Check out these lectures on the history of Carmel, Big Sur and more. Hear stories of artists, authors, newspapermen, horseback librarians and much more.

Lectures are organized by subject, then chronologically.

Architecture

Architect M.J. Murphy, Carmel’s First and Foremost Builder

Kent Seavey, February 16, 2022

From 1901 to 1941 Murphy and his contracting company was the “go to” for good building design and the materials to construct them. He helped frame the village’s commercial and residential eclectic character, and for 17 years, the company he founded in 1904 continues to supply building material needs for the Monterey Peninsula community.

Join local architectural historian, Kent Seavey for an overview of Murphy’s contribution to the aesthetics and material support of our community.

An Architect’s View of Carmel

Brian Congleton, March 28, 2011

An Architectural History of the Carmel Mission

Samuel L. Wright, Jr., January 31, 2011

Samuel Wright, past president of the Carmel Mission Foundation discusses, “An Architectural History of the Carmel Mission, 1770-2010,” tracing the development of the Mission, from its founding in 1770 by Junipero Serra, through its abandonment and partial destruction in the 1800s, to the 130 years of work on its reconstruction, restoration and preservation. As president of the Carmel Mission Foundation, Wright was at the forefront of helping with the latest restoration efforts, including refurbishing the bells in the tower above the basilica — about which he wrote his book, “The Bells of the Carmel Mission.”

Charles Sumner Greene: Art, Architecture and the Creative Spirit

Edward Bosley, April 30, 2001

The Greenes were important California architects in the beginning of the 20th century, designing numerous famous residential buildings, including the Gamble House in Pasadena, CA. The brothers were an important part of the Arts and Crafts movement and had a lasting impact on California architecture. Edward Bosley goes into detail of their early years, their training as architects, the evolution of their style, and their eventual retirement.

Julia Morgan Today

Sara Holmes Boutelle, January 29, 1996

Julia Morgan was an important California architect of the early 20th century. She designed more than 700 buildings over her career, including Hearst Castle, buildings on the UC Berkeley campus, the Asilomar conference grounds, as well as commercial buildings and residences all around the Bay Area. She was part of the Arts and Crafts movement, and helped shape the face of California architecture.

Artists

Bohemian Soul: A Carmel Documentary *World Premiere*

October 26, 2022

In 1906 Carmel, California; a group of Bohemian artists created a revolutionary colony based on the ideals of truth, freedom and love. Their commitment to ‘Art as Life’ continues as a major influence to artists and thinkers around the world today. Discover the gifts of artists past and present on the Central Coast through this intimate film “Bohemian Soul.”

Life & Times of Jo Mora

Peter Hiller, March 25, 2020

Join Jo Mora Trust Collection Curator Peter Hiller as he shares stories and images of the colorful and creative life of Joseph Jacinto “Jo” Mora (1876-1947) including the tale of his horseback ride by Mission San Antonio in 1903 and his decorative additions to the Robert Stanton Auditorium. 

(Video created by the Monterey County Agricultural & Rural Life Museum)

Who Put the ‘B’ in Bohemians? Monterey Peninsula Artists from Tavernier to Ariss

Kent Seavey, March 31, 2003

The mild climate, beautiful environment and easy lifestyle of the Monterey Peninsula drew artists to its shores from the very early days of settlement. Enjoy art historian Kent Seavey lecture on these important and colorful characters that established the Monterey area as a mecca for artistic freedom of expression.

Donald Teague – Watercolorist

Linda Teague Biro, January 29, 2001

An artist whose “entire life has been devoted to excellence, first as a human being and second as an artist,” according to Jack Lestrade, will be the subject of a lecture on Donald Teague. Linda Biro will share memories of her father who died in 1991. Teague, a well-known Carmel artist, was awarded many credits and exhibited extensively.

Cole Weston: My Life and Times in Carmel

Cole Weston, May 24, 1999

Weston, an internationally known photographer, came to his art naturally. Son of famed lensman Edward Weston, Cole grew up and went to school in Carmel and Monterey, then studied drama at the Cornish School of Theater in Seattle. Cole assisted his father in his upstairs Ocean Avenue studio darkroom for many years and began his own career as a fine art color photographer. He drew from his theater background as the first director of Sunset Cultural Center, and was frequent director of plays and musicals at Carmel’s Forest Theater.

