February

BAY POINT HISTORICAL SOCIETY

PRESERVING THE HISTORIES OF: Bay Point, Clyde, Nichols, Port Chicago,& West Pittsburg

Page 1

CHRONICLES
Vol. 6 Historical Society Board Members
Eva Garcia, President Marcia R. Lessley, Vice President Nancy Colchico, Secretary Barbara Middleton, Treasurer Ray OBrien, Past President Board Members: Rita Gott JoElayne Johnson Dean McLeod Flossie Hall, Dir. Emeritus Gloria Magleby, Dir. Emeritus I am happy to report that in my first year as President we are continuing to move forward with the establishment of a permanent site in Bay Point for the Fages Crespi expedition monument. We continue to spend many hours archiving and recording documents and artefacts. Our team is strong but we are in need of more volunteers to archive our rich history. Additionally, we will soon be launching a BPHS website. Moving forward I would like to request ideas and or concerns from our members. In order for us to continue to strive and grow in numbers, we need to make a concerted effort to involve our networks. We hope you continue to support our mission and join us in our work ahead. Lastly, I want to thank the Executive Board for all the great work and effort provided this past year. Eva Garcia, Web Page Project Leaders Marcia R. Lessley Jesse McLeod Dean McLeod BPHS President

No. 1

We appreciate all of our

We appreciate all of our BPHS members!

BPHS Members!
Saving the history of Port Chicago, West Pittsburg, Nichols, Clyde and Bay Point.

A Message from our President

Pacifica Project Leaders:

Terry Silverman Faqundes Cheryl Seymour Gerber Joe Massey

Fages-Crespi Project Leaders Ray OBrien Dean McLeod Eva Garcia

Three volunteers ( left to right, Nancy Colchico, Rita Gott & Barbara Middleton) work at recording the records in the Society's collections. Every week, three or four members of the society visit our collections of papers, photos and maps that are on loan to the Contra Costa History Center, in Martinez. They thoroughly enjoy the shared memories of the community as they preserve and catalogue the records. Would you like to join them? Would you like to contribute your family and community related materials? Contact any Board member.
Photo & article by Dean McLeod

February 2013 HAVE YOU PAID YOUR 2013 MEMBERSHIP DUES? PLEASE DO IT NOW! $25 for a Single Member $40 for a Family/Org./Business Mail to: Bay Point Historical Society, P.O. Box 5386, Bay Point, CA Membership form enclosed If your name is NOT on this list of paid 2013 members, we have NOT received your dues for 2013. A big THANKS! to those who have renewed or joined this year.

CHRONICLES
BPHS Members paid for 2013
Allied Waste Norma Beard Daniel & Nancy Colchico Raynell Robinson Coleman Criterion Catalysts&Tech. L.D.
Evelyn & Roy Thompson Davenport

Page 2 Edythe Atanasu Rodgers Wells Fargo Bank Margaret Wildes Carlo Zocchi DONATIONS APPREICATED The Bay Point Historical Society (BPHS) welcomes gift of funds, stock or property, and bequests in Wills and Trusts, or in Honor or in memory of someone. Because BPHS is an all volunteer organization, 100% of your gifts go to its projects. All gifts are tax deductible, and will be acknowledged personally and in the newsletter unless requested otherwise. Checks should be made out and mailed to the Bay Point Historical Society, PO Box 5386, Bay Point, CA 94565. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. NOTE: The Membership Drive begins Sept and continues through Feb. 28, 2013

The Society depends on your support PLEASE RENEW OR JOIN NOW!

Ron & Josette Como Enes Neal & Diane Essary Rita Gott Florence Cawthorne Hall Janess Hanson Henkel Corp. Barbara Herendeen Insurance Auto Auction Inc. JoElayne Johnson Marcia & Pat R. Lessley Marlene A. Lessley Elaine Estes Lyons Gloria Magleby Louise Fluitt Manry Kathleen & William Mero Dean McLeod Sharon Eileen Levada Meyer Barbara Enes Middleton Julie C. Nelson Raymond J. OBrien

Bay Point Historical Society Membership Application

Preserving the Historic Communities of: Bay Point, Clyde, Nichols, Port Chicago & West Pittsburg P.O. Box 5386 Bay Point, CA 94565
Name: Address: City: Phone: Home Email: Annual Membership Type: Membership Level: Supporting $25 Renewal Nonprofit $25 Family/Organization/Business $40 Cell: State: Business Zip:
(Please Print)

New Member

Additional Tax deductible donations: General Fund Pacifica Project

If you would like to volunteer, check your area of interest. The committees are: __Chronicle Newsletter __Building __Documentation __ Fages-Crespi Project __Port Chicago NPS Visitor Center __Membership __Oral History __Research

