Vintage Car Club members tour Motte's Historical Museum

FALLBROOK – As one of the special events the Fallbrook Vintage Car Club sponsors each year, club members had the opportunity to visit and take a tour of Motte’s Historical Museum on Aug. 24 in Menifee.

Twenty-nine members made the trip to the museum (located inside a big, rustic barn) located on Highway 74(E) about a mile and a half off of Interstate 215. The Motte family has been viewed as pioneers of the Perris Valley area with farming being their main endeavor. The family grew fruit and other produce for distribution in the Southern California market and continues to do a great deal of farming currently.

The museum is a Motte family-operated enterprise which was initiated in 2007 at the encouragement of the family matriarch, Evelyn Motte, after their fruit and produce business closed.

Over the years, the Motte family has accumulated and restored many of their family cars and trucks and the barn lends itself to housing them in a museum-like environment.

Today, the museum displays 21 vehicles dating from the 20’s through the 50’s. From Model A’s to Auburn boatail speedsters, to pick-ups, to limousines, the collection provides a vivid historical account of the ‘wheels’ driven by the Motte family.

Besides automobiles, the museum also provides much ‘period’ décor and upon entering the visitors are greeted by decades of history from the Roaring 20’s to the Nifty 50’s. There are life-size nostalgic photos, a 1950’s diner, and an art deco cinema among the many attractions included in the barn.

During the tour, car club members were treated to a question and answer session by Leon Motte, one of the brothers of the Motte family. All in all, it was a great way for club members to take a ride in the country and spend some time looking back into early California life.

The museum is a non-profit, tax-exempt, charitable corporation and hence there is no admittance fee, only a request that visitors provide a small donation.

For information on the Motte Historical Museum, call (951) 821-6210 or visit http://www.MotteMuseum.com. For more information on the Fallbrook Vintage Car Club call (760) 723-1181 or visit http://www.fallbrookvintagecarclub.org.