This is a list of the oldest, continuously operated organizations or entities in the Davis, California area.
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1864. The Tremont Mite Society, founded circa 1864, celebrated its Centennial in 1964. Contact: Ruth Bink Eason, 707-678-1249. The original purpose of the organization was to raise money to build a church at Tremont, a few miles south of Davis. Since that achievement in 1871, it has raised money and volunteer labor for church upkeep. The church is still there and the task is on-going (Larkey, Davisville ’68, p. 105).
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1867. The United States Postal Service, local office in 1867. The famous William (“Solano Bill”) Dresbach, got his start as a local postmaster operating out of Solano House on the south bank of Putah Creek across from the bend of the Putah Creek Lodge Road. When he got wind a railroad was to come his way and create a grain-shipping village, he illegally moved his post office from Solano to Yolo County in early 1868. The Jerome Davis farm had long-since gone bankrupt and its farm house was empty. Dresbach installed the post office in that building (which stood near the middle of the parking lot at A and First streets) and named it Yolo House (Lofland, Davisville 1868, Part I).
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1868-1. The Davis Public Schools began September, 1868 when a group of citizens petitioned the Board of Supervisors to authorize a school, which it did (Vaught, After the Gold Rush, p. 137). It was called Yolo School and joined six other already-existing public schools “organized in rural districts in the 1860s” (Larkey, p. 83). (Some of these other six schools might also be counted as still-existing and be added to this list of oldest organizations.)
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1868-2: The Davis Democratic Club was active in 1868 as the Democratic Club of Putah Township (Vaught, p. 135, Lofland, placard 6-17-68).
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1869-1: The Davis Community Church “was authorized on May 8, 1869,” as The Davisville Presbyterian Church (Larkey, p. 105).
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1869-2: A Catholic Church group assembled in 1869 (Larkey, p. 107).
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1870: Yolo Lodge, No. 169, The Independent Order of Odd Fellows was founded in ceremonies at Yolo House on April 12, 1870 (Vaught, p. 137).
