Acton is a 130-year-old frontier mining town – its first permanent resident settled there in the 1880s – but its historical society is brand new.

How new is it? The Acton Historical Society is so new, you can get in on the ground floor.

The organization will hold its first public gathering Tuesday, March 11, at 7 p.m. at the Acton-Agua Dulce Library, and you’re invited.

Acton Hotel, 1890-1945. Click for info.

For a small, rural community, Acton has much history to celebrate, from the rough-and-tumble gold mining days to the arrival of the railroad; from the establishment of the community’s first church and school in the same building (no “separation” back then) to the region’s first newspaper (the Acton Rooster); from the farms of Aliso Canyon to the 5-star Victorian hotel that burned down under mysterious circumstances in 1945; and more. A number of the earliest buildings still stand.

Tuesday evening’s event will feature a brief presentation on the Southern Pacific Railroad, followed by a general discussion of participants’ personal interests, methods of documentation, sharing resources and an update on the Acton Cemetery project. Refreshments will be provided.

The library is located at 33792 Crown Valley Road in Acton. For information about the historical society, call Bob Buechner at 661-236-6752.

[Click here] to explore Acton history on SCVHistory.com