Enduring Vision: The Carmel Art Association Celebrates 70 Years

Harleigh Knott and Bill Stone, April 28, 1997

Happy Birthday, Carmel Art Association, will be the sentiment expressed in this talk. Harleigh Knott, daughter of A. Harold Knott, one of the founders of the Carmel Art Association, and Bill Stone, its current president, offer an historical and anecdotal look at Carmel since the beginning of the Association in 1927 until now. During these 70 years, some of California’s finest artists have been members of this remarkable institution.

Authors

THE OLD PACIFIC CAPITAL: through the words of Robert Louis Stevenson

Keith Decker, January 11, 2023

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) was a novelist, poet, short-story writer, and essayist. In 1883, while bedridden with tuberculosis, he wrote what would become one of the best known and most beloved collections of children’s poetry in the English language, A Child’s Garden of Verses. Block City is taken from that collection. Stevenson is also the author of such classics as Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Join Stevenson devotee and classically trained actor, Keith Decker for THE OLD PACIFIC CAPITAL Visions of Monterey, Pacific Grove, Carmel Valley, and Carmel Mission as seen through the words of Robert Louis Stevenson.

Henry Miller: Provocateur and Liberating Literary Influence

Magnus Toren, December 15, 2021

Henry Miller is an American writer and artist whose unique, semi-autobiographical style blended a raw, unapologetic perspective of human nature accompanied by philosophical reflection, and the frequent use of sexual and explicit language, often in a surreal stream of consciousness.

This talk will focus on Henry Miller and his impact on the American literary history as well as his impact locally. Join Magnus Toren, Executive Director of the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur, CA for an unforgettable evening about one of our local legends.

“The Gilded Edge: Two Audacious Women and the Cyanide Love Triangle That Shook America”

Professor Catherine Prendergast, October 13, 2021

Join author Catherine Prendergast for the true story of two women, Nora May French and Carrie Sterling of Carmel-by-the-Sea—a wife and a poet who learn the high price of sexual and artistic freedom in a vivid depiction of the debauchery of the late Gilded Age.

Catherine Prendergast is a Professor of English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Guggenheim Fellow, and a Fulbright Scholar.

Read the book.

Henry Miller: Writer, Artist & Cultural Heart of Big Sur

Magnus Toren, April 30, 2013

Join Magnus Toren, Executive Director of the Henry Miller Memorial Library, for a talk on the history of the arts center championing the late writer, artist and Big Sur resident Henry Miller (1891-1980).

Hannah is My Name

Belle Yang, January 24, 2005

Carmel resident, Belle Yang is the author and illustrator of two well-known books depicting her father’s life in China: ‘Baba: A Return to China Upon My Father’s Shoulders,’ and ‘The Odyssey of a Manchurian.’ Her latest book, ‘Hannah Is My Name,’ is a richly illustrated children’s book. Authoring and illustrating a book takes an usual talent, but as she says, ‘The Chineses language is very visual–I never really separated worms from pictures.’ Having studied both Western and Chinese art, Belle’s paintings perceptively capture the traditions of both worlds, and her writing is as rich as the lives of those about whom she writes. This lecture will focus on Belle’s process of creating a final published work that combines her skills both as illustrator and author.

Inhuman or Unhuman: Wilderness and Civilization in the Carmel Poems of Robinson Jeffers

Dr. Adrielle Mitchell, February 25, 2002

Dr. Mitchell’s talk will focus on Robinson Jeffers’ relationship to the Carmel and Big Sur areas, touching briefly on his attraction to the place where rock meets sea, and concentrating on the ways in which he uses natural symbolism to explore the ‘unhuman.’ She will also consider the charge of misanthropy that was frequently directed at Jeffers. Dr. Mitchell is a former lecturer in Literature and Writing at UCSC and is currently Assistant Professor of English at Nazareth College in New York.

