Villa Mira Monte is the city’s only property on the National Register of Historic Places
Published in the Sept. 3- 16, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Staff Report
The Morgan Hill Historical Society will put a spotlight on our city’s colorful past and its interesting pioneering people when it holds its annual Founders Day Dinner Sept. 20 at the Community and Cultural Center.
The gala recognizes many of Morgan Hill’s long-time residents — those who have lived here 50 years or longer — by honoring them as “founders” during the event. More than 200 people usually attend and the society welcomes everyone to the dinner who wants to participate in recognizing our long-established citizens.
Photo by Love is in the Air Photography
The Hiram Morgan Hill House at Villa Mira Monte.
The event is one in a series throughout the year that helps preserve our city’s back-story so that present and future generations of residents can understand where we’ve come from to help us better decide where we’re going, said Kathy Sullivan, president of the Morgan Hill Historical Society. The organization has existed for 43 years.
“This all-volunteer, nonprofit organization has a mission to preserve and share the history of Morgan Hill, and its environs, to inspire a sense of community,” she said. “Without such organizations in communities across our country, pertinent information, artifacts and documentation may be lost forever.”
Even though most people think of “founders” as the pioneers that first set the foundation of the community, the historical society has a looser definition, Sullivan said.
“A founder is defined as someone who ‘establishes a settlement’ and I suppose this is as good a name as any for those who come before us and pave the way, making life better and allowing others to build upon their legacies,” she said.
The first Founders Day Dinner was put on in 1969 by the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce and was held at the Friendly Inn. Once the gala outgrew that location, the dinner was moved to St. Catherine’s Hall. From there it went to the Buddhist Community Center.
The Chamber continued to host the event until the late 1980s when it ended its involvement due to lack of staff. The Morgan Hill Historical Society took on the role because its members felt the founders should still be honored for their contributions.
The historical society raises thousands of dollars required annually to preserve, maintain and operate its 2.5-acre site at 17860 Monterey Road known as Villa Mira Monte. This is the location of the 1884 Hiram Morgan Hill House, the Morgan Hill Museum (formerly the 1911 Acton home) and the 1906 Centennial History Trail, constructed to celebrate the city’s 100th anniversary. It is the only Morgan Hill site listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The society relies solely on membership dues and donations from individuals and businesses in the Morgan Hill community.
Morgan Hill businessman Mike Monroe recently joined the society’s board of directors and is active in a project to video-record the memories of local residents who recall Morgan Hill’s development over the decades.
“I feel it’s critical and vital for the community to understand our heritage, to have a feel for how the community has grown over the years and not only appreciate what we have but also plan for the future,” he said.
Monroe also encourages people who enjoy history to join the Morgan Hill Historical Society and get involved in its various volunteering activities.
“Volunteering has a number of different aspects to it,” he said. “Typically, you think of people being on the property describing history or giving tours of the house. However, it goes beyond that. We like to go out into the community.”
