Hidden History

About This Project

Built by a high schooler, the Hidden History Project is an initiative looking to amplify local Silicon Valley historical narratives. Our work is hedged on the belief that Silicon Valley's history — if not easy to see — is rich, plentiful, and globally impactful. Silicon Valley's forward-thinking nature doesn't mean its history should be overshadowed; on the contrary, it means its history is all the more relevant as a means of helping citizens form emotional connections to the land and to each other. Our aim is to surface the voices and places that shaped the region into what it is today.

Partners & Collaborators

• Museum of American Heritage
• Los Altos History Museum
• Hidden Villa
• PAST Palo Alto

Resources & Bibliography

• "360 Cowper / 489 Lytton." Palo Alto Stanford Heritage, pastheritage.org.
• "440–450 Bryant Street." Palo Alto Stanford Heritage, pastheritage.org.
• "706 Cowper Street / Downing House." Palo Alto Stanford Heritage, pastheritage.org.
• "2500 Embarcadero Road—Harbormaster's House." Palo Alto Stanford Heritage, pastheritage.org.
• "About." Stanford Hanna House, Stanford University, hannahousetours.stanford.edu.
• "About." St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, paloaltocatholic.net.
• Architectural Resources Group. Historic Resource Evaluation Report: 450 Bryant Street, Palo Alto, CA. Prepared for Avenidas, 14 Apr. 2016, cityofpaloalto.org.
• "Ashby House." Palo Alto Stanford Heritage, pastheritage.org.
• "The Birthplace of Silicon Valley: 391 South San Antonio Road." Cadence Community: Breakfast Bytes, Cadence Design Systems, 13 Aug. 2018, community.cadence.com.
• Faden, David. "Putting an Ohlone Site on the Map." Revfad Blog, 2 Apr. 2024, blog.revfad.com.
• Feuer, Margaret. "Frenchman's Tower." Palo Alto Stanford Heritage, 25 Oct. 2013, pastheritage.org.
• Feuer, Margaret R. "The Kee House—1899." Palo Alto Stanford Heritage, 5 June 2015, pastheritage.org.
• Feuer, Margaret. "Roth Building (300 Homer Avenue—1932)." Palo Alto Stanford Heritage, 7 June 2013, pastheritage.org.
• Feuer, Margaret. "Squire House—1904." Palo Alto Stanford Heritage, 7 Dec. 2012, pastheritage.org.
• Feuer, Margaret. "United States Post Office." Palo Alto Stanford Heritage, 15 Feb. 2013, pastheritage.org.
• "First Hospital Historical Marker." The Historical Marker Database, last revised 7 July 2024, hmdb.org.
• "The Frenchman's Tower." Atlas Obscura, 13 July 2015, atlasobscura.com.
• "A Grand Rebirth of Doctor's House." Palo Alto Weekly, 15 Apr. 1998, paloaltoonline.com.
• Hall, Christopher. "California's Hanna House." Via, AAA Mountain West Group, 1 Sept. 2022, mwg.aaa.com.
• "Hanna House." Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, franklloydwright.org.
• "Hewlett-Packard's History, Frozen in Time." CNET, cnet.com.
• "History of Tower Well Historical Marker." The Historical Marker Database, last revised 7 Feb. 2023, hmdb.org.
• Hoddie, Allegra. "The Stanford Theatre: Reliving Hollywood's Golden Era." M-A Chronicle, 20 Dec. 2023, machronicle.com.
• "A Home for Innovation: The HP Garage—the Birthplace of Silicon Valley." HP Corporate Archives, Hewlett-Packard, Dec. 2012, hp.com.
• "A Hostel with History in Los Altos." KALW 91.7 FM Bay Area, 7 Aug. 2012, kalw.org.
• "Hostess House (27 University Avenue / Veterans Memorial Building)." Palo Alto Stanford Heritage, pastheritage.org.
• "The HP Garage." HP Computer Museum, hpmuseum.org.
• "John Adams Squire House Historical Marker." The Historical Marker Database, last revised 7 Feb. 2023, hmdb.org.
• "Josephine and Frank Duveneck Life, Part 1." Los Altos Hills Historical Society, 2009, losaltoshillshistory.org.
• "Josephine and Frank Duveneck Life, Part 2." Los Altos Hills Historical Society, 2009, losaltoshillshistory.org.
• Jory, Jennifer. "Landmark: Palo Alto Tower Well." Punch Magazine, 11 Dec. 2020, punchmagazine.com.
• "Kee House." Palo Alto Stanford Heritage, pastheritage.org.
• Kinyon, Jon. "The Federal Telegraph Company." Powerless Press, 29 Mar. 2024, powerlesspress.substack.com.
• Laws, David. "Fairchild Semiconductor: The 60th Anniversary of a Silicon Valley Legend." Computer History Museum, 19 Sept. 2017, computerhistory.org.
• "Lee De Forest and the Birth of the Global Village." Homer Avenue: Palo Alto's Corridor of History, homeravenue.org.
• McCormick, Tim. "Old Palo Alto Post Office, and Our Disappearing Public Space." Tim McCormick, 17 Jan. 2012, tjm.org.
• "Mission & History." Gamble Garden, gamblegarden.org.
• "Mission & History." Hidden Villa, hiddenvilla.org.
• "Our Story." MacArthur Park Restaurant and Bar, macpark.com.
• "Professorville Historic District." National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 26 Jan. 2018, nps.gov.
• "The Roth Building." Palo Alto Museum, paloaltomuseum.org.
• Sheyner, Gennady. "Sale of Palo Alto Post Office Prompts Nostalgia, Uncertainty." Palo Alto Online, 23 Dec. 2011, paloaltoonline.com.
• "Success Story: Varian." Stanford Research Park, 16 Mar. 2024, stanfordresearchpark.com.
• T. B. Downing House National Register Nomination. United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1973, paloalto.gov.
• "Town History." Town of Los Altos Hills, losaltoshills.ca.gov.
• Valladares, Carlos. "The Stanford Theatre: Blast from the Past, and Key to the Future." The Stanford Daily, 5 Nov. 2016, stanforddaily.com.
• "Who We Are." Museum of American Heritage, moah.org.