Glendora Historical Society

Founded in 1947, we have operated the Glendora Historical Museum since 1952

and have owned the Rubel Castle in Glendora since 2005. Since 2015, the Society

has expanded significantly, is dynamic in membership activity, and maintains a full

events calendar, including:

• Weekly public museum openings (Glendora Museum)
• Scheduled Tours (Castle)
• Lectures & Programs
• Family Workshops
• Staff booths at community events
• Outings/Trips
• Youth Education & Outreach
• Research Days
• Fundraising Campaigns

The specific purposes of the Glendora Historical Society is to preserve, and hold in

the public trust, a record of the history of the City of Glendora, the region prior to its

incorporation, its changing land use, and its diverse fluctuating population. The

Society will house its main collections in and operate the Glendora Historical Society

Museum and will be the steward of the Rubel Castle Historic District, including the

buildings and objects within. It will perform these functions by engaging in the

following activities:

(1) HISTORY - preserving the history of Glendora by collecting and preserving

records, documents and non-tangible material including oral histories that provide a

chronicle of the history of Glendora, and by appropriately archiving that material;

(2) COLLECTIONS - acquiring material culture objects that explain, interpret or

illuminate the history of Glendora and Rubel Castle and that support the Society's

mission;

(3) PRESERVATION - providing responsible stewardship to the collections by

engaging in appropriate conservation of the historic records and collections objects

listed in 1 and 2 above;

(4) EXHIBITIONS - producing exhibitions at both the Glendora Historical Society

Museum and Rubel Castle Historic District that help interpret the history of

Glendora and the Society's collections to the visiting public;

(5) EDUCATION - engaging in educational activities that activate both the history of

Glendora and the Society's collections to the visiting public;

(6) SCHOLARSHIP - supporting scholarship in the form of original research and

publication by both historical society members and outside scholars by providing

appropriate access to and use of the collection.

We Manage Two Historic Sites

The Society is headquartered at the Glendora Historical Society Museum, located in the “Old City Hall,” which also served as the city jail and firehouse before 1923. It now houses exhibition spaces displaying the Museum collections. The extensive Society Archive contains memorabilia and resources dating to the 1850s and is also housed at the Museum. The Museum is open to the public on Saturdays from 11am-2pm, or by appointment. Additionally, the Archive is available on scheduled Research Days, or by special appointment.

The Rubel Castle Historic District is a monumental folk architecture site nestled in the foothills of Glendora. It was entirely built by hand by Michael Rubeland countless volunteers from 1968 to 1986. Its stone masonry was handcrafted of river rock, repurposed materials and an assemblage of the relics and artifacts of Glendora's early agricultural and industrial eras. The RCHD has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2013. Rubel Castle tours are arranged by appointment only.