(l-r) John Galvin in 1961, Erle Stanley Gardner in 1966.
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Courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum

We say Fillmore was founded in 1887 when the railroad came through, but it was not an actual town until 1914 when it was incorporated. Incorporation was not an assured event. There was strong opposition, mainly on the basis that creating a city would put another layer of taxes on the locals. On the other side was the argument that taxes currently being paid weren’t coming back to the local residents but being spent elsewhere in the county. Streets were not paved and the only paved sidewalks were those put in by the adjacent business owner. In August of 1914 the election was held with the vote split 208 for incorporation and 193 against. Fillmore became the newest city in Ventura County.

In the same election George Tighe, the first station master and store owner, was elected mayor and Clarence Arrasmith was elected city clerk. Besides Tighe on the “board of trustees”, forerunner to the city council, were Bowman Merrill, druggist; E. O. Goodenough, merchant; E. A. Pyle, “financier”; and S. H. Mosher, hardware merchant. At the first trustee meeting two additional officials were appointed – John Galvin as city attorney and Jack Casner, city marshal, both would receive the salary of $25 per month.

Two of the new city officials would serve Fillmore well into the second half of the twentieth century – Clarence Arrasmith and John Galvin.

John Galvin was born in Kentucky in 1888, but grew up in Rawlins, Wyoming, where he graduated from high school. He then went to the University of Michigan Law School, graduating in 1910. Immediately on graduation he moved to California, originally settling in Oxnard but finding no legal work there got a job at the sugar beet factory. A chance meeting with C. C. Elkins brought him to Fillmore in 1911.

In 1913, other family members from Rawlins moved to Fillmore. His father, Warren, was employed as a bookkeeper at the refinery. His brother, Warren, served in World War One, then worked as an electrician before serving in various law enforcement positions. His sister, Leona, worked in the post office for many years and was active in the Soroptimists. Sister Mary graduated from Fillmore High school in 1919 and worked for several years at United Mercantile before graduating from the USC School of Music and having a career teaching in El Rio and the Briggs School district before coming to Fillmore school in 1942. Mary was the beloved kindergarten teacher to several generations of the children of our community. Youngest sister, Katherine, graduated from Fillmore High school in 1923 and married William Grady who also worked for the Post Office. Mary and Katherine were both accomplished musicians and entertained at Clarence Arrasmith’s “Happy Hours.”

When asked how he was chosen with little experience to be city attorney, he replied, “It happened I was in the right place at the right time to draw up the incorporation papers and become the attorney. I had personality, obvious and unimpeachable character and I was the only attorney in town.” (Fergus Fairbanks was working as clerk at the Fillmore State Bank but hadn’t finished law school yet).

In July, 1920, he married Elizabeth Grenier, who was a teacher at Fillmore Union High School.

City Attorney was not a full-time job. John Galvin had a busy practice handling both civil and criminal cases. In addition to his legal work, he was active in community and county activities. As a public speaker he was also in demand. The May 3rd, 1934, Piru News reported that “Aside from the fact that Johnny Galvin is one of the most capable lawyers in Ventura County, he also finds time to go to the smaller communities and give them the benefit of his findings on what constitutes good citizenship. . . Not only his unquestioned ability but his wholesome manner and pleasing personality always assure him a warm welcome in Piru.”

He was also active in the Rotary, serving as president in 1926. He was also a member of the Fillmore Club.

In 1933, he became the president of the Ventura County Bar Association upon the resignation of one Earl Gardner, aka Erle Stanley Gardner the creator of Perry Mason. Like Galvin, Gardner had been admitted to the California Bar in 1911 and he first practiced in Merced until 1917. Through the years the two men came to know and respect each other. In May of 1950 Edith Moore Jarrett wrote to Gardner for advice on the contract Houghton Mifflin had sent her for her text book, “El Camino Real.” While Gardner explained he had not practiced law for several years and so could not give her advice on the contract he did suggest several places that could help her. He ended his letter to her with “…. it is a pleasure to do anything I can for anyone who is a friend of John Galvin’s.”

John Galvin retired for the position of City Attorney in 1964 and was honored by both the City of Fillmore and the League of California Cities recognizing his long years of service. He passed away in 1966.

The speaker at last week’s Fillmore Rotary was one of the newer members, Sean McCulley. During college he began making videos and working on theater productions, while earning a double major in Commercial Art/Journalism. In 1993 he began his first business, Mudturtle Media, and started McLee Creations with his wife. During the pandemic he began making a video all about Corvettes, his favorite car. He showed the video to the group, which thought it was fantastic. Sean clearly has an eye for detail and knows how to keep the viewer engaged. He has also written a children’s book called Archibald The Airplane, Tales From Willoughby. Sean’s latest adventure is purchasing and restoring the Fillmore Towne Theatre. He presented a PowerPoint of the entire building and talked about all that needs to be done and his vision of the finished project. One of the main challenges is acquiring the funds for the restoration. Sean’s Company, Mudturtle Theatrical Inc, is a 501(c) 3, if anyone would like to donate to make our theater a wonderful destination for community theater, movies, music, lectures and more. Courtesy Fillmore Rotary Club member Martha Richardson.

