650 S. Main St. | Corona, CA. | 92882
Mon-Tues Noon-9
Wed-Thurs 10-6, Sat 10-5
p: 951.736.2381

Heritage Room


Corona Heritage Online Corona Heritage Online's new look, available on August 15th
This searchable online resource contains photos, blueprints, postcards and artifacts that document the history of Corona and other nearby areas. 


 

Heritage Room Donations

The W.D. Addison Heritage Room, located on the second floor of the Library, contains local history and genealogy materials as well as the Library's archive. Heritage Room materials do not checkout and must be used in the local history room. Hours are subject to staff availability, to ensure access please call a week in advance of your visit.


                                                                           
Heritage Room Hours:
Monday & Tuesday 3 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Wednesday & Thursday Closed
Friday Library Closed
Saturday Closed
Sunday Library Closed







*To schedule a research appointment please email or call 951-279-3593. 
 

Spotlight on Local History

Citrus grove on Ben White's Foothill Ranch, Resource ID: AGR-cit-025Ben White's Foothill Ranch 

Benjamin Frederick White was born in 1891 in Chehalis County, Washington. In the early 1900s his family moved to Elsinore and in 1905 they moved to Riverside where Mr. White graduated from high school. It was in 1909 that he established a homestead, Ben White's Foothill Ranch, in Corona and began developing the land for citrus. The ranch was located at the south end of Main Street, the Ganahl Family would eventually acquire the property. Mr. White's agricultural pursuits in Corona continued until 1922 when he became Hemet's Chief of Police. He went on to become Police Chief of Blythe and in 1931 he was elected Riverside County Coroner. 
 

Heritage Room Collection: 

  • Books & pamphlets;
  • Photographs & slides;
  • Citrus Labels;
  • Oral history tapes;
  • Videos & DVDs;
  • Historic Building Survey which concentrates on buildings and houses constructed prior to World War II;
  • Assessment Records
          1896
          1897
          1904
          1913 - 41;
  • Sanborn Maps, microfilm & bound copies
         (click here for a list of Sanborn Maps);
  • Plat and tract maps;
  • City Directories
          1924
          1927
          1939          
          1941         
          1944  
          1951       
          1953
          1955/56
          1958/59
          1961
          1963
          1967
          1983
          1984
          1986
          1988-1991
          1993-2000
          2002
          2004-2010
  • Microfilm copies of newspapers & other records
South Riverside Bee, June 2, 1887 - June 20, 1896;
Corona Courier, January 6, 1900 - April 29, 1938;
Corona Daily Independent, August 24, 1906 - April 30, 1983;
Corona-Norco Independent, May 1983 - December 19, 2003;
Riverside Press-Enterprise, July 15, 1979 - April 30, 1990, January 1, 2000 - December 31, 2000; January 1, 2007 - June 30, 2009;
Los Angeles Times, January 15, 1975 - December 31, 2002;
California Death Index 1905-1939;
  • Yearbooks from many of Corona’s schools, including a complete collection of Corona High School yearbooks;
  • and other sources of information on the history, institutions, and personalities of Corona.

 

Donate to the Heritage Room Today!


The W.D. Addison Heritage Room relies on the generosity of its donors to build its archive and special collections. Donations of books, cash and other materials are accepted. The Heritage Room’s collection focuses on Corona related material such as photographs, slides, genealogies, books, manuscripts, yearbooks, maps, textiles, citrus labels, and other ephemera. If you have organizational records (business, club or church records for example), letters, diaries, photographs, books, maps, archival materials or other items that you believe would enhance the Heritage Room’s Collection, please contact the Heritage Room Librarian, Jennifer Marlatt at 951-279-3796 or by email.

Cash Contributions

The Heritage Room is always in need of monetary contributions to purchase new materials and equipment that document, preserve and digitize the history of the Corona area. Cash contributions to the Heritage Room can be made through either the Friends of the Corona Public Library or the Library’s Foundation. Contributions to the Foundation’s Theodore Jameson Todd or the Maggie Mellor Endowments are designated for the Heritage Room.

Thank you for your interest in donating to the Corona Public Library’s W.D. Addison Heritage Room! 

 

Who was W.D. Addison?

W.D. AddisonW.D. Addison moved to Corona in 1945. Known to his friends as "Addy," he taught history at Corona High School, was principal of the evening high school, and director of Adult Education. He was an active member of many local clubs and served on the Heritage Committee as chairman 1978-1983. The Heritage Room collection is Addy’s legacy to the community. Thanks to his enlistment of community support the Corona Public Library’s Heritage Room officially opened its doors to the public in November 1980.