Nora May French: Her Life and Poetry

Cynthia Medeiros, January 22, 1999

Lecture on the subject of poet Nora May French, a San Francisco bohemian, a Californian poet, and early member of the Carmel Arts and Crafts Club, a group which helped establish Carmel as artist colony. This presentation delves into French’s poetry and tells the story of a lesser known figure of California’s literary and artistic history.

‘Themes in My Poems’ by Robinson Jeffers

Cecil Wahle, March 31, 1997

When “Themes in My Poems” by Robinson Jeffers was published by The Book Club of California in 1956, it was lauded as a work for “all lovers of poetry…who wish to understand the man behind the poems.” Jeffers had delivered “Themes in My Poems” as a lecture in 1941 at the Library of Congress, at Harvard and elsewhere in the East. Fortunately, the manuscript was saved and printed. Cecil Wahle, a dealer in rare books and literary enthusiast, will share Jeffers’ remarkable words with us.

Carmel Memories

Growing Up Nepenthe

Romney Steele, February 28, 2011

Romney Steele grew up at her family’s Nepenthe restaurant in Big Sur and wrote a book of memories and recipes from the landmark. She shares stories and photographs of her childhood in Big Sur and the evolution of Nepenthe.

Anne Nash and Dorothy Bassett

Lani Fremier, February 23, 2004

Learn about Carmel’s early history from the diaries of Anne Nash. In 1921, she built a home in Carmel along with her friend Dorothy Bassett. The diaries document the women’s struggle to support themselves and build a life in the community. Longtime Carmel resident Lani Fremier will share from the diaries and give us an insight into bygone days.”

A Daughter of the Sur

Linda Grant, April 28, 2003

Linda Grant, who is from the Bay Area, will share her experiences as a transplanted urban child living in the wilds of Big Sur during the late 1940s and early 1950s in a cottage at cliff’s edge. (That was prior to the introduction of telephones and electricity to the South Coast.)

Carmel School Days in the 1950s and 1960s

Rick Wilkerson, February 25, 2000

When the closing bell at Sunset School rang in the afternoon in the 1950s and ’60s, Carmel became a village full of children. They played in Devendorf Park, patronized the local grocery stores and dairies, and slowly wended their way home, stopping to chat with each other and with the merchants along the way. Rick Wilkerson, one of those children, will share his memories of those golden, uncomplicated times.

Eighty Years of Friends in Carmel

Marcia DeVoe, January 24, 2000

Carmel’s backbone — our village’s doctors, merchants, bankers and teachers — have kept us going for nearly 100 years. As children, they attended Sunset School or River School. Their children attended those same schools. The teacher for both generations was often Marcia DeVoe. Join her for a fond look at some of the 2,000 students she taught, students who, as adults, became Carmel’s quiet leaders and Marcia’s good friends.

Cole Weston: My Life and Times in Carmel

Cole Weston, May 24, 1999

Weston, an internationally known photographer, came to his art naturally. Son of famed lensman Edward Weston, Cole grew up and went to school in Carmel and Monterey, then studied drama at the Cornish School of Theater in Seattle. Cole assisted his father in his upstairs Ocean Avenue studio darkroom for many years and began his own career as a fine art color photographer. He drew from his theater background as the first director of Sunset Cultural Center, and was frequent director of plays and musicals at Carmel’s Forest Theater.

Carmel in 1934

Richard Criley, June 1, 1998

Everyone knew everyone else, all the residents participated in everything that was going on, from the plays at Forest Theater and the Golden Bough to the debates about paving Ocean Avenue. That was Carmel in its early years, according to Richard Criley. But, he says, something happened in 1934 that made people realize that there might be trouble boiling below the surface. Criley, who grew up in the Highlands and was an active participant in the happenings of 1934, will take us back to those surprising times. The recipient of a number of awards for his passionate, life-long defense of civil liberty, Criley is the author of “The FBI v. the First Amendment,” published in 1991.

