Local historian and author Phil Brigandi has just completed his latest work, A Brief History of Orange, California, published by The History Press. The book is available on Amazon.com and at select shops, including A&P Collectibles here in Old Towne.

Phil, who was born and raised in Orange, has penned several books about Orange through the years, including Orange, The City ‘Round the Plaza, a coffee table book published in 1997. His first book about Orange was based on a play written in 1887 by a group of local residents: The Plaza. A Local Drama in Five Acts. It was a spoof on the real estate boom at that time, and interestingly enough, mirrors the recent economic meltdown nationwide.

“There was a real estate boom in the late 1880s in Southern California,” Phil notes. “It ended with the market getting oversaturated by speculators and the banks clamping down on credit.”

Phil says his latest work encompasses all of Orange, including the outlying communities of El Modena, Olive and other old towns now defunct such as St. James. Located west of The Village at Orange, St. James was a boomtown during the 1880s, situated near the tracks between Orange and Olive.

“There was another town called McPherson,” said Phil. “It rose from the raisin grape industry here, but a blight destroyed the vineyards.”

The book also covers such fascinating topics as the citrus industry and a wild–west robbery. First–hand accounts give life to the stories, including those of Orange’s first city manager, George Weimer.

A history lover at heart, Phil has written about other communities, but always seems to come back to his hometown.

“Orange has a good sense of its history. People still think of Orange as a small town, and part of that is due to our history, the historic downtown neighborhoods and the Plaza itself. This book is written for readers who may not necessarily be from here, but who are attracted to Orange and want to know more about the place that they call home.”

Phil will be doing book signings through the holidays, as well as giving programs for various historical societies. For information about Phil’s new book, visit TheHistoryPress.com ●

Published in the Nov/Dec 2011 edition of the Old Towne Orange Plaza Review

Written by Karen Anderson