Downey History Center

Although the Los Angeles County City of Downey was not incorporated until 1956, its history is rich and worthy of preservation. It traces back to former California governor John Gately Downey (1827~1894), who founded the town in the 1870s.

This was the original site of the very first Taco Bell restaurant, and it is still home to oldest continually operating McDonald's restaurant in the world just the fourth link in the fast food chain built in 1953. Among notable residents, siblings Karen and Richard Carpenter, the duo who made up the chart-topping singing group called the "Carpenters," moved to the area with their parents in 1963 and both attended Downey High School.

Making sure the city's short but illustrious past is properly chronicled and archived is the mission of the Downey Historical Society, which oversees the Downey History Center in Apollo Park at 12540 Rives Avenue, Downey, California 90242-3444. The Center contains exhibits, a research library, and artifacts related to the area from the arrival of Los Nietos Valley pioneers right up to the present.

Newspapers dating back to 1888 are preserved here, along with photographs as old as 1870. There are post cards, arrest registers, burial and cemetery records, genealogical research, water company records, high school annuals, walnut grower's stock certificate books, and much more. Operating hours are from 9am to 2pm on Wednesday, Thursdays, and the 3rd Saturday of each month, or by appointment. The Downey History Center is staffed by volunteers.