The Heritage Room Collection contains over 140 manuscript collections. The documents and photographs contained in these collections are primary sources that document the industrial, social, and cultural history of Corona. The finding aids provide a brief description of the collection and an inventory of all the materials belonging to the collection. Please note that some collections are stored offsite and require advance notification for retrieval. Contact the Heritage Room at 951-279-3593 to request retrievals in advance of your visit.
List of Special Collections
M001 - Emma "Ocie" Taylor Songer Collection
The Emma (known as Ocie) Taylor Songer Collection provides the researcher with a personal view of early Corona history. Emma Josephine "Ocie" Taylor Songer was the daughter of Corona founder Robert B. Taylor and Emma Mason Taylor.
M002 - Robert B. Taylor Collection
The Robert B. Taylor collection provides invaluable information on Corona’s earliest days and its principal founder, Robert B. Taylor.
M003 - Janet Williams Gould Early California Collection
Janet Williams Gould, known to many in Corona as "The Duchess," she was also the first in Corona to recognize the inherent danger in not drawing attention to irreplaceable cultural resources. This manuscript collection contains the personal notes, collected correspondence, personal correspondence, newspaper clippings, and bibliographic references of Janet Williams Gould.
M004 - Howard & Irene Ware Collection
Howard & Irene (Nonhuf) Ware were long time residents of Corona. Some years after going to work for his uncle at Corona Lumber, Howard and his brother Frank took over the lumber business as partners. For 47 years, until his retirement in 1958, Howard was involved in this successful enterprise. Shortly after Howard retired he & Irene began to actively collect Corona memorabilia. The Ware Collection provides insight into the couple, local businesses, World War I & II, Temescal Tin Mines, Corona Road Races, Dr. Root, local families, Office of Price Administration and the history of Corona.
M005 - Exchange Lemon Products Collection
In 1915, California Fruit Growers Exchange organized a company, the Exchange By-Products Company to manufacture by-products from lower grades of lemons. In 1921, the name was changed to Exchange Lemon Products Company to differentiate it from orange processing plants. In 1958, the Exchange Lemon Products Company merged with Sunkist Growers, Inc. in order to ensure the most effective use of the processing plants and their marketing capabilities. It became known as the Lemon Products Division for Sunkist Growers, Inc. All operations ceased in 1983 when Sunkist opened a new facility in Tipton.
M008 - Mary Kroonen Savage Collection (in processing)
M009 - Woman's Improvement Club Collection (in processing)
M010 - Historical Society of Corona Collection (in processing)
M029 - Gleason Family Collection
Drs. J.C. Gleason & Flora S. Gleason received their homeopathic medical degrees from the Medical College of Iowa City, Iowa and later married. In December, 1887, they moved to South Riverside (Corona) where for several years they were the only physicians in the City. The collection provides extensive information on early medical care at the beginning of the 20th century in Corona, family correspondence the gives a soldier’s account of the Filipino-American War,and a diary that provides insight into the life of a teenage girl in 1912 in a small town.
M044 - Corona Newcomer's Club Collection
In February, 1966 the City of Corona Recreation Department originated a program to bring together recent arrivals to the area so they might learn more of their new town and its people.
M061 - California State Archives Collection
The California State Archives collections document the broad scope of California government and its impact on the people of the state. In 1989, the W.D. Addison Heritage Room purchased photocopies of articles of incorporation from the California State Archive. The collection contains copies of incorporation records for Corona businesses and institutions. The records date from 1886 to 1950.
M064 - R.H. Verity, Sons & Company Collection (in processing)
M070 - Corona Calendar Collection
The Corona Calendar Collection is an assortment of calendars with Corona themes or by Corona associations. They encompass almost one hundred years of calendars created by and for Coronans. Thematically, they range from official, professional calendars, to Citrus Label and Centennial calendars.
M077 - Noah Smith Joseph & Anna Lula Joseph Ritchie Collection
Noah Smith Joseph moved his family to Corona in 1889. He moved into a mountain ranch in what is now the Joseph/Fisher Canyon. In 1900, a company of Seventh-day Adventists was organized in his home in Corona.
