- Location
- Desert Beach So Cal
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 31, 2003
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
JoAnn Casebier
Mojave Desert Heritage & Cultural Association
37198 Lanfair Road -- Goffs
Essex, CA 92332
Phone 760-733-4482
email [email protected]
Goffs Schoolhouse Museum and Cultural Center Plans Open House Weekends to Introduce Visitors to a Treasure of the East Mojave
GOFFS SCHOOLHOUSE MUSEUM and CULTURAL CENTER
MONTHLY OPEN HOUSE EVENTS
2003
The Mojave Desert Heritage & Cultural Association announces monthly open house events at the Goffs Schoolhouse for 2003. The Schoolhouse and adjacent Cultural Center grounds will be open for public visitation the first weekend of each month from January through June and October through December 9:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. (Specific weekends are: 4-5 January, 1-2 February, 1-2 March, 5-6 April, 3-4 May, 7-8 June, 4-5 October, 1-2 November, 6-7 December.)
The Goffs Schoolhouse was constructed in 1914 and served the region until 1937, at which time the present school was built in Essex and the Goffs School abandoned. It is one of the few remaining structures in Goffs located on the original 1926 alignment of U. S. Highway 66. The school served the needs of families of railroaders, highway people, miners, and ranchers.
The Schoolhouse was restored to its 1914 configuration by the Association in 1998. Some work is ongoing, but it is now fitted out with displays of artwork and artifacts depicting the cultural history of the Mojave Desert. There are many artifacts (old vehicles, mining machinery, and much more) on the adjacent grounds. To facilitate public visitation, the Association has published a "Guide to the Goffs Cultural Center" booklet for the convenience of visitors which is keyed to 40 numbered stations inside the Schoolhouse and about 100 numbered pegs around the grounds. With the aid of this interpretive booklet, visitors can spend several hours enjoying the displays on a self-guided basis. Picnic areas are available for visitors.
On October 11, 2001, the Goffs Schoolhouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U. S. Department of the Interior. It is the only building along old U. S. Highway 66 in California and the only one-room schoolhouse in all of southern California on that prestigious national register.
The Mojave Desert Heritage & Cultural Association was formed as a nonprofit tax-exempt corporation in 1993 with a mission to: "Research and educate the public with the natural and cultural history of the Mojave Desert regions through operation of a regional research center including a library and archives, restoration of historic buildings, interpretation of backcountry trails, publication of educational guide books and historical monographs and periodicals in concert with government agencies and people of good faith everywhere."
The Mojave Desert Archives, situated in buildings adjacent to the Goffs Schoolhouse, embraces more than 6,000 volumes pertaining to the history of the Desert west, more than 700 taped oral history interviews conducted with desert "old-timers" with firsthand knowledge, more then 40,000 historical photographs of the Desert west, 4,000 historic maps, and much more. These materials are in special collections that are made available with advance arrangement to qualified students and writers doing in-depth research on the Mojave Desert.
The Mojave Desert Heritage & Cultural Association is a nonprofit tax-exempt corporation. No charge is made for admission to the Schoolhouse and adjacent property, donations are welcome.
To get there. From the direction of Barstow take I-40 east about 110 miles to a point one mile east of Fenner Rest Stop and exit the Interstate where a sign says "Goffs Road." Turn left under the freeway bridge and follow blacktop Goffs Road for 11 miles to Goffs.
From Needles or Las Vegas Area take U.S. Highway 95 south (from Searchlight) or north (from I-40 up out of Needles) to the point where 95 crosses the main line of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. Turn west on Goffs Road (south of the tracks) and travel 14 miles to Goffs.
The Schoolhouse is on the North side of the tracks at the intersection of Goffs and Lanfair Roads -- for a positive identification, there are two windmills on the Goffs Schoolhouse property, the only ones in Goffs.
Special arrangements can be made for visitation to the Schoolhouse by groups or at other times during the year by appointment. For additional information contact the Association at 760-733-4482 -- or email [email protected] -- or visit the Association's web site at www.mdhca.org.
