Politics & Government
VIDEO: Napa Meets its Younger Self
In 1974, Napa's population was 42,000 and the restaurant guide was a single sheet of paper.
Former Napa Mayor Ed Henderson was one of the few on hand last Tuesday, at the dedication of the newly renovated Napa City-County Library, who'd been there for the library's original opening in August, 1974.
That summer, when a copper "time capsule" was filled by Napa officials and sealed by Bell Products, Henderson was a member of the library commission.
The box, placed behind the bronze plaque marking the library's original dedication that summer -- when Napa's population was 42,000, not much more than half today's -- was supposed to be opened in 2074.
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But by the time workers pulled off the plaque and discovered the time capsule during the library remodeling last month, enough people had forgotten its origins that county staff went ahead and opened it during last week's dedication.
"Fastest hundred years I've ever spent," quipped Henderson.
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While no wine or eight-track tapes were found un the box, the crowd of city and county dignitaries and curious Napans did get a chuckle as supervisor Bill Dodd pulled the contents of the capsule out and handed them one by one to Library Director Danis Kreimeier.
You can see all of the contents in our video, along with comments from county officials and others in the crowd. Here are just a few of the items:
- A phone book (very skinny);
- a Montgomery Ward catalog (“That’s where I used to shop” shouted someone in the audience);
- the county budget (also skinny, noted Dodd);
- stamps and coins from the period ;
- copies of local newspapers;
- an 8x10 glossy of the clock tower being delivered and installed in Murray Plaza by a Bell Products truck;
- a Napa Restaurant guide, consisting of a single sheet of mimeographed paper;
- the 1973 Napa County Crop report, revealing that grapes accounted for less revenue than nuts, fruits and other ag: In 1973, grapes accounted for $22 million, while livestock accounted for $25 million. (The 2010 Napa crop report shows grapes accounting for $453 million, while other produce accounted for less than $1 million.)
The contents of the next time capsule, scheduled to be sealed later this year, are up to the people of Napa and you can make suggestions at the library, where the contents of the 1974 capsule are on display.
The Napa Main Library is located at 580 Coombs Street and is open Monday through Thursday 10am to 9pm; Friday and Saturday 10am to 6pm; closed Sunday.
