Past Events – Speaker Series: November 9, 2025 Mark Harrigan – SMC, Lafayette Valley Estates, Elvis Presley in Danville, Tilden Park, the Glove Factory Murder Mystery, the Cost of Thanksgiving 100 years ago

MHS speaker, Mark Harrigan, returns with a new set of videos

Vera Kochan Review and Photo

Moraga Historical Society members and guests were treated to a return visit from Mark Harrigan who brought along seven new videos to enthrall those who were lucky enough to attend the sold-out Nov. 9 speaker event.
After last year’s successful presentation, Harrigan graciously agreed to come back this year. A video blogger and producer of Contra Costa County history videos on Facebook’s “680/24 Corridor History Group”, Harrigan has over 300 videos to his credit. He often contributes to the “I grew up in Moraga” Facebook site.

This time around, MHS members watched a drive-thru video tour of Saint Mary’s College while listening to historical facts of the campus that were accompanied by still photos.

Next up was Casa Orinda with glimpses of the memorabilia strategically placed throughout the historic restaurant. After the video, Harrigan asked, “How many here have eaten at Casa Orinda?” Virtually everyone raised a hand.

Another video (filmed with a helmet-cam while riding a motorcycle) took viewers through nearly every mile of the Lafayette Valley Estates. Newspaper ads from the 1950s offered 3-bedroom homes for sale at give-away prices of $11,000 – $14,000.

For those who were not aware, in 1957, Elvis Presley and his entourage once stopped for a meal at Rex’s Diner on San Ramon Valley Road in Danville while passing through town on his way back to Southern California. By all accounts, he personally ate enough food to feed three men. Rex himself proclaimed Elvis to be a very polite young man even though his presence caused a media frenzy.

The history of Tilden Park was also presented. Officially named Charles Lee Tilden Park, after one of its first board of directors, it encompasses 2,079 acres within the cities of Orinda, Oakland, and Berkeley. Originally home to the Ohlone Indians, the park was established in 1936 and is managed by the East Bay Regional Park District. One of its favorite features continues to be the carousel.

In 1925, what was billed as the Walnut Creek Glove Factory Murder actually took place in a later business known as The Pacific Cellulose Company. Located at the corner of Ygnacio Valley Road and North California Boulevard, the building once housed the Mt. Diablo Glove Company. Henry G. Schwartz, a “chemist” claimed to have discovered a formula for producing artificial silk. In financial trouble, Schwartz faked his own death by murdering a transient and setting the body and laboratory on fire for his wife to collect the insurance. The ruse was discovered and Schwartz took his own life while hiding out in a Berkeley apartment when police came to arrest him.

Just in time for the holidays, MHS attendees received a glimpse of what Thanksgiving dinner cost 100 years ago in Martinez. According to newspaper ads of the day, just $1.25 could get you a turkey dinner with all the fixings, and $10 would see any man decked out in a new suit for the occasion.

MHS would like to, once again, thank Mark Harrigan for his presentation, and we hope to see him back in 2026.