
Mailing Address:
Lemon Grove Historical Society
PO Box 624
Lemon Grove, CA 91946
Parsonage Museum:
3185 Olive Street
Lemon Grove, CA 91946
The Lemon Grove Historical Society grew up with the City it serves and is its leading cultural organization. Lemon Grove was incorporated as California’s 414th city in 1977. Its historical society, active informally for many years, was established in 1978 as a 501(c)(3) non profit corporation. LGHS is governed by a seven-member board with rotating museum docents and various committee chairs, and is a membership organization open to ages eight and over.
The society’s mission is to research, preserve and share the history of Lemon Grove in a regional/state/national context, promote interest in the arts and humanities, especially historical studies, and operate sites and public programs that advance these goals.
LGHS has an important track record in historic preservation, in promoting and displaying the work of regional artists, and in providing insight into huge world events and their impact on the home town. The LGHS motto is “your story begins at home.”
LGHS is active in the Lemon Grove School District and in many City projects designed to beautify and distinguish the community. LGHS saved the City’s first church, the 1897 First Congregational Church of Christ (also known as the Atherton Chapel”) and oversaw its adaptive reuse as the Parsonage Museum of Lemon Grove. This Folk Victorian charmer offers two floors of beautiful exhibits related to the civic story. The society further saved the 1928 H. Lee House, a handsome Tudor Revival mansion, and oversaw its adaptive reuse as the City’s cultural center and as a popular site for social rentals.
Awards
- 2001 Governors Historic Preservation Award for the Parsonage Museum
- 2001 Preservation Award from the Congress of History of San Diego and Imperial Counties
- 2002 Lemon Grove Chamber of Commerce Award
- 2014 Governor’s Historic Preservation Award for the Lemon Grove History Mural
“Your story begins at home…”