History Articles

Memorial Day 2026 is coming up next month. This holiday, begun after the Civil War to mourn those lost in military service to the nation, is the most somber of all federally recognized days. It was first called Decoration Day, as families decorated the graves of the fallen with flowers. May was chosen because it is a month of blooming flowers. This year, the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Thoug

R.C. Merryman Reuben Colburn Merryman was born in 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, into a nation—and a family—on the rise. Named for his maternal grandfather, Reuben Colburn, a prosperous Maine ship captain, young Reuben inherited both maritime ambition and frontier nerve. His father, Andrew Curtis Merryman, was already a successful timber operator in Marinette, Wisconsin, when Reuben entered the world. After his mother died when he was four, he was helped along by his au

According to Caltrans statistics, about five million cars pass by Merryman Station each year. It is doubtful that many of those travelers have any real sense of the history of that location. The current owner of the Merryman Station Event Venue, however, does. Amanda Hill-Thomas was gracious enough to give me a tour of the facility ( https://merrymanstation.com ), a delightful place where many couples each year celebrate their weddings in classic style. Amanda has poured an e

Exeter’s premier historian, Joe Doctor, interviewed dozens of pioneer citizens in the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s, capturing firsthand accounts of Tulare County’s earliest years. Those interviews provided rich material for his many articles on local history. In a small way, I have tried to emulate that process by interviewing a number of Exeter’s senior residents, including Fran. Those interviews are preserved on our website media tab. Fran Crosson bottom center I recently met with

I began this month’s article intending to tell the story of the Merrymans — father and son — and their influence on Exeter in the early 1900s. But I quickly realized that their story cannot be told without first introducing the man who brought them here: George Frost. The Man Who Started It All George Thomas Frost (1854–1904) was an intriguing character. He was described by contemporaries as: “A cultured gentleman who made many friends…” “A jovial, dapper, little Southern Cal

That old bit of advice has been passed down through generations as a way to avoid conflict in social situations. Yet the September 10th assassination of Charlie Kirk—and the reactions that followed—brought both topics squarely to the forefront of national conversation in recent months. The divisive nature of today’s political discourse led me to wonder:  Has it always been this way? Looking back through history, the answer appears to be yes. Every decade offers examples of bi

Exeter’s American Legion Post 94 was chartered in September 1919, the 94th chapter established in California. This group of World War I veterans carried forward a tradition begun with veterans from America’s earliest wars. Such as the aging veterans of the Civil War. Members of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) were familiar figures in community parades every July 4th. Confederate veterans had their own organization, the United Confederate Veterans (UCV). Even the brief Sp

My fascination with local history began only five years ago, sparked by the story of the Invincibles—the Exeter semi-pro football team that captured two state championships in the 1920 and 1921 seasons. Their victories are immortalized on the wall of Holaday Gym at Exeter High. That discovery set me on a path of deeper involvement in our community’s past, eventually leading me to join the Board of the Center for Art, Culture, and History–Exeter (CACHE). In June 2022, the Exet

Researching old issues of the  Exeter Sun  to learn more about past festivals in Exeter has been a true joy. There’s so much to share that I decided to write a second article summarizing Exeter’s festival history. I’ll include even more anecdotal details during my presentation on August 18, 2025, at CACHE. From the first community celebration—the Citrus Fair in 1908—until last year, there have been 28 years without a festival. The cancellations were due to a range of causes:

Community festivals are an age-old tradition across every country, culture, and nationality. They often arise from religious observances, commemorative dates (like a town’s founding), or seasonal milestones such as the harvest. Nearly all of these festivals begin with the enthusiasm of local volunteers and are powered by community spirit. Youth involvement is almost always a central feature, symbolizing the passing of the torch from one generation to the next. Beyond celebrat

Edward Brown Dobson (1935- ) Edward Dobson and his sculpture The Sound Eddie is the middle child of Paul and Elizabeth Brown Dobson and one of the two most interesting people I’ve ever met. His younger brother Jerry is the other—and the subject of future writings. Eddie came home from the Exeter Hospital (now Café Lafayette) in 1935 to the house that would become a place where many Exeter-area youth gathered to play over the next eighteen years. That home was the old “Merryma

John Firebaugh is rightly remembered as the founding figure of the city of Exeter, California. In 1888, he sold 240 acres of land to the Southern Pacific Railroad (SPRR) and collaborated with their agent, D.W. Parkhurst, to lay out what would become the heart of the town: seventy-four full and partial blocks bounded by Kaweah Avenue to the east, Orange Street to the west, Willow Street to the north, and Firebaugh Avenue to the south. Together, Firebaugh and Parkhurst also pla

D.W. Parkhurst is widely credited on the city website, newspaper articles and murals as the man who named Exeter after his hometown in England—except he wasn’t from England at all. Parkhurst worked for the Pacific Improvement Company (PIC), a subsidiary of the Southern Pacific Railroad (SPRR), from approximately 1872 through the late 1880s. He is consistently described as the agent who appeared at John Firebaugh’s doorstep in 1887 or 1888, offering to purchase 240 acres of la

The museum at CACHE proudly features an exhibit on Waterman’s, the pioneering local company founded in 1911 to manufacture valves and other specialized products essential for directing the flow of water. These innovations revolutionized irrigation systems on farms across the globe. For many years, Waterman’s was the largest private employer in Tulare County, leaving an indelible mark on the region’s economy and infrastructure. But who was W.A. Waterman, and what led him to es

Since its formation in the 1890s, Exeter has always been a community that pulls together to solve problems. In August 1991, there was a dramatic increase in graffiti around Exeter. Charlene Nielsen was one of those who took a particular interest in solving this problem. She was instrumental in gathering support from other concerned citizens in Exeter and in short order, momentum from that effort caused the formation of the Exeter Community Center. One of the former board memb

Exeter's Gateway Arch If you’ve traveled along East Pine and B Street recently, you may have noticed a striking addition to the corner: a weathered steel arch welcoming visitors to the heart of downtown Exeter. But what stories lie behind this grand gesture, beckoning travelers who turn west from Kaweah Avenue? Let us delve into a tale that intertwines community spirit, history, and pride, stretching back to the early 20th century. The story begins with the Exeter Kiwanis Clu

Walter Marion Smith Walter Marion Smith (1884–1978) was nothing short of an Exeter legend. Though his early career as a teacher at Exeter Union High School was brief, his legacy was cemented during a remarkable 30-year tenure as principal (1919–1949), followed by five years as the school’s business manager. After retiring in 1954 at the age of 70, his work ethic led him to another five years with Gann Plumbing. A glance at his 1917 World War I draft card paints an intriguing

School District Map My early years in Exeter included many happy experiences in the three local schools I attended: Lincoln, Wilson and EUHS. After five years of college, I began my teaching career at EUHS in 1976. My chosen vocation was driven partly by a desire to have the kind of positive impact on students my teachers and coaches had on me. In 1984, I transitioned into an administrative role at EUHS. The move to administration led me to a master’s project considering the

The image is the third poster CACHE received as a gift from Community West Bank in 2023. This early photo captures the construction of a second church building during Exeter’s early days. The current First Presbyterian Church, located at the southwest corner of South E Street and Maple Street, shares the same lot with this historic church building. This church was built in 1909, but some context for this church growth in the early history of Exeter is in order. In the early 1

The photo/poster to the left is another recent gift from Community West Bank that graces the hallway at CACHE. This photo marked a special day when the club dedicated its first big service project to the community. The committee worked on this for about two years, and they were quite excited to see their first community service project come to fruition.            The Kiwanis International Convention opened in Montreal, Canada, and the International Kiwanis’ service day coinc