Lemon Grove Historical Society

09/02/2026

October is American Archives Month! Save the date for these two events!
Thursday, October 1st at 7 p.m.
- A History Alive Lecture: "Preserving Your Family Documents."
then
Saturday, October 10th from 10 am to 1 pm
- "Archives Open House."
Both events will be hosted by Lemon Grove Historical Society Archivist Sarah Lewis.

08/28/2026

It used to be a bank. It was the center of commerce in the center of town. It was across the street from the Lemon Grove Bakery. (The bakery was the former Sonka Store).

It was Lemon Grove's first bank - First National Trust & Savings - opened in 1949. It would later become Union Bank and serve Lemon Grove for three generations.

After staying vacant for a decade, it is coming back to life as a regional family resource center operated by the County of San Diego.

Welcome!

The Lemon Grove Family Resource Center will soon provide the same essential services in a new, more accessible location in the heart of the community.

08/17/2026

Please join us as we hear Helen (McCormick) Hobbs-Halmay, Past President of the Lemon Grove Historical Society, Senior Emerita of Adelante, (newsletter of the Congress of History of San Diego Imperial Counties) and Soroptimist International of Lemon Grove member as she sure shares her research on "The Lion at the End of the Street."

Helen grew up in a Lemon Grove neighborhood where there was rumored to be a pet lion. It is the basis for an amazing factual historical mystery about Lemon Grove in the early 1930s and her search for answers.

Helen's search includes the famous Ringling brother circus World War I, the founding years of the San Diego zoo and the Hearst Castle.

Come meet the author. The story is fascinating and we are not LION!

07/18/2026

The Parsonage Museum will be open for National Night Out on Tuesday, August 4th from 5-8pm. Come enjoy a fun summer evening in the park and enjoy a walk through our museum!

07/08/2026

Save the Date for our summer Free Lemon Grove Mural Walk!

Meet at the Lemon Grove History Mural
(on the side of the Lemon Grove Bistro building)
8am on Saturday, August 1st

We will walk as a group to each mural listed and get to hear from artists at each mural.

Join us. It's FREE!

Donations appreciated and benefit the Lemon Grove Historical Society

07/05/2026

06/24/2026

The Lemon Grove Historical Society notes the passing of Richard Paul “Dick” Canfield who was part of the successful three generation family business, Canfield Brakes.

Canfield Brakes opened in 1924 by Richard’s father, Paul Canfield, the year of Richard’s birth. The original location was on University Avenue in San Diego. The business relocated to Lemon Grove in the boom years after WWII - across from the lumber yard - at the corner of Imperial (now Lemon Grove Avenue) and North Avenue. In the 1970’s, Richard would hand the business to his son, Steven who operated the now incorporated business until its closure in 2014. The building was leased to another operator. The building still stands today.

Dick Canfield was a WWII Army veteran having served in Germany with the Black Hawk 86 Infantry Division during the late stage of the war.

His Celebration of Life will be held on June 27, 2026, at 2:00 pm at the La Mesa First United Methodist Church 4690 Palm Ave., La Mesa, CA 91941

06/17/2026

Hats off to the GFWC - Lemon Grove Forward Club. Since reopening in 2022, this 100 year old club has been busy - and racking up awards for community service.

CommunityNews More than a dozen awards for community group going Forward By Debbie Sklar - 05/30/2026 Share Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest WhatsApp The Lemon Grove Forward Club is being recognized for its growing impact across the community after earning 13 major awards and honors tied to volunt...

06/14/2026

Congratulations are in order for the Lemon Grove Lions Club for receiving the Small Club Project of the Year Award. The Lions have been one of the backbones of the Lemon Grove service community for many years. Job well done!

We are honored to have received the Small Club Project of the Year Award from District 4L6! This award reflects what can be accomplished when a dedicated group of volunteers comes together to serve their community. While we may be a small club, we continue to prove that small clubs can make a big impact.
For us, serving others and volunteering comes naturally—it’s at the heart of who we are.
As our motto proudly states, "Small and Mighty!"

05/29/2026

Our friends at The Stein Family Farm in National City are asking for help identifying this recent addition to the farm's collection - a jar from LEMON GROVE'S HERBAL GARDENS. Any information on this place or the people who operated it would be appreciated.