Inverness celebrates 125 Years (2014)
by Laurie Thompson
We encourage you to visit the Jack Mason Museum in Inverness to view a wonderful exhibit of photographs celebrating Inverness’ first fifty years, 1889–1939.
The latest issue of their newsletter (Summer 2014), Under The Gables, is devoted to Inverness at 125.
The photograph above shows downtown Inverness around 1909 looking very much as it does today. This image is a detail from a large glass plate negative recently donated to the Anne T. Kent California Room by Jeff Craemer.
Prominently featured in the image is the Inverness Store then owned by Attilio Martinelli.
In Summer Town, Jack Mason relates:
In 1900 Attilio Martinelli came over from Olema and built a first class emporium on the county road…. Attilio and Jennie Martinelli owned the main street by 1910, having bought it piecemeal from Julia [Shafter]. They built a grocery store, candy store and garage — and a post office in which both served as postmaster. Across the bay at Millerton, Attilio arranged for his own spur track where railroad flatcars left lumber to be barged across the bay behind his launch. We was a gentle, astute man, as wise in politics as in business: he served from 1920 to 1940 as Supervisor from his Fourth District.
Zooming in on the photograph above reveals a broadside posted on the wall of Martinelli’s store inviting the community to a soiree:
Look. Don’t Forget to attend the Grand Ball at Martinelli’s Hall at Inverness. Sat. Night, September 11….
Originally published at https://annetkent.kontribune.com.
