Council members approved funding for History San José's newest and final exhibit at city hall during their Oct. 18 meeting. The nonprofit organization, responsible for keeping the city's historical documents and artifacts, received $110,420 for the exhibit "Silicon Valley A to Z," which was officially unveiled at the Oct. 15 grand opening of the city hall.

From an Apple I, an early computer that didn't come with its own monitor, to zines, small magazines that are written and produced by individuals, the exhibit is an illustrated history of how Silicon Valley has changed. "Silicon Valley A to Z" is located in the tower lobby.

"The theme is to celebrate culture, community, history and innovations," said Barbara Goldstein, public art director for the city. Staff members from the Office of Cultural Affairs and History San José decided to use city hall as a gallery to educate visitors and to showcase interesting collections that would otherwise go unnoticed because History San José on Senter Road doesn't have the space to show them. The three exhibits will be on display until December 2006.

"This collection belongs to the people of San Jose," said Alida Bray, director of collections and exhibitions at History San José. "We wanted to pull out things people have never seen at all. We wanted to tell bite-sized stories of actual people who lived and worked in San Jose."

One display that has never been exhibited is the story of Francis Dainty Co. The business was operated by three generations of Geer families who lived in the Willow Glen from 1886 to 1999.

The family members were entertainers who performed a variety of slack wire acts that included juggling and riding bikes while on a wire high above ground. The family traveled around the world performing. The exhibit displays some of the posters the entertainers printed to advertise the shows.

Bray said the name of the company varied between Francis and Frances because the patriarch thought more people would want to see a woman perform on a slack wire.

Visitors can view the Francis Dainty Co. exhibit, part of the "San Jose: Generations of Innovation and Diversity," on the first floor of the tower.

History San José has also put on display some pueblo papers, considered the oldest collection of papers documenting municipal life in San Jose, Bray said. One record is a vote tally from an 1850 election, and another document is a man's letter to pueblo officials about what to do about livestock that was removed.

Bray said she hopes visitors take a look at these details of California history, which have been omitted from the history books.

"This makes it much more human," she said. "They had the same problems we do."

Visitors can find the pueblo papers in the lobby in front of the council chambers and in the "A to Z" exhibit.

The exhibits also showcase 20 panoramic photographs that illustrate San Jose a century ago and show present-day life. The photographs are displayed along the walkway between the tower of the city hall and the council chambers. A photo of an all-white student body at Roosevelt Junior High School in 1931 stands in contrast to a photo taken last summer of the diverse student population at Trace Elementary School. Sarah Puckitt, who took the five modern panoramic shots, made an effort to photograph diverse groups of people.

"When we were planning for the panorama exhibit, the historic photographs didn't reflect the current population today," said Puckitt, History San José curator of art and photography. "We wanted to take contemporary panoramas and compare the work places and leisure activities of then and today."