Blast From The Past: An Intro To Your Hercules History Blog

Hello.  My name is Dean.  Pleasure to meet you.

This blog is about the history of Hercules.  I've titled it "Blast from the Past" as an homage to our explosive beginnings as a company town for a dynamite factory.  This isn't meant to be a timeline, but rather a sampling of people and places that I hope you'll find interesting.

A little about myself to start.  I was born and raised in West County, with a brief time away for college, marriage, and ultimately divorce.   I moved back to Hercules about nine years ago.  I'd love to be poetic and say I needed to get back to my roots, to try to find myself or something.  In truth, it was a convenient midpoint between where my girlfriend and I were working at the time.

But still, I wound up back home, even if it was accidentally.

I've also been a history buff for quite a long time.  It was one of my favorite subjects in school, much to the consternation of my friends ("But it's sooooo booooring...").   I've been a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for many years.  I firmly believe in repurposing old buildings.  Not only is it green, but they maintain a literal, tactical connection with our past, and add texture and a sense of place to a community.

Which is where I'd like to start.  In the coming weeks, I'll be exploring the historic properties along the Waterfront.  All old buildings have stories to tell.  I plan on listening to as many as I can.

And remember, this is a blog, so it's meant to be interactive.  If I've gotten something wrong, tell me.  If there's something you're curious about and would like me to explore, let me know!

Oh, one more thing.  The fact that the Hercules history book just hit the shelves -- complete coincidence.  Honestly.  Wasn't even aware of it until doing research for this blog.  Is this serendipity?  Or will it's existence make this blog ... history?

POSTSCRIPT

I stopped by the book launch event at the library for the aforementioned Hercules book.  I met some very nice people there, and I would like to thank them in advance.  This book, and their help, will I'm sure will be invaluable to me.  I just hope I don't abuse the privilege.