Historian Matt Hormann to Discuss Hidden Early History of Pasadena's Chinatown

South Pasadena Public Library co-hosts a talk by Matt Hormann on Pasadena's Chinatown and the events of 1885.

Historian Matt Hormann in the Community Room on April 28 to Discuss Hidden Early History of Pasadena’s Chinatown

A History Night presentation entitled “The Darkest Night—The Destruction and Rebirth of Pasadena’s Chinatown”, with local historian and professional journalist Matt Hormann, will be presented in the Community Room on Thursday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m. The program will focus on Pasadena’s Chinatown and the frightful events in 1885 that caused the displacement of the Chinese residents of Pasadena. The program, also featuring a slide show of historical photos and newspaper articles, will also showcase an audience Q&A with Mr. Hormann. The free program is presented by the South Pasadena Public Library, the South Pasadena Chinese American Club, and the Friends of the South Pasadena Public Library. Recently Matt Hormann gave a similar presentation for the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California that was extremely well received.

Historians --and even the journalists of the time—differ on some of the minor details of what exactly happened the night of November 6, 1885. Nevertheless, the major facts are clear.  The ordeal began with a dropped cigar and culminated with threats of mass violence. And over the course of the next 24 hours, enraged racists drove Pasadena’s 60 to 100 Chinese residents from the city.

At a time when anti-Chinese sentiment was at its height, locals were looking for almost any excuse to drive the Chinese out of Pasadena according to Hormann. About 100 men, a quarter or so of the entire population of Pasadena, participated in the riot, yet no one was ever charged or arrested in the case. And to this day, the names of the rioters remain unknown. The cruelty began when rumors were spread that the Chinese had started the fire. As a result, a riot was incited by a mob of white men.  By the next day, the entire Chinese population of Pasadena had fled. It was a pivotal incident in the city’s early history, leading to the creation of Pasadena’s first fire department and ushering in an era of racial separation lasting for decades.

Matt Hormann is a Pasadena-based freelance writer and historian who graduated from Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and California State University. He has been writing about local history for the past seven years. During that span, his work has appeared in the Pasadena Weekly, the Argonaut newspaper, Westways magazine, American Bungalow, Hometown Pasadena, and the Sierra Madre Historical Society Newsletter. His articles have focused on such topics as the real-life detective who tracked Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, the suffragist who went undercover to investigate a lynching in a Texas town, and the rise and fall of Pasadena’s most famous rock and roll venue.

The Community Room is located at 1115 El Centro Street and doors will open at 6:30 p.m. No tickets or reservations are necessary and refreshments will be served. Free parking available after 6:00 p.m. at the Mission-Meridian Parking Garage located at 805 Meridian Ave., adjacent to the Metro Gold Line Station. Special thanks to the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California and the Pasadena Weekly.

Matt’s 3600 word article “Night of Terror,” about the destruction of Pasadena’s Chinatown can be found online by googling “Pasadena Chinatown Hormann”.