A Walk in Carmel in the 1940s

Alys Bliesner, Allene (Lani) Fremier, Buzz Knight, May 20, 1996

In an era and age when all of life was an adventure, something so simple as a walk to school became full of thrills and laughter. In the 1940s, places like Decker’s Market, Knapp’s Cabinet Shop, and the Smoke House (especially the Smoke House) contained exotic possibilities for children. Join Alys, Allene, and Buzz, the children of Allen and Adele Knight, as they take you on a stroll into a world that no longer exists. You may meet some of Carmel’s more colorful characters, including Allen Knight himself.

The Carmel I Knew, 1934-1935

Nancy Stilwell Easterbrook, February 26, 1996

What was Carmel like in 1934 and 1935? Nancy Stilwell Easterbrook will offer a glimpse of Carmel in the days when the population numbered just 3,000; when Highway One still was being constructed; and when nearly everyone in town turned out for the carnival and fair at Forest Theater over the Labor Day weekend. The Stilwell family’s stay in Carmel was brief, interrupted when her father — General Joseph “Vinegar Joe” Stilwell — was appointed military attache to China and Siam and the family moved to Peking. Their house at Carmel Point became “home” again just after World War II, but by that time, life in Carmel had changed.

Carmel in the 1920s and 1930s

Richard Criley, August 27, 1991

Author and Carmelite Richard Criley, who grew up in the Carmel Highlands, shares stories of the early days in Carmel, including his memories of Sunset School and the social unrest of 1934. The recipient of a number of awards for his passionate, life-long defense of civil liberty, Criley is the author of “The FBI v. the First Amendment,” published in 1991.

Interesting Characters

“The Gilded Edge: Two Audacious Women and the Cyanide Love Triangle That Shook America”

Professor Catherine Prendergast, October 13, 2021

Join author Catherine Prendergast for the true story of two women, Nora May French and Carrie Sterling of Carmel-by-the-Sea—a wife and a poet who learn the high price of sexual and artistic freedom in a vivid depiction of the debauchery of the late Gilded Age.

Catherine Prendergast is a Professor of English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Guggenheim Fellow, and a Fulbright Scholar.

Read the book.

Tales of Some Carmel Characters of Long Ago

Doug Schmitz, February 1, 2017

Join former City Administrator and avid local history researcher Doug Schmitz for some tales of Carmel-by-the-Sea, in City Hall and outside the walls!

Happy Birthday, Frank Devendorf!

Jane Hohfeld Galante, March 20, 2006

Join the library in celebrating J. Frank Devendorf’s 150th birthday with a party and a lecture by his granddaughter, Jane Hohfeld Galante from San Francisco. She will tell the story of Devendorf’s life — both personal and professional — and how he became an important part of California history and instrumental in the development of early Carmel.

“Anne Hadden: First Librarian and Big Sur Pioneer”

Denise Sallee, February 28, 2005

Anne Hadden (1874-1963) was appointed the first librarian for Monterey County in 1913. This lecture presents the beginnings of the Monterey County Free Library system through the efforts of its first librarian. Hadden established branches throughout Monterey County and brought library service to the Big Sur region, and facilitated communication and the spread of information between the scattered residents of the area.

Read the book.

Santiago Duckworth and the Catholic Resort

Brother Larry Scrivani, April 26, 2004

This lecture presents the story of Santiago Duckworth, the first visionary of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Duckworth was an early Monterey businessman, realtor, and investor. In 1888, he bought rights to develop the Carmel area, filed a subdivision map and started selling lots. Though it took until 1916 for the town to be incorporated, Duckworth helped shape the early development of the Carmel area, bringing the first major developers and builders to Carmel (Abbie Hunter and Delos Goldsmith), and attracting some of the first residents.

A Literary Lady: Ella Reid Harrison and Her Legacy

Cecil Wahle, February 26, 2001

What does a person’s book collection reveal about them, specifically if that person lived at the turn of the last century? Cecil Wahle, well-known antiquarian book dealer, will discuss the book collection owned by Ella Reid Harrison. Mrs. Harrison, who in 1922, bequeathed to the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea land and money to build our beloved Harrison Memorial Library in memory of her husband Judge Ralph Chandler Harrison. Mrs. Harrison’s donation of books forms an important part of the library’s special collections and helps shed light on this generous and cultured woman.

