How we spent our Black Friday:

We live near a few Historic sites in Dublin. Its always fun to give visitors a local tour as I slowly increase my knowledge of the History that this great town has to offer. We live across the street to the left of the First General Store in Dublin. The Green store was built in 1860 by John Green. John Green came to Dublin from New York. Mr. Green purchased Michael Murray's farm and built a mercantile store and hotel. He became Dublin's first and leading businessman. By 1870 Dublin had two hotels, a store, a wagon and blacksmith shop, a shoemaker, a school, a church, a Sunday school and was the crossroads for Bay Area travelers. By 1878 the community was officially named Dublin, after Dublin, Ireland.

This is Old St. Raymond's Church, built in 1859, is the oldest Catholic Church in the valley. Old St. Raymond's Church is the oldest Catholic Church building in Alameda and Contra Coata Counties. The land was donated as a church site by Michael Murray and Jeremiah Fallon who was one of the recuers of the ill-fated Donner Party in the Sierra.

Mom and Val between the church and school

Alisha and Val looking rather festive!

In 1856 the Murray School District was formed and Murray School was built on Flanagan Way. It was soon apparent to the settlers that the ground it was on (which is where the Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton is today) was subject to flooding. Soon thereafter, horses and oxen moved the schoolhouse to Dublin Canyon Road. Here it stood for 100 years. Eventually there were too many children for the one-room schoolhouse so more schools were built. With the widening of I-580 in the 1970's the schoolhouse was moved to a third and final destination in what is now the Dublin Heritage Center. It now serves as a museum.

Typically I don't take pictures at Grave sites but I do want to share this place with others as I found it to be very peaceful, simply Historic, so I snapped a quick picture. I journey to this place ever so often and I even wrote a poem about my first day embarking on all of this history just a few steps from my front door. Its the only time living so close to a grave site actually felt good. There are over 50 grave sites full of men, women and more children than you can imagine. These people survived conditions we only read about. My Poem:

I took a special walk today

A corner of the town seemed so far away

But something lurked along the way

The pull was a feeling I could not free

So I took a special walk today

The path presented history

stones with moments inscribed

I learned along the way

This corner of town was all for me in a special way

Old structures at first it seemed and then

Stoned crosses, marbled tomb stones became visible

I smiled as I knew I was embarking on a peaceful place

Where lives once lived now lay at rest

This was no place for the common man

This was a place for those who made this place

I faced each tomb realizing I was greeting those

Who simply paved this place

I took a special walk today

To a place where others forever rest

I never felt more alive as I did today