Landmark in the City - The Old Mint

The San Francisco Museum and Historical Society recently hosted the 3rd Annual San Francisco History Expo. It was held at The Old Mint on 5th Street.

Mijo and I checked it out not only because we are sort of suckers for history but also we wanted to check out The Old Mint and what the interior looks like.

Let me take  you on a virtual tour of the event and show you a few sites of The Old Mint.

The Old Mint on 4th Street was constructed in 1869 and the style is classical Greek revival with doric columns. It is locally called the Old Mint because there is another mint, a bigger mint in the city, located on Duboce Street. Though both are no longer used for minting money. Ever since I lived in the city, I've always thought the Old Mint is closed for renovation. In fact, this was the first time I got inside this beautiful granite building.

When Mijo and I stepped through the main entrance, we were greeted by people wearing period outfit. Lots of different hats for both men and women and long flowing bulky intricate dresses for the women. Suddenly, I was transported to San Francisco before the turn of the century.

The event put together 40 historical associations in the city for people to see the city's past. The San Francisco Museum and Historical Society was occupying the first room. Old pictures of the Old Mint was on display. There were also paintings of the San Francisco landscape during the turn of the century. Whenever I see an old map, I couldn't help but locate where Glen Park is.

 

In the second room, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area showcased a select flora, fauna and rocks native to the area.

 

These fire department and police department uniforms were on display in room #3 by Guardians of the City. There were also pictures of horse drawn fire carriage. Also on display were old helmets adorned with a decorative metal piece in the shape of an eagle, old fire alarms, uniforms, jackets, etc.

My personal favorite was the Cable Car Museum and the San Francisco Railway Museum in room #8. I personally think Muni needs a major improvement but that beyond the point. The railway and public transport of this city have directly or indirect impacts on the lives of the city residents. It was interesting to see the Muni tickets evolve through the years. They also have on display an old fare box.

Here are the copper wirings and connectors used in street cars. The volunteers explaining the apparatus were very enthusiastic and helpful.

While inside one of the rooms, I saw this through the window. I later found out that this was a period dance and costume demonstrations in the Old Mint's courtyard.

So I stepped out to get a closer look. The good thing about this city is that it is multi culture and it embraces each one's differences. I guess that is why I felt an instant connection in this city. Even though I was not born here, I feel a part of me is at home here. 

I am fascinated with older technologies like this old telegraph on display at the Wells Fargo room.  Unfortunately, there was no demonstration on how the Morse Code is encoded.

In the vaults downstairs, I enjoyed the displays by the Treasure Island Museum Association.  I've seen old pictures of downtown San Francisco and also the Golden Gate Bridge. It was refreshing to see an old picture of the Bay Bridge because I've not seen one.

Also downstairs in the vaults is this authentic gold ore five stamp mill. This mill was built to crush gold bearing quartz. This is to extract the gold.

We also checked out the actual vaults downstairs.

Dropping-by to this event allowed Mijo and I to get a glimpse of the city's history and also to take a peek inside the Old Mint which I heard is going to be the future home of the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society. Learn more about the project here.

I can't wait for the city to have a museum about the city.

~rl