For additional information contact:
JoAnn Casebier
Mojave Desert Heritage & Cultural Association
37198 Lanfair Road -- Goffs
Essex, CA 92332
Phone 760-733-4482
email [email protected]
or
Helen Baker
818-705-3930
[email protected]
March 31, 2003
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
JoAnn Casebier
Mojave Desert Heritage & Cultural Association
37198 Lanfair Road -- Goffs
Essex, CA 92332
Phone 760-733-4482
email [email protected]
Goffs Schoolhouse Museum and Cultural Center Plans Open House Weekends to Introduce Visitors to a Treasure of the East Mojave
GOFFS SCHOOLHOUSE MUSEUM and CULTURAL CENTER
MONTHLY OPEN HOUSE EVENTS
2003
The Mojave Desert Heritage & Cultural Association announces monthly open house events at the Goffs Schoolhouse for 2003. The Schoolhouse and adjacent Cultural Center grounds will be open for public visitation the first weekend of each month from January through June and October through December 9:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. (Specific weekends are: 4-5 January, 1-2 February, 1-2 March, 5-6 April, 3-4 May, 7-8 June, 4-5 October, 1-2 November, 6-7 December.)
The Goffs Schoolhouse was constructed in 1914 and served the region until 1937, at which time the present school was built in Essex and the Goffs School abandoned. It is one of the few remaining structures in Goffs located on the original 1926 alignment of U. S. Highway 66. The school served the needs of families of railroaders, highway people, miners, and ranchers.
The Schoolhouse was restored to its 1914 configuration by the Association in 1998. Some work is ongoing, but it is now fitted out with displays of artwork and artifacts depicting the cultural history of the Mojave Desert. There are many artifacts (old vehicles, mining machinery, and much more) on the adjacent grounds. To facilitate public visitation, the Association has published a "Guide to the Goffs Cultural Center" booklet for the convenience of visitors which is keyed to 40 numbered stations inside the Schoolhouse and about 100 numbered pegs around the grounds. With the aid of this interpretive booklet, visitors can spend several hours enjoying the displays on a self-guided basis. Picnic areas are available for visitors.
On October 11, 2001, the Goffs Schoolhouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U. S. Department of the Interior. It is the only building along old U. S. Highway 66 in California and the only one-room schoolhouse in all of southern California on that prestigious national register.
The Mojave Desert Heritage & Cultural Association was formed as a nonprofit tax-exempt corporation in 1993 with a mission to: "Research and educate the public with the natural and cultural history of the Mojave Desert regions through operation of a regional research center including a library and archives, restoration of historic buildings, interpretation of backcountry trails, publication of educational guide books and historical monographs and periodicals in concert with government agencies and people of good faith everywhere."
The Mojave Desert Archives, situated in buildings adjacent to the Goffs Schoolhouse, embraces more than 6,000 volumes pertaining to the history of the Desert west, more than 700 taped oral history interviews conducted with desert "old-timers" with firsthand knowledge, more then 40,000 historical photographs of the Desert west, 4,000 historic maps, and much more. These materials are in special collections that are made available with advance arrangement to qualified students and writers doing in-depth research on the Mojave Desert.
The Mojave Desert Heritage & Cultural Association is a nonprofit tax-exempt corporation. No charge is made for admission to the Schoolhouse and adjacent property, donations are welcome.
To get there. From the direction of Barstow take I-40 east about 110 miles to a point one mile east of Fenner Rest Stop and exit the Interstate where a sign says "Goffs Road." Turn left under the freeway bridge and follow blacktop Goffs Road for 11 miles to Goffs.
From Needles or Las Vegas Area take U.S. Highway 95 south (from Searchlight) or north (from I-40 up out of Needles) to the point where 95 crosses the main line of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. Turn west on Goffs Road (south of the tracks) and travel 14 miles to Goffs.
The Schoolhouse is on the North side of the tracks at the intersection of Goffs and Lanfair Roads -- for a positive identification, there are two windmills on the Goffs Schoolhouse property, the only ones in Goffs.
Special arrangements can be made for visitation to the Schoolhouse by groups or at other times during the year by appointment. For additional information contact the Association at 760-733-4482 -- or email [email protected] -- or visit the Association's web site at www.mdhca.org.
For additional information contact:
JoAnn Casebier
Mojave Desert Heritage & Cultural Association
37198 Lanfair Road -- Goffs
Essex, CA 92332
Phone 760-733-4482
email [email protected]
or
Helen Baker
818-705-3930
[email protected]
