For over a decade, I have lead walking tours of our Historic Downtown Business District, which was officially designated by the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. Yesterday morning, when I (as “Mr. William Howard Pepper”), put on my top hat and went down to our historical Carnegie Library building at 4th & B Streets to meet whoever wanted to take the tour. There was only one person; she was a kindergarten teacher from France who had heard about the free guided tours from friends. A kindergarden teacher! Well, obviously, “Mr. Pepper” was overjoyed to meet her and to be her guide for the next hour or so on a walk around the block, talking about the Then & Now of various people and places (buildings.)

Since the Rex Ace Hardware store fire (see the previous Then & Now blogs, particularly the photos on #17), many old time Petalumans shocked by the “Now,” have been sharing both their pictures and their thoughts about back “then.” “Mr. Pepper,” asked the visitor if she would be willing to let him try out a new tour route, with a focus on a Then & Now theme. Instead of starting out with his usual “Strangeness of the familiar” quote, given in front of the hardware store near the hammer & tongs, and horseshoe impression in the sidewalk. (See Our Petaluma #14 blog), “Mr. Pepper” started out in the opposite direction and proceeded to follow his route in reverse, ending up in front of 313 B Street. (Which is “now” a vacant lot.)

Since our guest from France wasn’t too familiar with our downtown buildings, photographs in a scrapbook were used to help convey the story of Our Petaluma, to this visiting kindergarten teacher. (If any reader is curious as to why I keep making reference to “kindergarten,” please check out my first Then & Now blog. Here are a few of the stops and the questions “Mr. Pepper” used along the way to stimulate curiousity.

(A) Just after the bend in Fourth Street, when the name changes to Kentucky Street and you look over toward St. Vincent Church: What building was across the street until 1955?

(B) At the intersection of Main & English Streets (Oh, sorry, it’s now Western and Petaluma Blvd.): Was that bank building always there, or did it replace something else from an earlier time?

(C) Standing on the “Jack Balshaw Bridge,” and looking toward the Petaluma Yacht Club: What role did this body of water play in Petaluma’s history? Do you think is looked like this in the 1850s?

(D) Sitting on a bench in Center Park and looking at the 1885 McNear Building and the spaces to the left and right of it: It didn’t always look like this; here’s what it looked back “Then.”

(E) From the lower end of Center Park and looking across B Street at the vacant Rex Ace Hardware store site: Was the hardware store always located there? If not, where was it located and when was it moved?

If you, the viewer, are still with me, “Mr. Pepper” will answer those questions (and possibly have pictures to share) in this blog or a future blog. He promises to do this before the City’s “Sesquicentennial Celebration” in 2008. In the meantime, look through today’s photo album for possible clues that might answer the above questions. (No, there will not be a final exam.) Stay tuned.

Note: Photographs were scanned from various pictures found in the photo collection of the Petaluma Historical Museum & Library, the Don Campau Post Card Collection, and the PetalumaNet archives.