Founder’s Day will be Nov. 19 on Main Street from 12 to 3 p.m.
TEMPLETON — On Saturday, Nov. 19, the Templeton Historical Museum Society will host a celebration of the 1886 arrival of the first passenger train in Templeton, marking it as the southern terminus of the train line from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
The museum house and railroad depot will be open to visitors. Blacksmith demonstrations in the museum’s early 1900s Blacksmith Shop will be provided by David Thayer. View antique vehicle and railroad artifacts as well as Hit/Miss engine displays. Guests can also listen to history lectures and take walking tours showcasing Templeton’s old buildings (weather permitting). There will be activities for kids, food available for purchase by El Red Rooster, and wine will be available adjacent to the museum at Clavo Wines. Music performances will feature “Talie and Smokin’James.” Free pie and cake will be provided until it runs out — a Founder’s Day tradition since 2006.
The depot has many railroad artifacts and houses a 1927 Ford Model “T” and the original fire cart purchased in 1909 by the newly formed Templeton Fire District. Also, the old Blacksmith’s shop will be opened to view the restored 1932 Templeton School bus, the 1934 Templeton Fire Truck, and the newly restored Model “T” fire truck, along with displays showing the workings of the blacksmiths dating back to 1917.
