The Imperial Beach Historical Society is involved with internal and local projects supporting civic organizations and businesses, as well as the City of Imperial Beach. These projects support a better understanding of the history of Imperial Beach.
This is a special year, as it marks 10 years since we started as an informal history group. Additionally, the 70th anniversary of the incorporation of the city of Imperial Beach will be celebrated in July. We will be supporting 70th birthday events and the Sun & Sea Festival.
We are looking for new members to support our efforts. There are many ways you can help us. If you have any old photographs, newspapers and clippings, periodicals, brochures, and other items related to Imperial Beach, or have personal story about Imperial Beach that you would like to share, please contact us by email at ibhs.info@imperialbeachhistoricalsociety.org with the subject "Information Request" or send a reply here. You may also message us through our Imperial Beach Historical Society Facebook Group.
July 18th, 2026 will mark the 70th anniversary of the incorporation of the City of Imperial Beach. Also, the first "Sun-n-Sea" Festival was held in July of 1961, in conjunction with the fifth birthday of the city. It would be 65 years since the first festival. It was an active part of community life through the 1960's until 1980. The Jaycees (Junior Chamber of Commerce) were the main group responsible. It was superceded by the International Sandcastle Competition beginning in 1981. A new Sun & Sea Festival was revived in 2013.
The Imperial Beach Historical Society is supporting the Imperial Beach Chamber of Commerce and the Sun & Sea Festival organization, along with I. B. Arts and the Imperial Beach Branch, San Diego County Library. Many of our projects will be supporting the 70th birthday celebration.
In 1976 Freda Elliott and Mary Jane Ethington did a series of interviews and oral histories of long-time residents of Imperial Beach as part of the events leading up to the city's 20th birthday and the U.S. Bicentennial. These were funded by the Imperial Beach Women's Club. The original cassette tapes and transcribed recordings are part of the Imperial Beach Historical Society archives. We are working on digitizing and processing the audio for preservation.
For 2026, we are embarking on a similar project for the city's 70th birthday. We have a copy of the original questions that were used by Freda as a basis for the oral histories and are looking for individuals interested in sharing their memories.
In support of the oral histories and recollections, Joe Tames at IB Records Radio will be providing us access to his podcast studio to capture oral histories, showcase stories and topics of historical interest, and provide historical context for current events where applicable. There is also a plan to support “People on the street…” interviews to capture timely thoughts and historical commentary regarding life in Imperial Beach.
If you are interested in talking about your experiences living, working, or visiting Imperial Beach, we would like to hear from you. Additionally, long-term residents are encouraged to share your stories about the early days of Imperial Beach, what has changed, and any other insights, stories, and incidents that you feel are of interest to the community. If you would like to participate, please send us an email to: ibhs.info@imperialbeachhistoricalsociety.org with the subject "Oral History Project". You may also send a reply here. We will get back to you with additional details. Thank you for supporting this effort. It is planned that archived podcasts and related information will be available in the future.
In support of the Imperial Beach 70th birthday, the Imperial Beach Historical Society is reviewing and refreshing our archives. Part of this collection includes both personal and professional physical photographs that have been acquired and donated over the years. Many of these have been scanned. We also have copies of digital images that have been posted on social media sites. Additionally, we have images from old postcards that were graciously provided to us so we could digitally scan them for our archives. Other information such as books, bulletins, newspapers, phamplets, posters, yearbooks, and other printed media are also part of our archives.
We are reaching out to the public - If you have any old photographs, postcards, newspapers and clippings, periodicals, brochures, and other items related to the history of Imperial Beach, you may donate them so we may preserve them in our archives. Also if you wish to keep the items, we would request that you allow us borrow the items to digitally scan for our archives. If you would like to donate item, please send us an email to: ibhs.info@imperialbeachhistoricalsociety.org with the subject "Historical Items". You may also send a reply here. We will reply with additional details. Thank you for your support.
As part of the 70th birthday celebration, we are working on identifying old photographs from our archives that show specific locations in the early days of the area now known as Imperial Beach for an upcoming photography show. We are looking for the following:
⮞ Old photographs or slides in your personal collection that reflect life in Imperial Beach that you would be willing to donate (or allow us to make a digital copies) for our archives.
⮞ Amateur and professional photographers to help us duplicate the historical images as they exist in 2026. This could include both photography, video, and drone images (specifically from the perspective of offshore and in the location of the first municipal pier from 1909)
If you would like to contribute to this effort, please send an email to: ibhs.info@imperialbeachhistoricalsociety.org with the subject "Then and Now Photos". You may also send a reply here.