M082 - Readers Club Collection
The Readers, an organization of Corona women, grew out of the nationally known Delphian Society.A chapter of the Delphian Society was formed on April 11, 1923 at the Woman’s Improvement Club. The purpose of the Society was primarily educational and for the personal development of its members. The minutes themselves give serendipitous insights to the life of the well-to-do in early Corona. The bank and treasurer’s records reflect an early twentieth century economy. The reading tastes and programs reveal life in the twenties and thirties and both world wars.
M100 - First Congregational Church Collection
This collection consists of the First Congregational Church’s documents, receipts, newsletters, bulletins and records dating from the 1930’s through the late 1980’s. The bulletins and newsletters announce the day’s service, prayers, psalms, as well as various activities, and meetings which would have occurred during this time period.
M101 - Orange Heights Orange Association (OHOA) Collection (in processing)
M120 - Corona Municipal Court Collection
The origins of the Corona Municipal Court date to the founding in 1903 of the Temescal Judicial District. The district provided court services for the Rincon and Temescal townships. The collection includes dockets from traffic, civil, and criminal court cases from 1903-1953.
M122 - Corona Heights Water Company / Rolla Cook Collection
Water development can be directly linked to land development throughout Southern California, the Corona Heights Water Company Collection provides documentation of this connection on a local level. The collection contains various documents from the Corona Heights Water Company, a company made up primarily of stockholders based in Los Angles, California, who entered into a water development agreement with the City of Corona.
M129 - Corona Daily Independent Collection (in processing)
M134 - Tomislav Gabric Collection
Architect Tomislav Gabric was born in Yugoslavia in 1933. Gabric's eye for detail can be seen in this collection of pen & ink drawings of Corona houses, his Croatian homeland, European monuments & buildings, and the California Missions.
M135 - Thomas Ranch Manuscript Collection
Thomas Ranch is a 38-acre parcel of land located in Corona, CA, south of Palisades Drive and west of Serfas Club Drive. From 1941 until 1942, oil companies disposed of waste on the property. The Department of Toxic Substances Control provides oversight of investigative and cleanup activities at Thomas Ranch. The collection includes Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) and other publications produced by the Department of Toxic Substances Control.
M137 - Wyle Laboratories Manuscript Collection
The Wyle Laboratories site is located at 1841 Hillside Avenue in the City of Norco, Riverside County, California. The Wyle site operated as a commercial testing facility since 1957 for a number of markets including defense. The Department of Toxic Substances Control provides oversight of investigative and cleanup activities at Wyle Labs. The collection includes Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) and other publications produced by the Department of Toxic Substances Control.
M139 - The Former IMCO Waste Disposal Area Collection
The former IMCO Waste Disposal Area site is located at 1462 Quarry Street in the City of Corona, Riverside County, California. The Site owner, 6th and Radio Road Business Park II, LLC, entered into a Voluntary Cleanup Agreement (VCA) with Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) on December 12, 2003. The goal of the VCA is to evaluate the risk to public health and the environment from chemicals of concern at the Site, and to ensure that the area is cleaned-up to levels acceptable for future industrial and commercial use under the oversight of DTSC. The collection includes Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) and other publications produced by the Department of Toxic Substances Control.
M140 - Corona Chapter #3611 AARP Collection
On November 18, 1983 the Corona Chapter #3611 of the AARP was created, members worked with the City of Corona’s Senior Center to provide services to Corona’s older persons.The collection includes articles of incorporation, bylaws, correspondence and newsletters.
M145 - High Tower Comics Collection
High Tower Comics is Corona’s first comic book publisher. The publishing company was founded by Corona native John C. Narcomey, Jr. (Creative Director/ Graphic Novelist) and Southern California native Jacob Crippen (Illustrator). The collection includes copies of their comics and well as promotional materials.
M146 - Serrano Collection
In 1879 Francisco (II) and Concepcion (Aros) Serrano moved their family to Prado and established the Serrano Ranch. After the move to Prado Francisco opened a general store in the area and a combination general/hardware store in Corona. Francisco and Concepcion lived in Prado until their deaths in 1922 and 1938. The family resided at the home they built until the Army Corps of Engineers began construction of the Prado Dam in 1938.