Eighty Years of Friends in Carmel

Marcia DeVoe, January 24, 2000

Carmel’s backbone — our village’s doctors, merchants, bankers and teachers — have kept us going for nearly 100 years. As children, they attended Sunset School or River School. Their children attended those same schools. The teacher for both generations was often Marcia DeVoe. Join her for a fond look at some of the 2,000 students she taught, students who, as adults, became Carmel’s quiet leaders and Marcia’s good friends.

Carmel’s Early Journalism: W. K. Bassett & the Carmel Cymbal

John Bassett McCleary , February 24, 1997

“The residents who came for peace have turned again to flee; The abalones near the shore are moving out to sea,” wrote W.K. Bassett in 1935 when he sold his newspaper, the Carmel Cymbal, and left the area for the last time. A staunch foe of development and what he called “tourist ballyhoo,” Bassett ran the Carmel Cymbal, which was called “a clangorous weekly” with a “fire and brimstone editorial flavor,” from 1926 to 1927 and again in the 1930s and 1940s. His son, John McCleary [Bassett], will offer a glimpse of the turbulent life of this unusual man.

Noel Sullivan: A Soul for All Seasons

Alice Mahoney, April 29, 1996

People often ask, ‘who is that man?’ as they pause to admire a large portrait in the library of Robinson Jeffers’ Tor House. It is a painting of a man with kind eyes and aristocratic features, and as the docent may explain about the subject — Noel Sullivan — he was a man of talent and generosity from a family of wealth and influence. He sang in the Carmel Bach Festival and was an unstinting supporter of artists and their art. His home in Carmel Valley, Hollow Hills, was mentioned time and again in the 1930s and 1940s Pine Cones as the destination for such luminaries as Cole Porter, Charlie Chaplin, and Langston Hughes. Noel Sullivan’s niece, Alice D. Mahoney, will share her memories of this extraordinary man.

She Had it All: Jane Gallatin Powers

Erin Gafill, February 28, 1994

Erin Gafill will speak on the life and times of her great-great-grandmother Jane Gallatin Powers, who was born into wealth and privilege in 1868. As a co-founder of the Carmel Arts and Crafts Club, member of the Carmel Art Association and participant in establishing the Local Red Cross chapter, Jane helped created Carmel. Her husband Frank [Powers], along with Franklin Devendorf, formed the Carmel Development Company in 1902. The Powers’ home, an old log cabin just off Carmel Beach, was constantly filled with visiting San Francisco writers and artists, some of whom later settled in Carmel.

Local Histories

How the Bach Festival Began

David Gordon, December 9, 2020

Musician, Author, Historian David Gordon reveals the story of two visionaries, Dene Denny & Hazel Watrous who inspired art, music and theater as well as the Bach Festival in Carmel during the 1930’s.

The History of Salinas Valley: America’s Salad Bowl

Meg Clovis, February 12, 2012

Early Neighborhoods: Carmel’s Tortilla Flats

John Logan, March 21, 2005

‘Tortilla Flats’ in Carmel? Yes, and now you can learn all about this unique part of Carmel’s history from longtime resident and consulting geologist John Logan. As the village of Carmel began to grow in the 1890s, lots were sold, and homes and businesses were built. To fill the labor needs, Native American and Mexican workers moved to the area with their families and established two adjoining communities in northeastern Carmel, which came to be known as Tortilla Flats. By the time Carmel was incorporated in 1916, there were approximately a dozen residences in each community. The lecture will focus on the building styles and way of life of the residents in these two communities.

“Anne Hadden: First Librarian and Big Sur Pioneer”

Denise Sallee, February 28, 2005

Anne Hadden (1874-1963) was appointed the first librarian for Monterey County in 1913. This lecture presents the beginnings of the Monterey County Free Library system through the efforts of its first librarian. Hadden established branches throughout Monterey County and brought library service to the Big Sur region, and facilitated communication and the spread of information between the scattered residents of the area.

Read the book.

