FIRST PUBLIC SCHOOL IN PALO ALTO (1893)

This photograph shows the first public school in the new town of Palo Alto. It was built with volunteer help in four days in late August or early September of 1893. The site of the school is now 529 Bryant Street where later the telephone building stood. The site is now the headquarters of the AboveNet Communication (formerly Digital Equipment Corporation) Palo Alto Internet Exchange (PAIX), one of the largest Internet exchanges in the world.

EARLY CROSSING OF MIDDLEFIELD ROAD

"Old Middlefield Road" used to
cross San Francisquito Creek by going directly through the creek bed,
at least during the dry season.

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF PALO ALTO

Judging from the dress of those in this photograph, this delightful assembly of the congregation of the First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto must have been photographed in the late 1890s or the early 1900s. The three girls in front, holding the letters S, C, and E must have been young members of the church's Christian Endeavor society.

FIRST STREET CAR (1906)

The first streetcar ran in Palo Alto on November 15, 1906. This group of men assembled for the opening ceremony and for this epoch-making photograph. Note the slightly varied style of suits, hats, and footwear worn. The streetcar operator and the conductor are in uniform and standing at the rear of the car. The photograph was taken in the 700 block of University Avenue.