links:

1946FilipinoDeltaAlbum.PDF
1947FilipinoDeltaAlbum.PDF
1948FilipinoDeltaAlbum.PDF

A page of some businesses listed in the 1946 album is the IBAHS' current website feature.

The October Old Town News is here!

The October issue of the Old Town News of the IBAHS is available on this link: IBAHSOct08Newsletter.PDF. The newsletter is created, compiled, and printed by President Karen Franscioni on MS Works software and uploaded by the IBAHS Staff. Check out the latest Old Town News!

Interim Museum on the Move!

The IBAHS interim museum is on the move again. This time the museum will be moving into 23 Main Street, the former Quong Wo Sing, Isleton Bait Shop, and See-Why Plants building. The building was continously in the Chinn family until 2005 when it housed See-Why Plants by Christian Yuhas. For more information please email info@isletonhistory.org or contact Curator Ed at 916-777-4426. Hours for the new location are 12-5PM Saturday and Sunday and by special appointment.

Walking Tours Information

The growing popularity of heritage tourism enhanced by the Bing Kung Tong building's appearance in PBS' History Detectives has brought the need for walking tours. IBAHS has been conducting walking tours of Main Street as of late. For those interested in our informative walking tours, the IBAHS board suggests a donation of $5.00 a person; students and seniors are $3.00 a person. To request more information please email IBAHS at info@isletonhistory.org.

General Meeting Re-Rescheduled

The fourth quarter general meeting has been re-rescheduled for November 9th from 11AM-1PM. The venue is slated to be at Delta Daze Inn, 20 Main Street. For more information please call President Karen at 916-777-6906, Curator Ed at 916-777-4426, Vice President Charlene at 916-777-5186, or email info@isletonhistory.org.

Pioneer Day and General Meeting July 26th

The July 26 Pioneer Day and General Meeting was held at the St. Therese Church Hall instead of the regular museum site at 203 Second Street due to an inoperable elevator at the museum. The guest speakers were the sister duo of Emily Fonseca Gasperi and Sally Fonseca Patrick. Sally and Emily discussed their lives in the area in earlier times. Emily discussed her home life on nearby Tyler Island and her school experiences, which inspired her to later become involved in education. Sally also discussed her life on Tyler Island and school experiences. Sally also spoke of her early career as a bank employee. Sally and Emily said that when they were enrolled at Isleton Grammar School, staff had a hard time pronouncing their names. Sally's actual name is Celia and Emily's is Emilia. The original family surname is Da Fonseca. The Tyler Island-born sisters engaged several in the audience in discussion.

The History Detectives Episode of the Bing Kong Tong to air July 7th!

The new season of PBS' History Detectives will premiere June 30. The episode where the Bing Kong Tong Building is included is scheduled to air Monday, July 7th at 9PM. The PBS affiliate in the Sacramento-Stockton area is KVIE Channel 6. A notice has been posted at the Post Office Bulletin Board and a printed email message is posted at the Muddy Waters Coffee House bulletin board. History Detectives is produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting.

The Latest IBAHS activities

The Community White Elephant Sale was held May 24, 2008 at the Isleton Community Center. Based on the response to the event, future plans are to expand this as a 2-day event and on Memorial Day weekend thereafter.

Chuck Hasz of Isleton Restorations LLC on 46 Main Street is enlisting the Curator to place laminated copies of early Isleton scenes on empty Main Street storefronts where feasible in order to pique the curiosity of Crawdad Festival attendees. Pictures often differ from the storefront's earlier histories, to alleviate confusion please visit the museum or contact the Curator at wec1@citlink.net or phone 916-777-4426.

One example of this incongruency is at 12 Main Street where the 1920s-era pictures of Bank of Isleton, later Bank of America, are displayed. 12 Main Street was a business called Estrella's and Paul's Barber Shop sharing opposite sides of a storefront. For authenticity the bank location is at the current site of Bank of Rio Vista Isleton Branch at the corner of "A" and Second Streets across from the current site of the museum.

PBS' History Detectives Season 6 is to begin later this month. Tentatively included in the upcoming broadcast season is the episode where the Bing Kong Tong Building is featured. The PBS affiliate for this viewing area is Sacramento-based KVIE.

Museum Schedule for 2008

With the exception of Pioneer Day Speaker Series/ General Meetings and pre-arranged events, the Museum in the Gardiner Big Red Isleton Building at 203 Second Street announces its schedule for this year. Saturdays the museum is open from 11AM-4PM. Sundays the museum is open from 12PM-5PM. Contact Curator at 916-777-4426, IBAHS Vice President at 916-777-5186, or email info@isletonhistory.org if you want to make arrangements for a tour outside of regularly scheduled days and times.

Pioneer Day and General Meeting April 26th

The second Pioneer Day Speaker Series and General Meeting of 2008 will be held Saturday, April 26, 2008, 1PM to 4PM at the museum, 203 Second Street. Scheduled speaker is Aurelio Salas, who will discuss life in Isleton when the canneries were the prominent industry in the area. Also scheduled to speak are local area resident Johnny Correia and Ken Scheidegger of Discover the Delta Foundation. Email info@isletonhistory.org or call Curator at 916-777-4426.

Isleton Pioneer Day and General Meeting

The first Pioneer Day Speaker Series and General Meeting of 2008 will be held February 9th, 2008 from 1PM to 4PM. Tentatively scheduled guest speakers are Eleanor Silva and Betty Martin, who will discuss life a few decades ago in and around Isleton as they witnessed and lived it. For more information contact the Curator Ed at 777-4426, Vice President Charlene at 777-5186, or email info@isletonhistory.org.

History Detectives in Isleton December 3rd - 6th

The Public Broadcasting System (PBS) through Oregon Public Broadcasting filmed their History Detectives episode of the Bing Kong Tong Building and its artifacts December 3rd through the 6th.

Charlene Andersson, Roger Chinn, and Lucille Searle are three of the interviewees for the episode which will be tentatively aired in June 2008. Curator Ed Concepcion assisted as gofer for History Detective Gwen Wright and producers Laura Dickson and Renato Rodriguez.

Scenes in the episode tentatively include the Bing Kong Tong Building; Lucille Searle's Hop Fat Building; the artifacts at the interim museum at 203 Second Street; the Isleton Library; and Muddy Waters Coffee House. Above is History Detective Gwen Wright preparing for a scene in Muddy Waters Coffee House.

General Meeting Election Results of November 18

The general meeting of November 18 was the election of officers and board members meeting. The officers and board members for 2008-2009 are:

Interim President: Karen Franscioni

Vice-President: Charlene Andersson

Secretary: Pamela Bulahan

Treasurer: Sharon Fong

Board members: Joani Johnson, Bill Cox, Pam Sweet, Ross Peters, and Ed Concepcion.

The previous board for 2007 were all-Isleton Grammar School-Isleton Elementary School alumni. The current board are all associated with Main Street past and present:

Karen and Charlene have Main Street buildings as do Sharon's relatives. Pamela once temporarily lived on Main Street while the primary home was being repaired due to 1972 flood damage.

The November issue of the Old Town News is here!

The November issue of Old Town News of the IBAHS has been released! Click on the link to read the newsletter: OldTownNewsIBAHSNovember2007.
Original copy of the newsletter created, edited, and is printed by board member Karen Franscioni on MS Works software. The actual copy is scanned as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file and uploaded on this site by IBAHS staff.