HUGHSON – If the bronze statue of the 1930’s era peach picker outside the Hughson Historical Museum isn’t enough of a clue, the large mural on an interior wall serves as a reminder that the history of this small city is rooted in its soil.

“Hughson was the peach capital of the world at one time,” declared museum docent Jean Henley.

“Now it’s all almonds and walnuts,” added Tess Camagna, another member of the Hughson Historical Society and museum docent.

The Hughson Historical Society rents the first floor of the former Central Valley National Bank from Braden Farms to celebrate the history of the community. The museum has been at 6944 Hughson Avenue since 2004 and serves as a repository of an interesting assortment of photos, relics and memorabilia relating to Hughson’s past. Only open the first Saturdays of each month from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., the collection is available for viewing this Saturday.

One section displays Hughson High School memorabilia, including a vintage cheerleader uniform, the 1964 football schedule poster, jerseys, yearbooks back to the 1940s, 4-H and FFA jackets.

A large 1940 photo of Pat Scranton Bava in Girl Scout uniform is central to the section devoted to Hughson scouting.

Photos of locals who contributed to Hughson’s vibrant past are displayed, including a large portrait of Grant Jacobs, a community icon who served as Hughson schools superintendent from 1953 to 1981.

Surprisingly, the museum has little memorabilia relating to Hughson’s namesake, Hiram Mark Hughson (1840-1911) and wife Luella Rosalie Avery Hughson (1848-1951). But that’s expected to change.

“We are in the process of re-doing our museum,” said Cindy Bava Spiro, the new president of the Hughson Historical Society. “The current exhibits haven’t been changed since the museum moved there in 2004. So we’re in the process of reviewing all our collection and getting some ideas of how we’re going to revamp it. Part of our process in going forward is to make sure we have some prominent information about the Hughson family.”

The Hughsons came to Stanislaus County in 1882 and purchased thousands of acres in the area that would become the Hughson township. Some of their land was sold to the San Joaquin Railroad to run tracks and build a station. The train stop, where farmers could load up their grain and other crops, was named Hughson for the prior owners. In 1907 Mr. Hughson sold his property to C.W. Minniear and Charles Flack of the Hughson Town Company who developed the town of Hughson with commercial and residential lots.

Hiram Hughson died in January 1911, leaving a fortune of approximately $600,000 to $700,000 (the equivalent of $20 million to $23.3 million today) to widow Luella. She bought land at the corner of 10th and J streets in downtown Modesto to build the six-story Hughson Hotel. It was the pride of Modesto from 1914 until its closure and finally being razed in 1998 to build the Tenth Street Plaza.

Recently the society learned more about the Hiram Hughson family from descendants which came about after it helped to get a grave marker for great-grandson Howard Hiram “Hi” Hughson at Lakewood Memorial Park. He was the son of George Washington Hughson (1870-1935) and grandson of Carroll Cecil Hughson who died in 1933 and is buried in Woodland.

The museum has on display one of the World War II uniforms worn by Hi Hughson, donated 18 years ago by Kenneth and Carol Lundell of Hughson.

Items belonging to the Tomlinson pioneer family are also on display.

A tangible item showing how people tended to be shorter “back in the day” is the 1909 floor length wedding dress of local resident Alice Murray. It almost looks tailored for a child.

By the way the average height for a woman in 1910 was 62.4 inches, about two inches shorter than today’s 5-foot-4.

“It’s funny how you go to museums and they’re all so much smaller than we all with good nutrition and good genetics,” said Camagna.

Relics include a vintage fire hat worn by an assistant Hughson fire chief as well as old fire nozzle, patches and badges.

Spiro says interest in the museum is sporadic but sees the most visits during the annual Hughson Fruit & Nut Festival coming up this spring.

“Every year the third graders do a unit on the history of Hughson. The third glade classes come through and the things they go crazy over is the old appliances, the ringer washing machine and the old ironing board. A lot of people are enthralled with the military history and the uniforms there.”

The museum also has other memorabilia of local servicemen, including Tony Lema who was killed in the Vietnam War.

Also honored is Clarence Aldrich who was badly injured in clashes with Bolshevik forces and carried shrapnel in his body the rest of his life.

Many small town historical groups like Hughson’s are operated by a group of older volunteer citizens who prize local history. It has 47 lifetime members and 40 annual members.

Each year since 2002 the Hughson Historical Society honors longstanding citizens or families with a dinner. It also provides high school scholarships and honors FFA and football programs.

“We’ve really tried to partner with the local school to keep the history of Hughson uppermost in the kids’ minds and make them proud of their community,” said Spiro.

Hughson’s darkest moment in history – a 1970 bank robbery that occurred inside the building – is rather unrepresented by a yellowed copy of the Turlock Journal reporting the crime – and of course the bank vault that can be shown to visitors.

In the building housed the Central Valley National Park when on Jan. 27, 1970 two career bank robbers paid a visit. Just before the 3 p.m. closing, Leonard Ellsworth Miller and Ross Neal Porter walked into the front doors, pulled stockings over their faces and ushered bank tellers and managers into the vault where they were tied up. Responding to a silent alarm were Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Detectives Billy Joe Dickens and Charles Moore. As the robbers were fleeing the bank with $20,000 cash, they were intercepted by the detectives. Dickens was mortally shot in the back toward the rear of the bank while Moore returned gunfire with a snub-nosed resolver. Dickens was rushed to Memorial Hospital in Ceres where he died in surgery about four hours later.

Porter was unscathed and Miller was hit in the shoulder but managed to commandeer the sheriff’s car out of Hughson and to Don Pedro. In separate shootouts during the massive manhunt, Miller was shot multiple times and apprehended, ending his freedom for the rest of his life. Porter was shot and killed in a gun battle with police. Ironically Porter is buried in the Ceres Memorial Park.

For more information on the Hughson museum call Jean at 209-883-2483 or Doris at 209-606-8360.