Danville

Set in the middle of a lush California valley, Danville, in the last century, has grown from an agrarian hamlet to a bustling town.

On land that once belonged to Native peoples whose lives were upended by Spanish conquest, pioneers came for the Gold Rush and stayed for the fertile land. Farms and ranches took root, and a community arose. The Danville Grange No. 85, Patrons of Husbandry, promoted better farming practices and spurred on the founding of the town’s first library. Nobel Prize-winning playwright Eugene O’Neill called Danville home when he wrote his final, great plays, including Long Day’s Journey into Night, twenty years before a brand-new freeway led the charge into the modern era.

Join local author Beverly Lane as she shares gems from Danville’s past.

Author Biography

Beverly Lane is a graduate of Occidental College in Los Angeles, a historian and an author. An avid researcher of local history, she has given lectures and written numerous articles and books about Contra Costa County, including San Ramon Chronicles: Stories of Bygone Days and Historic Tales of Alamo. A community organizer and elected official, she has served as mayor of Danville and president of the East Bay Regional Park District Board. She and her family have lived in Danville for more than fifty years.