History Happening
with City Historian Ty Smith
August 3rd, 2026
History Awash in Neon
Sometimes, city historians find themselves on the corner of 9th and J streets at 8 pm, just waiting for the neon to flicker to life. The plan was to meet Jordan Mata, a journalist from KVIE/PBS’s Abridged, at the Fred Mayes Public Clock. Jordan wanted to know about Sacramento’s on-again, off-again love affair with neon signs. The Drifters tell us that the neon lights are bright on Broadway. On J Street in Sacramento, not so much. At least not on Monday nights. And as we would find out, same is true for the Crest Theater, and Old Ironsides. Undeterred in our search for neon lights, we moved south until we, at last, basked under the neon glow of Tower Theater and had a wonderful discussion about neon lights, past, present, and future.
There was a time when downtown Sacramento was awash in neon. Historians credit Earl Anthony with erecting the first neon sign in California. Anthony owned a car dealership in Los Angeles. The glowing red and blue letters that spelled out Packard created a spectacle and snarled traffic at the intersection of 7th and Flower streets. Some people described neon as liquid fire. One could see how it must have tapped into something ancient within us. Neon spread quickly to other cities, Sacramento included.
During the interview, Mata asked me what happened to all the neon signs in Sacramento. As popular as neon signage was, its decline coincided with the invention of suburbia. As people, or at least the people who could, began to embrace the suburbs as the embodiment of the American Dream, “Downtown” changed to being a place of work, or perhaps a place of entertainment, but not a place of “home.” In this context, people began to view neon as tacky and tawdry and linked with the ills of the inner city. There was still a need for signage, but new, cheaper methods emerged and neon flickered and then faltered.
As the “How Things Work” segment details, however, neon is not dead, not by a long shot, even if a little hard to locate on a Monday night. The craft lives on through the skilled hands of Melissa Uroff, and certainly the Center for Sacramento History has more than its fair share of neon signs. Archivist, Sabrina Holecko, put together a fascinating overview of CSH’s collection. https://www.centerforsacramentohistory.org/exhibits-programs/neon-signs
If you want to hear Jordan and I wax poetic about Sacramento’s neon signs, you can find the segment here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Da1WFAcIP2n/
Ty
July 6th, 2026
Of Fond Farewells, Welcomes, and New Beginnings
What a difference a couple months can make. As winter turned to spring, I was rounding the corner into my tenth year as museum director of the California State Railroad Museum. The job was good. Life was good. And then I saw an intriguing job on LinkedIn. And then it kept coming up in conversations I had with colleagues at both CSU Sacramento and California State Parks, and among my many personal and community connections. I know that there were many qualified people who, like me, put their best foot forward. I feel fortunate that City leadership, including Megan Van Voorhis, found alignment in my vision for publicly engaged history and entrusted me with this important role. Sacramento is a world-class city. Its history is important and far-reaching, and it has much to say to its residents and to the world.
As I have started to wade into what I intend to be a long tenure as Sacramento City Historian, two emotions stay with me. The first is a profound sense of responsibility to Sacramentans, past, present, and future. It is important that we treat their stories with care and tell of their lives and times in ways that are truthful and accurate. It is also important that we collect objects and stories that represent the wide range of Sacramento experiences. The second emotion is gratitude, which comes in ample measure and from every direction. A couple of weeks ago, the California State Railroad Museum and the larger Capital District of California State Parks gave me a generous send-off. Having spent 26 years with California State Parks, departing was more than bittersweet. The welcome has been as fond as the farewell. Everyone at the City, and especially the staff at the Center for Sacramento History (CSH) has been quick to help and generous with both their time and expertise.
The staff at CSH are few, but they are mighty! I am happy to work with them to further the missions of both CSH and our larger Department of Convention and Cultural Services. I am also thrilled to work within and for the larger community. I have already had many wonderful conversations with passionate residents and, here at the beginning of this new chapter, as I begin to think about future messages in this newsletter, please let us know what you would like to hear from me. What kinds of stories or insights would you like me to share and in what format?
After all, I am yours in service.
Ty
