Last Weekend to Visit Local Historic Home for the Holidays

The McConaghy House has been in the same spot for 125 years, but many people miss it, because it is located on busy Hesperian Boulevard and traffic goes by very fast. However, the home is one of our local treasures and on weekends it is open to the public. Each year, the Hayward Area Historical Society staff and volunteers decorate the house for the Christmas season which adds something special for those who want to explore our area's past.

This year, the staff has transformed the home back to December 1911. It's the night before the McConaghy Family's Christmas Party with family and friends, and Florence McConaghy is busy preparing everything. If you come to visit, you can observe the preparations: from decorating the tree in the family parlor, to baking in the kitchen, to picking clothes for the party in the master bedroom upstairs. The story is told on exhibit panels which provide visitors with an intimate perspective on the family's life.

This year, visitation numbers have been extraordinary. Maybe word is getting around that you can actually walk into some of the rooms, that the kitchen smells like freshly baked cookies, and that you can take home a nice souvenir from the Boutique.

This is the last weekend the House is open before the holidays. Saturday, Dec. 17, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 18, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

On Saturday, around 2:30 p.m., the CSUEB Jazz Singers will be performing songs of the season at the house.

Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students and seniors (65+), FREE for HAHS members and children 10 and under.

McConaghy House is located at 18701 Hesperian Blvd, next to Kennedy Park

For more information call 510-581-0223 or visit www.haywardareahistory.org.