The Tri-Cities have a museum dedicated to their past. The Washington Township Museum of Local History says its mission is to preserve the memories, documents, artifacts and structures of southern Alameda County, meaning Fremont, Newark and Union City.
Eight towns, one township
Washington Township was created in 1853 from the southwestern part of Alameda County, according to Wikipedia. For decades it was farmland dotted with eight towns. Newark was one. Alvarado and Decoto later became Union City. Centerville, Niles, Mission San Jose, Irvington and Warm Springs became Fremont.
A firehouse museum
The museum sits in a fire station built in 1954 for the Mission San Jose Fire District, Wikipedia says. Volunteer firefighters ran it until the City of Fremont took over, and it served as a fire station until 1994. It was then remodeled and leased to the Mission Peak Heritage Foundation and the Washington Township Historical Society. The collection includes the historical collection of Dr. Robert Fisher, with local record books, documents and 7,500 photographs.
The museum's site notes that Chinese immigrants were documented in the area as early as the 1860s. It also says the museum is working with Union City to rehabilitate a building at 3841 Smith Street and reopen a museum and research facility there.
When to go
The museum and its California native garden are open Wednesdays and Fridays, plus the second Saturday and Sunday and the fourth Sunday of each month. All hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It also offers group tours and walking tours.