Due to the onsite construction, the Fillmore Library will close to the public starting on Oct. 24, 202, for an indefinite period. It is anticipated the project will take about eight months.

Once the project is completed, the Fillmore community will have an expanded, modern public library. The newly expanded library will include a classroom, two study rooms, an Innovation/STEAM lab/community meeting room, a designated computer space, new public laptops, usable outdoor areas, new public restrooms, and more. This project will effectively double the footprint of the existing library.

To provide some library services in Fillmore during the closure, the Mobile Library will begin making stops at the Fillmore City Hall, Central Park, once per week on Tuesdays, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Such services will continue throughout the closure. Additionally, during the closure patrons may use the collections and services or return books at any other Ventura County Library branch, including the Piru Library and the Saticoy Library. Community members may also use the online Virtual Library 24/7 throughout the closure.

For more information please visit: https://www.vencolibrary.org/branch/fillmore-library-closing-renovation-...

Clarence Arrasmith Cira 1945. Clarence came to Fillmore in 1911 was the first City Manager for Fillmore in 1918.

Happy Hour Program February 5, 1932.
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Covers of the Annual Reports 1953 - 1954.
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Courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum

We say Fillmore was founded in 1887 when the railroad came through, but it was not an actual town until 1914 when it was incorporated. Incorporation was not an assured event. There was strong opposition, mainly on the basis that creating a city would put another layer of taxes on the locals. On the other side was the argument that taxes currently being paid weren’t coming back to the local residents but were being spent elsewhere in the county. Streets were not paved, and the only paved sidewalks were those put in by the adjacent business owner. In August of 1914 the election was held with the vote split 208 for incorporation and 193 against. Fillmore became the newest city in Ventura County.

In the same election George Tighe, the first station master and a store owner, was elected mayor and Clarence Arrasmith was elected city clerk. Besides Tighe on the “board of trustees”, forerunner to the city council, were Bowman Merrill, druggist; E. O. Goodenough, merchant; E. A. Pyle, “financier”; and S. H. Mosher, hardware merchant. At the first trustee meeting two additional officials were appointed – John Galvin as city attorney and Jack Casner, city marshal, both would receive the salary of $25 per month.

Two of the new city officials would serve Fillmore into the second half of the twentieth century – Clarence Arrasmith and John Galvin.

Clarence Arrasmith was born in Newport, Indiana, in 1873. While in Indiana he owned two newspapers. After his marriage to Mary Grosjean in 1903 he moved to Illinois. He came to Fillmore in 1911 and served as assistant post-master to Richard Stephens.

In 1918, the town moved to the “City Manager” form of government that we still have. Arrasmith was hired as the first city manager for Fillmore. He would hold the position until his death in 1954.

Clarence Arrasmith was particularly known for his ability to communicate complex issues to the general public. Beginning in 1936, he wrote a weekly column in the Fillmore Herald called, “Over the Back Fence.” Through this column he would explain to the citizens of Fillmore why their water bill was what it was, why certain streets couldn’t be paved at the present time and what new ordinances meant.

The City’s Annual Reports during Clarence Arrasmith’s time as City Manager were actually fun to read. His final report for 1954 was “written” by one “Josiah Tuttle”, late of Vermont, and illustrated by Lawrence Hinckley. It was subtitled “Being a Fair-to-Middlin’ Report about City Doings at Fillmore, California, for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1954. Printed and Published by the City of Fillmore, California (but not Guaranteed).” Under the heading “Street Improvements”, “Josiah” wrote:
“Street improvements were on the program this year – but somehow or another they mostly got sidetracked – but there is a good chance that some of them will be done up in the paper sack this coming year – provided the proposed sewer project doesn’t get too much in the way”.

No bureaucratic jargon here.

Like the rest of the United States, the Great Depression had an impact on Fillmore. To lift people’s spirits, Arrasmith organized weekly evening “Happy Hours”. These were programs which included singing, instrumental music, readings and skits. One in early April 1932 was considered by the local paper to have been a “smashing success.” The program opened with the Community Orchestra (Arrasmith led and played the cello) playing “The Bridal Rose”. This was followed by Eddie Perkins, Jr., “one of the city’s most talented youngsters” doing some snappy novelty dances, accompanied by his mother on the piano. A community sing-along was then led by Eddie Perkins, Sr.. Mary Galvin, accompanied by her sister Katherine, sang several songs. This was then followed by Fergus Fairbanks giving a short, but interesting resumé on George Washington. More singing, and the program was closed with the Star-Spangled Banner. One of the highlights of the evening was the Fillmore Fire Department presenting an “interesting and novel number called ‘Paying a Bet’.”

On the night of July 20, 1954, Clarence Arrasmith felt unwell. A doctor was summoned (this was still in the days of house calls), but Arrasmith died of a heart attack that night. At the time of his death, he was believed to have been the longest serving city manager in the State. His many musical instruments were donated to the Fillmore High School Music Department. He was survived by his wife Mary, daughter Mildred and son, Donald.