On Sunday, May 26, 2024 starting at 2 PM, Sonomans and history buffs of all stripes will gather in Sonoma Plaza to commemorate one of the city’s most historically significant citizens: Solomon Schocken.

Schocken’s ingenuity, initiative, and industriousness elevated the city’s economic and civic well-being starting in the late 1800s to the early 1930s:

• He established a series of businesses including a popular general store in the Sonoma Barracks building.
• He developed a water distribution system and electricity network for the city.
• He funded beautification projects around Sonoma Plaza.
• He established a very successful rock quarry on Battery Hill (now called Schocken Hill).
• Schocken’s quarry supplied paving stones used to construct the streets of San Francisco, San Jose, and Stockton, providing employment for hundreds of recent Italian immigrants including Samuele Sebastiani.
• He was elected a city trustee and first proposed locating the now-iconic city hall in the center of Sonoma Plaza.

Schocken History:

Schocken arrived in Sonoma in 1873 as Sonoma’s first Jewish settler. He practiced the Jewish principle of contributing to the well-being of his  community.

Upon his death, the Sonoma Index Tribune eulogized Schocken as “… upright and square… the fairest merchant Sonoma ever had.”

His life and accomplishments will be celebrated on May 27th, the anniversary of his death in 1932 at age 89.

The event will take place from 2 PM-4 PM commencing at the Bear Flag Statue in the NE area of Sonoma Plaza and followed by a half-mile guided walking tour highlighting sites, photos. Original documents associated with the life of Solomon Schocken will be on display at a reception immediately following the tour.

Reservations will be accepted in the order received at: schocken@sonomavalleyhistory.org

Space is limited; first come, first served.

A reception following the Stroll at the Sonoma Valley History Museum (formerly the Depot Park Museum) 270 First st West