Behind the Scenes at History San Jose

A new addition to the History San José collection is the iconic pets.com puppet.  In the late 1990’s whenever you turned on your television, you were likely to encounter a commercial for pets.com. The company’s mascot was a sock puppet of a dog with a wristwatch for a collar, holding a microphone embossed with the corporate logo.

Jim Reed, Curator of Library & Archives with the pets.com sock puppet. Photo by David Hartwick

For the general public, pets.com came to symbolize the Internet “bubble” of the late 1990’s. The company, founded in 1998, abruptly ceased operation in November 2000, having burned through more than $300 million in investment capital.

The sock puppet, however, captured the public imagination. It appeared in the 1999 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and was interviewed by People magazine and by Good Morning America.

The pets.com sock puppet remains an important symbol of the nation’s exuberance about the marketing potential of the World Wide Web.

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Jim Reed
Curator of Library & Archives

USS Macon Mooring at Naval Air Station Moffet Field in Sunnyvale, California

The USS Macon was a rigid airship stationed at NAS Moffet Field from 1933 until it was damaged in a storm and crashed of the California coast near Big Sur in 1935. It was built and used by the United States Navy for scouting.

Hanger One is in the background with both of its giant doors open.  It was built in the 1930′s and is still one of the largest unsupported structures in the United States. The immense building could house the giant USS Macon and several smaller airships. The floor of the hanger could contain 1o football fields.

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Melissa Johnson
Curator of Interactive Media

This image shows the eleborate decorations and costumes residents of New Almaden made to celebrate the 4th of July in 1898.  From left to right: Minnie Odgers; May Wasley; Susan Edwards; Charles O’Brion, a popular employee; Emma Hill; Ethel Chequin; Joe Pearce, and in front : Ernest Hopkins.

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Melissa Johnson
Curator of Interactive Media

1912 Trolley on inagural run from History Park to the Japanese Friendship Garden at Kelley Park

When I started working for History San Jose in 2001, I remember asking, “why doesn’t the trolley run outside History Park?” The answer was obvious if I had looked up, there was no electricity to run the trolley.  The tracks were laid for the historic trolleys to run down Senter Road for many years ago, but funds had to be raised to install the electrical wiring. After many years of hard work by CTRC board members and volunteers the wiring was installed this spring. On June 3, 2009, the restored 1912 San Jose Railroad Trolley made the inaugural trip from History Park to the Japanese Friendship Garden.

Ribbon Cutting

While the crowd gathered at the entrance to History Park for the ribbon cutting, drivers slowed down to see what was happening and a few honked when they saw the trolley.

"All aboard!"

The Inaugural Trip

The historic trolley runs on the weekends at History Park open from noon to 5 pm.

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Melissa Johnson
Curator of Interactive Media

Dr. Henry Meade Bland and some members of his English class at San Jose State Normal School, c.1913