MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – A special display of the history of Harbin Springs has been mounted at Gibson Museum & Cultural Center in Middletown.

The gallery, at the corner of Highway 29 and Callayomi, is open from 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Harbin Springs was the first resort in Lake County to be opened to the public.

The story is that the original owner, Richard Williams, advertised in Bay Area newspapers in 1868 while he was still digging out the road from Middle Station (Middletown did not yet exist) so the stages could make it all the way to Harbin.

Although several mineral springs resorts had previously opened in Sonoma and Napa counties, Harbin became immediately successful and remained so for decades.

This display celebrates less the long history of Harbin Springs, but rather its 40th anniversary as a center for the Heart Consciousness Church.

The group purchased Harbin in 1975 after it had fallen into serious disrepair. The complex is now one of the loveliest centers in Lake County, and is said to attract as many as 100,000 visitors a year.

Other displays have been modestly updated as volunteers’ energies have been diverted into solidifying plans for Gibson’s First Anniversary Gala May 3.

Gibson’s research library continues to grow. Researchers can now access Henry Mauldin’s 10,000 pages of historical notes and 3,000 historic photos in Middletown.

Archives of historic issues of the Lake County Historical Society’s Pomo Bulletin also are now safely housed temperature-and-humidity-controlled safety at Gibson.

Write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone 707-809-8009 for more information.