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

Heritage Room

On Exhibit
Places, Faces & Traces of History
Corona Art Association Exhibit  
August 2 - 28, 2010 
(Library's 2nd Floor Gallery)
The W.D. Addison Heritage Room, located on the second floor
of the Library, contains non-circulating local history and genealogy
materials as well as the Library's archive.

 

Hours*:                                                                             

Monday & Tuesday 3 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Wednesday - Friday Closed
Saturday 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Sunday Closed






*For additional research assistance please arrange an appointment with the Heritage Room Librarian by calling 951-279-3593. 
 

Spotlight on Local History

First Corona Road Race, held Sept 9, 1913 on Grand BlvdGrand Boulevard's circular shape has always been a highlight of Corona history. The three mile boulevard hosted the best in auto racing during the 1913, 1914, and 1916 Corona Road Races. Road races were popular, and Corona's Road Races each garnered thousands of spectators and drivers from around the world. Despite the popularity of the events, they were not financially successful, and after the death of three men in 1916's Road Race (driver Bob Burman, mechanic Erick Schroeder and track guard William Speer), the future of Corona Road Races on Grand Boulevard was sealed. Citizens had long been complaining about the noise, flying wheels, dangerous speeds and general havoc wrought by outsiders each year. Those complaints, combined with Burman's tragic accident, left the promoters no choice but to cancel plans for any future races.


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.

 

Donations
The W.D. Addison Heritage Room accepts donations of Corona related material such as photographs, slides, genealogies, books, manuscripts, yearbooks, maps, textiles, citrus labels, and other epherema.
 

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.