Orange (Images of America: California)
Title: Local author tells history of Orange in photos  Author: Camino Alonso-Ponga Publisher: OC Register  Date: 12/11/2008 Phil Brigandi is a local historian. He's been researching and writing about local history since 1975, and wrote his first book when he was 18. He was an Orange County archivist from 2003-08 and now serves as their historical consultant. He's also served on the board of directors of the Orange Community Historical Society, and the Orange County Historical Commission, and has been honored by historical organizations for his work. However, his real satisfaction, he says, is simply having people read my books. Brigandi, 49, will sign copies of his newest work, Image of America; Orange, on Friday in Orange.  Q. How do you describe your book? A. It's a book of historic photos, from the early days of town up to about 1950. That's different from a photographic history. I'm not trying to tell the whole story, just highlights and glimpses of our past. I wanted to give people a taste of what old Orange was like. I think most of my readers are people who care about Orange. That can be old-timers and their families, or newcomers who've moved to town and put down roots here. Q. When did you decide to write the book and why?  A. I had been thinking about doing a book for the Arcadia series for several years, but only recently had the time to take it on. Writing a book even one that's mostly photos is a big job, and I wanted to make sure I had the time to do it right.  Q. How long did you work on it?  A. In a way, I've been working on this book since 1975, when I first started researching the history of Orange. I spend a lot of time reading through the old newspapers, talking to old-timers, and looking at government records. The old-timers have been especially helpful, and gave me many of the photos for my book. Q. What do you expect of this publication?  A. Historic photos are just another way to tell the story of the City of Orange, and a book like this can help take that story to many more people. Q. How many books have you written about the history of Orange County?  A. I've written about half a dozen books on the history of Orange, including the first full-length history of the city, published in 1997. Lately I've also been doing more on Orange County. My most recent county book is Orange County Place Names A to Z, which traces the history of many of the place names around the county. I've also written books on parts of Riverside and San Diego counties. Q. Why is the history of Orange so important to you?  A. Orange is my hometown, so I've always had a special love for our local history. I think local history can help give people a sense of place, and a connection to where we live. We need that more than ever these days. Q. What is the most remarkable anecdote you came across working on this book?  A. I don't know if it's remarkable, but it was very interesting for me to really look closely at some of these old photos you see all the time and try to figure out just what you can see in them. Trying to zero in on the date they were taken can be tricky. You use all kinds of little clues. In one, the old Orange Theatre is already built, but it doesn't have the marquee on the front yet. That puts it between about 1925-28. Then I noticed the sign for a business that didn't open until 1928, so I knew it had to be that year, but not any later. There's another photo I can date because some trees have been cut down. --OC Register