Here is an example of one of the negatives:

Glass negative

And here is how the picture turned out:

Construction Photograph

The Cowell Historical Society is very pleased to present the Lucia Barrett Collection of documents and photographs. The documents are dated between 1911 and 1930, and the photographs are of the construction of the Cowell Portland Cement plant. I also have the negatives posted for those who are interested.

Lucia Barrett Collection

Cowell HOA Community Meeting – We Need YOU!!

Please join us for our second URGENT community meeting in the CHOA Clubhouse on Thursday, April 22nd at 7:00 p.m. We will be discussing the recent vandalism and security of our community and what your Board of Directors is doing. This second meeting in April will review crime statistics, legal questions and include the Concord Police officers.

All of our association and community have read of recent acts of vandalism and other crimes that are coming ever closer to home. In the past days and weeks, the CHOA community has been victim. Several cars have had windows broken and tires slashed. The association has power enclosures on the greenbelt damaged or destroyed causing dangerous electrical and lighting problems. These incidents have greatly concerned your Board of Directors and the community as a whole.

What are we doing? The BOD has had emergency discussions and has added more security patrols and rebuilt the power enclosures to make them more secure and less susceptible to damage. We are also working with the Concord Police to establish a stronger Neighborhood Watch

What Is Neighborhood Watch?

Neighborhood Watch is a shared responsibility and connection between the police and community. The goal is to make the Crossings a safer, more secure community through crime prevention and problem solving strategies. It is part of the overall philosophy of Concord’s Community Policing that we will be taking the opportunity to be involved in. Neighborhood Watch involves:

• Neighbors getting to know each other and working together.
• Implementing crime prevention techniques and strategies in homes and neighborhoods.
• Helping to solve neighborhood problems through a partnership between you and your police department.

How Do I Get Involved? – Come to the second meeting on April 22nd. This is an information and organizational meeting.

OK, when I think of Community Watch, I have memories of my Navy days, patrolling an area on the midwatch. I’m going to attend the meeting, just to learn a little more about the program.

Walnut Country Sign - Taken from the Cowell HOA website

The bad news is that our entrance signs need to be repaired or replaced. The good news is that we have an opportunity to revisit the way we are portrayed to people entering or passing our neighborhood. At last month’s community meeting, there seemed to be overwhelming support for a new sign that featured a bold “The Crossings” with a smaller “Walnut Country” underneath. I like that idea, a lot, and told the Board of Directors so.

If you have an idea about what you’d like to see in an entrance sign, let the board know before they have to commit to a design.

Just leave the name alone!

I was lucky enough to share a booth with the Concord Historical Society and several former residents of the Town of Cowell.

For more pictures, go to http://cowellhistoricalsociety.org/html/dedication.html.

Sally Morgan

A couple of weeks ago, I got an E-Mail from Sally Morgan asking if I knew about the Cowell Lime Works Historic District at UC Santa Cruz.  When I admitted that I hadn’t heard of it, she invited Mrs. Cowellian and me to come and take a tour. Yesterday, she graciously gave us the grand tour, allowing us to take pictures and ask questions. I’d like to thank my wife for taking all of the pictures. I’ve posted the pictures and information on the Cowell Historical Society site: cowellhistoricalsociety.org/html/lime.html

The Cowell Ranch, along with the Cowell Lime Works, is a fascinating place, since working with limestone sets the stage for the creation of the Cowell Portland Cement Plant, and the Town of Cowell. Henry Cowell made his fortune at the Lime Works, and his heirs increased it with the Cowell Portland Cement Factory.

I know a lot of people are unhappy that we were not able to save the smokestack, but here is an outstanding opportunity to actually save some history. Sally and the Cowell Lime Works Historic District are making a difference in preserving some real California history. If you want to visit, the only cost is $6.00 to park on campus. If you’d like to help, drop them a line at limeworks@ucsc.edu.