Current Events
The Friends of the Historic Kingsburg Depot is a new California non-profit community service organization formed to oversee the restoration and operation of the Kingsburg Train Depot as a multi-use public facility. The specific mission of the organization is to restore, maintain, and operate the Historic Kingsburg Depot to benefit the residents of Kingsburg and the San Joaquin Valley, and to discover, preserve, and make known the history of the Depot and the San Joaquin Valley Line of the Central Pacific Railroad. The new organization anticipates raising funds via member dues, State grants, donations, special events, and future admission and use fees. Anyone interested in becoming a member is invited to write to The Friends of the Historic Kingsburg Depot, PO Box 646, Kingsburg, CA 93631-0646. You may download and print an Adobe Acrobat version of the application form to mail. Dues are $25 per calendar year for individuals. Community groups and civic organizations are encouraged to make the Depot one of their annual projects to promote Kingsburg and maintain its rich history. It is also an exciting way for local businesses and industries to invest in their local area and its quality of life.
FHKD was incorporated in December 2005 and held its charter meeting on January 26, 2006. Current Board members, elected or re-elected at the January 14, 2008 Annual Meeting, are Erin Avila, Joe Calvillo, Larry Esau, Nancy Katz, and Lennis Scheline. Incumbent Board members are Gary Blasingame and Dave Martin. Corporate officers selected at the February meeting were Nancy Katz, CFO; Erin Avila, Secretary; Gary Blasingame, Vice President; and Larry Esau, President.
President Larry Esau commented on the historical importance of the Depot: “Kingsburg is a railroad town, its site set by the Central Pacific when it completed the Valley Line in 1873. The first building was a freight shed west of the tracks on the current Simpson Street right-of-way. As the town grew, a real depot was needed, and a grand two-story Common Standard ‘Benicia’ design was built in 1876. It was destroyed along with most of downtown Kingsburg in the disastrous 1902 Rochdale Store fire, but our current Depot is an identical 1876 building moved here from Monson, CA after the fire. In 1922, it was also damaged by fire, but was remodeled and reopened with great fanfare in 1923. The story of the Kingsburg Depot is the fascinating story of railroads opening the West and the development of commercial agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley. The Depot is the portal through which most of our early citizens entered our town. It is one of the last physical points of contact we have with the lives of those people and it deserves to be saved.”
Esau continued: “The last passenger train stopped in Kingsburg in 1968, but the depot continued in freight service until officially retired in 1984. It was occupied by the Chamber of Commerce until 1988, but has been empty ever since. In February 2005, it finally came under City ownership after more than two decades of negotiations. It was donated by the Union Pacific Corporation, a company with a good record of historic preservation and the only Class 1 American railroad with steam locomotives still on its roster. The successful negotiations were initiated by former Mayor John Wright.”
On Monday, October 9, 2006, Del Monte Foods presented the FHKD organization a check for $25,000 to go toward the restoration of the depot. Area Manager John R. Wells of Del Monte presented Larry Esau the check (see picture below) as Mayor Leland Bergstrom looks on. Mr. Wells commented on the long relationship Del Monte has had with the City of Kingsburg and the railroad. He noted that the plant is located just south of the depot site and has been a fixture in Kingsburg since 1915. Mr. Wells cited the work of Del Monte’s Vice President of West Coast Operations, Dave Withycombe (a former area manager in Kingsburg), and the support of Melissa Murphy-Brown, Vice President of Public Relations for Del Monte Corporation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for their help in making this donation possible. Both Mayor Bergstrom and CEO Esau thanked Mr. Wells and Del Monte not only for their financial contribution, but for their bold leadership in supporting the efforts of the City and the FHKD organization in securing funding for the project. For an overview of Del Monte’s involvement, please read their press release.
We invite you to join us for the next regularly scheduled meeting of the FHKD in the City Council Chambers at 1401 Draper Street on Monday, May 12, 2008 at 5:30 PM. And, while you are at it, we urge you to become a member of the Friends group . . . it’s only $25 per year! Whether your interest is in physically restoring the building or working on and preserving the depot’s history, planning community events, being part of the educational outreach, or just being a supportive part of this exciting project, we have a place for you to satisfy your interests and apply your talents. For further information on FHKD, be sure to read The Telegraph for up-to-the-minute news about this group and the exciting depot-restoration project.
If your group or business would like to join Del Monte Foods and other community-minded organizations by becoming a major contributor to the restoration of this historic building and to help make it a major learning and cultural center in the central San Joaquin Valley, please contact FHKD to learn how you can participate in the capital campaign. To see the scope of the exciting work ahead, be sure to read the Project Summary to learn how you can make your unique contribution.
