Recent Events at The Preserve

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Mare Island Naval Cemetery 150th Anniversary Commemoration

The Mare Faire– Celebrate the Original Mare Island

Moon Over Mare Island

Total Lunar Eclipse Viewing, For The First Time In 150 Years,
From Mare Island Hilltop Vantage Point
Wednesday, February 20, 2008 6:30-9pm

An estimated 75 local star-gazers and amateur astronomers joined Vallejo residents, Rick Meleski and John Ewing with Myrna Hayes, Arc Ecology’s Volunteer North Bay Projects Manager for a FREE visit to The Mare Island Shoreline Heritage Preserve to view the total lunar eclipse from the Mare Island hilltop vantage point, Wednesday, February 20, 2008.

This was the first time in 150 years the public had the chance to view the total lunar eclipse from this location. The next total eclipse of the moon will not be until December 2010. View photos of the recent eclipse viewing shared by Sue Wilson, volunteer at the Shoreline Heritage Preserve and member of the Benicia Plein Air Group. The lunar eclipse at Mare Island was the topic of her first entry, too. Thanks much to Sue and the other volunteers of the evening, including Bob Bancroft and Jim Porterfield who helped with guiding and parking to make the evening a memorable community experience.

Saturday June 14th

Second Saturday Access Day

1:00pm

Celebrate National Flag Day


honor 15 members of the crew of the USS Boston buried 116 years ago on June 14, 1892


Mare Island Naval Cemetery

an informal tribute

read names of the crew and

sing the Navy hymn


Click here (coming soon!) to link to photos


 

2007 Events at The Preserve

 
 
 
We host an annual gathering called the Mare Faire, to celebrate the “original” Mare Island each August. Mark your calendar now and plan to attend the 2nd Annual Mare Faire, Friday, August 7 to Sunday, August 9, 2009. Building on this year’s theme, it will also feature numerous guided outings and tours about the site’s historic and natural features and scenic points, exhibits, a display of munitions “found” in the environmental cleanup of the property, slide presentations and an art show. Live music in the background, good food and a Friday evening kickoff with refreshments, make the annual Mare Faire an exciting opportunity to explore and restore at the Mare Island Shoreline Heritage Preserve in this rare chance to visit it until it becomes a permanent regional park of state and national importance. Schedule of 2008 Events Click Here to download a PDF file of the complete 2008 schedule including driving directions.Mare_Faire_Schedule.htmlRecent_Events_files/MareFaireArcSchedule2008sm.pdfRecent_Events_files/MareFaire2-pageSchedule2008.pdfshapeimage_4_link_0shapeimage_4_link_1

Mare Faire Host

$3,000 and above

Weston Solutions, Inc.


Mare Faire Sponsor

$500 to $999

CS Marine Constructors, Inc.

Lennar Communities


Mare Faire Donor

$250 to $499

  1. •Vallejo Sanitation and Flood Control District

  2. •Touro University-California

This year’s Mare Faire commemorated the 150th anniversary of the founding in 1858 of the Mare Island Naval Cemetery, the U.S. Navy’s first cemetery in the Pacific. Click here for a slide show of the day prepared by Sue Wilson. In this graveyard are buried hundreds of Navy officers and enlisted men. Just as likely, you will find officer’s wives and children buried here. Those in employ of the Navy in various capacities from nurses, doctors and medical directors of the Navy Hospital to the lighthouse keeper and her husband, a Navy officer responsible for the Lighthouses of the northern California coast. Civilian employees and their families join the long list of Navy personnel. Most were not native to this coast, but came from the eastern states of America. People of every race have found a final resting place here and many not even associated with the U.S. Navy, including Russian sailors, lie here. Few who are buried here, died of combat wounds. Many died of drowning, consumption, influenza and a host of other medical conditions. Fifteen died tragically in an explosion on June 13, 1892 while preparing munitions for their ship, the USS Boston. The graves of 3 Medal of Honor recipients are included in the cemetery, which was closed in 1921. http://picasaweb.google.com/SFPOPsGroup/MareFaire2008shapeimage_6_link_0

Port Chicago “Mutiny” 64th Anniversary Commemoration

Saturday, August 9 was the 64th anniversary of the Port Chicago Mutiny, another important event in the U.S. Navy’s and our nation’s history. That day, just 3 weeks after the large
st homeland loss of life during World War II at the Port Chicago Explosion, 258 black sailors who were barracked in Vallejo on Ryder Street, just across the Mare Island Strait, refused to return to loading munitions at Port Chicago until they could be assured of safer working conditions and consideration for other work. In what they called a work stoppage and the Navy viewed as a “mutiny”, 50 of the 258 men were later court-martialed  and sentenced to prison. The result of a nationwide effort to address what many viewed as an injustice, was that they were freed from prison and returned to active duty to serve aboard now integrated Navy vessels as sailors. Few people know of this story, which is a part of the history of our Shoreline Heritage Preserve.
 

The Port Chicago Mutiny took place in Vallejo and at the Naval Ammunition Depot. It is one of the countless untold stories we hope you will come to understand as part of our nation’s military history, as you come to know our park. While 150 years is a long time to catch up on, we are lucky to have some still living who will help us tell the story of this place. Who knows? It might be that you, yourself will offer a clue. Stay tuned.

You might tell our next untold story

Thank you to Dr. Robert L. Allen, Author, The Port Chicago Mutiny–The Story of the Largest Mass Mutiny Trial in U.S. Navy History, who was our Guest Speaker and Mayor Osby Davis, City of Vallejo for presenting a Proclamation honoring the anniversary of the Port Chicago Mutiny. Be sure to join us Sunday, August 9, 2009 for the 65th anniversary of the Port Chicago Mutiny. Click here for link to the Sunday, August 10, 2008 Vallejo Times Herald article about the commemoration by Staff Writer Andrea Wolf.http://www.timesheraldonline.com/news/ci_10157753http://dsl.sbc.yahoo.com/shapeimage_7_link_0
Slide show link for Mare Faire August 8-9http://picasaweb.google.com/SFPOPsGroup/MareFaire2008http://picasaweb.google.com/SFPOPsGroup/MareFaire2008http://picasaweb.google.com/SFPOPsGroup/MareFaire2008http://picasaweb.google.com/SFPOPsGroup/MareFaire2008http://picasaweb.google.com/SFPOPsGroup/MareFaire2008shapeimage_8_link_0shapeimage_8_link_1shapeimage_8_link_2shapeimage_8_link_3