Hatch comes to Los Gatos from a position at the Palo Alto Arts Center, where she specialized in organizing school and family programming. However, she says she has always wanted to work at a history museum, so Los Gatos seemed like the perfect opportunity.

"I've been in nonprofit and museum management for 10 years. I was really excited when this opportunity came up, because I've always been drawn to Los Gatos," Hatch says, talking of her childhood growing up in the Silicon Valley. Hatch attended Santa Clara University for her undergraduate studies and earned her master's degree in art education from Stanford.

Hatch says when she interviewed for the position, she became even more excited about the possibilities.

"I was really impressed with the board and how much time and effort they put into this organization, and how excited they are to serve the community," she says. "They really do a lot of work here."

It sounds as if Hatch couldn't have come at a better time. The History Museum recently launched a yearlong project celebrating the history of Los Gatos. Over the next year, this series will take people from the town's modest beginnings up to modern day.

The current installation, the first in the series, is titled, "Los Gatos through the Years: From the Beginning Through 1890." Sarah Parks, chairwoman of the history committee, and Pat Dunning, the board's treasurer, describe some of the exhibit's highlights.

Parks and Dunning say, in many ways, Los Gatos owes its existence to two sheep ranchers and brothers-in-law, Jose Hernandez and Sebastian Peralta, for whom two local streets are named. In 1839, they were granted a rancho measuring approximately 6,631 square feet and constructed their first adobe home near the Los Gatos Creek, in what is now Vasona Park. Although it is believed the home was torn down sometime before 1858, the town of Los Gatos is now located within the boundaries of that old rancho.

Hernandez sold 2,000 acres to James Alexander Forbes in 1852, on the east side of the Los Gatos Creek. Forbes went on to build Forbes Mill--the current site of the History Museum--in 1854.

"Really, Los Gatos wasn't Los Gatos until the mill. So we had to include the lumber industry [in our exhibit] because that's what really got things started," Park says, showing off some historical lumber tools that are part of the exhibit.

Other authentic, historical items on display include a schedule from the South Pacific Railroad, which ran right through downtown; Victorian-style dresses; and a milling stone from the original mill. The exhibit also showcases photos such as portraits of Lyman Burrell and Mountain Charlie and pictures of the original Tollhouse and Lexington School.

"If you have a museum in town, you need to have things people remember or want to know about," Parks says. "So, we're starting from the beginning."

Parks and Dunning say the next installment in the series will start with the Cartridge Fire of 1891 and take viewers through 1920. Parks also says the museum needs donations from the community that represent Los Gatos during the 1960s.

Hatch says she couldn't be more excited to be a part of such an important, historical exhibit.

In addition to helping manage the exhibit, Hatch is also assessing the current state of the town's two museums and formulating goals for her position.

"I really want to work with the town and local schools to find ways to better serve the community," she says. "I'm looking forward to meeting the town council members."

Hatch says she thinks her new job is everything she has been looking for.

"I really wanted the chance to take a history museum and an art museum, integrate the programming and make them more cohesive," she says. "That's always been one of my main goals."

The History Museum of Los Gatos, 75 Church St. off of E. Main Street, is open Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $2. 'Los Gatos through the Years: From the Beginning Through 1890' is on display through April 15. For more information, call 408.395.7375 or visit www.losgatosmuseum.org.

El Camino Hospital