Santiago Duckworth and the Catholic Resort

Brother Larry Scrivani, April 26, 2004

This lecture presents the story of Santiago Duckworth, the first visionary of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Duckworth was an early Monterey businessman, realtor, and investor. In 1888, he bought rights to develop the Carmel area, filed a subdivision map and started selling lots. Though it took until 1916 for the town to be incorporated, Duckworth helped shape the early development of the Carmel area, bringing the first major developers and builders to Carmel (Abbie Hunter and Delos Goldsmith), and attracting some of the first residents.

Era of the Del Monte Express

Elmer Lagorio, May 15, 2000

At last the West Coast is becoming civilized,’ said a San Francisco writer in 1889 about the Del Monte Limited (later called the Del Monte Express), a sleek new train that ran between San Francisco and Monterey, carrying with it the promise of a huge economic boom based on recreation and tourism. While the boom has lasted, the train is now a thing of distant memory. Elmer Lagorio, historian, archivist and writer, will help us relive the excitement of those early train trips.

Carmel’s Early Journalism: W. K. Bassett & the Carmel Cymbal

John Bassett McCleary , February 24, 1997

“The residents who came for peace have turned again to flee; The abalones near the shore are moving out to sea,” wrote W.K. Bassett in 1935 when he sold his newspaper, the Carmel Cymbal, and left the area for the last time. A staunch foe of development and what he called “tourist ballyhoo,” Bassett ran the Carmel Cymbal, which was called “a clangorous weekly” with a “fire and brimstone editorial flavor,” from 1926 to 1927 and again in the 1930s and 1940s. His son, John McCleary [Bassett], will offer a glimpse of the turbulent life of this unusual man.

Natural History

INTO THE DEEP: THE SECRET LIVES OF FISHES OFF CARMEL’S STORIED COASTLINE

James Lindholm, Ph.D, September 22, 2021

Thousands of people visit Carmel’s coastline every year, but very few know of the wonder that lies beyond the waves. Join James Lindholm, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor of Marine Science & Policy & Chair, Department of Marine Science California State University Monterey Bay, and immerse yourself in the ‘living laboratory’ that is the Carmel Bay.

Birds, Bees and Bob Dylan: History of our land and its restoration on the Peninsula

Dr. Rafael Payan, April 28, 2021

Dramatic climactic shifts affect the world in which we live and how we live in it. Join Dr. Rafael Payan as he addresses some of the ways the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District is doing its part to restore lands to their former health and beauty as in the case of the former Rancho Canada Golf Course in Carmel.

Life & Times of Hayes Perkins: The Magic Carpet Man

David Laws, May 6, 2020

Join David Laws from the California Garden & Landscape History Society as he tells the amazing world-class story of the man who, after traveling the world, came to Pacific Grove and spent 14 years fulfilling his dream of creating the beautiful “Magic Carpet” cliffside garden of spectacular purple flowers. If you’ve always wondered how all that color ended up along that cliffside path you really need to hear this talk!

(Talk hosted by the Carmel Residents Association)

Fight for Point Lobos

Kevin Shabram, February 7, 2018

During the 1920s, people who loved Point Lobos began to worry about its future. They feared the Point would be forever lost to development. These fears were not unfounded. This set up a ten year battle to acquire and preserve Point Lobos for the generations to come. Many well-known conservationists became involved in this project. But this is also the story of one woman who had been all but forgotten. Yet the impact of her work on the Reserve we know today cannot be understated.

Chasing Water: The Carmel River

Ben Heinrich, October 11, 2017

Longtime local avid historian, Ben Heinrich has been fascinated with the Carmel River and how it impacted this region. Join Ben as he takes us through historic events, from the Esselen Indians, to the Spanish Discoveries and the more recent influence of Charles Crocker and S.F.B. Morse. “Chasing Water” looks at the Rio Carmelo, who controlled it and how it shaped the Monterey Peninsula.

The Story of the Carmel River

Ray March, May 7, 2012

Ray A. March, author of several books including “River in Ruin,” tells the story of the Carmel River, which is the primary water supply for the Monterey Peninsula and one of the top ten endangered rivers in North America.

In Search of Point Lobos

Kevin Shabram, February 1, 2011

Shabram, a long-time volunteer for the Point Lobos Association, shares his research on the fascinating past of Point Lobos.