Please return form and check to: Bay Point Historical Society P.O. Box 5386 Bay Point, CA 94565 Membership Chairperson: Barbara Middleton, 925 458 -4487, email: barbs.place@comcast.net
The Bay Point Historical Society is a non-profit organization with 501(c)(3) status

February 2013

CHRONICLES
years. Up until this time there had been a large migration of Mennonites from Europe who came to the US to escape constant persecution. Rev. Lichti at one time lived in Kansas and eventually moved his family to Reedley, CA in 1917 where many German Mennonites made their homes. The 1900 census finds him single in Garden, Harvey, Kansas and shortly thereafter, in 1901, Otto marries Elizabeth Eymann. Looking at the birth places of the first three of their six children from 1906 to 1911, they lived in New Jersey, Ohio and Connecticut where they stayed at least until May 1913, the date of his naturalization in Ansonia, CT. California voting records in 1918 have him listed as a teacher. Their absence in the 1910 census may be attributed to Otto, Elizabeth and their two children, Otto and Adele visiting in Germany. The 1920 census has Otto, Sr listed as having the occupation of farmer. We find their family, including the last three children born in California, residing in Reedley, Fresno, CA. Sad to say that in the same year he passed away at age 45, leaving his widow and young Otto and his five siblings, ages 4 to 14 years old. Elizabeth died two years later By the 1930 census we find some of the children living with relatives in the Reedley area and Otto has moved on to Contra Costa County, living on his own, age 23 and working as the proprietor of the drug store in Port Chicago, CA. His neighbors were Walter and Eunice VanWinkle and also William VanWinkle, Walters father. The 1940 census shows Otto as single, age 33, living with his sister, Adele and husband, Herman Schmidt and their two young children. He is still the proprietor of the drug store and has finished his second year of college at UC Berkeley. By this time he is also

Page 3 serving the community as Justice of the Peace. In November, 1940 he married Mary Jorgenson Peterson of Del Ray, Florida. They remained married until her death in 1972. During his era of service as a Justice of the Peace the area had superior and municipal courts but the bulk of litigation was done at the local justice courts. Sixteen justice courts handled misdemeanors and felony preliminary hearings. The justices were appointed by the Board of Supervisors and not required to be lawyers. In fact, most of them were local business men who maintained their day jobs while administering justice in their free time. As cited in The Contra Costa Lawyer Publication, The famous Otto Lichti was a druggist in the town of Port Chicago. The courts were informal with no court reporters or clerks and the judges did their own record keeping. They knew everyone in town, the good and the bad. They knew which families would administer punishment on their own and which ones needed government intervention. All politics and punishments were local. Things started changing as the population grew. The Port Chicago Justice Court alone dedicated two days per week to protester prosecution cases during the Vietnam War. Justice Lichti would hand out sentences, 15 days for protestors who lied down in front of the ammunition trucks and 30 days if they resisted. Many protestors, later found to be wonderful people, were treated with dignity despite the political chaos. What the justices lacked in knowledge of the law, they made up for in common sense and professionalism. Justice courts were finally abolished in 1972, four years after Judge Lichti was forced from his job by the US Navy condemnation of Port Chicago. The Judge was instrumental in fighting against the takeover but to no avail. The life of this fine man ended in 1977.
By Nancy Colchico

PORT CHICAGO PERSONALITIES...

JUDGE OTTO LICHITI, LEADING LIGHT OF THE COMMUNITY. Appointed justice of the peace on Sept. 1, 1938, Judge Lichti served the community for many years. In his first case, he suspended the sentence of Arnold Kane for dining and dashing at the Peterson Pool Hall. Kane was required to report every two weeks on good behavior. Lichtis court had jurisdiction over misdemeanors with maximum penalties of $500 fines and 6 months in the county jail. Felony convictions in those years, handled by Superior Court, resulted in sentencing to San Quentin or execution.
Courtesy of Dean McLeod Images of America Bay Point

Otto Eymann Lichti was born on July 15, 1906 in Bloomfield, New Jersey to German immigrant Rev. Otto Lichti (1875-1920) and his American born wife, Elizabeth Mary Eymann (1877-1922). The senior Otto Lichti arrived in America with his parents and siblings in 1891 at the age of 16

DO YOU HAVE INFO ON THIS PHOTO? Bay Point Baseball Team

We think it might be Mt. Diablo High School in the late 1920s Call or email Barbara Middleton 925 458-4487 or barbs.place@comcast.net We think that the young man in the top row at the right is Walter Gandera

Who Is This Person? This man lived in what is now Bay Point at the turn of the last century. Who is he? "If you can guess the name of this man, you get a free membership in the BPHS for one year. (No Board Members please)
By Dean McLeod