History lives on at the old city of Angeles in Pampanga, which has revamped its image in recent years as a progressive industrial center and wholesome tourist destination.
Formerly called Barrio Kuliat, the city is dotted with Spanish-era ancestral houses, churches and historical markers. Its colonial past is proudly on display along the city’s main and oldest street, Sto. Rosario, and at Clark Field (formerly known as Fort Stotsenberg, an American encampment).
Its rich history can be traced through a "Heritage Tour" being offered by the Museo Ning Angeles, located at the town center.
The tour starts at the historic museum, which was constructed in 1922 during the incumbency of Mayor Don Juan Nepomuceno. The building was converted into a city museum after initially serving as the site of the old municipal hall.
In 1999, the city hall was turned over to the Kuliat Foundation by the city government to serve as the Museo ning Angeles.
The museum showcases Kapampangan history and culture through a charming diorama exhibit of Ninay Dolls at the ground level, created by Patis Tesoro, an Angeleña. It shows various episodes of Kapampangan lifestyle, such as weddings, fiestas, and depicting the town’s industries, such as pagdudukit or woodcarving.
The exhibit hall also features the evolution of Philippine Revolutionary Uniforms from 1806-1906; a brief history of Angeles through dioramas and photos; and the Hall of Fame, which shows Angeleños who have made significant contributions in their field.
Right across the museum is the old stone church, which was constructed in 1877 on a parcel of land donated by the grandson of the town founder, Don Angel Pantaleon de Miranda.
Residents of the town were subjected to forced labor to complete the hallowed structure, under the Spanish government’s "polo y servicios." The church design was Central European Romanesque, with the bell towers reaching a height of 3.5 meters. It was completed on Feb. 12, 1896 – at the time the tallest church in the whole of Pampanga.
During the Philippine-American War of 1899, the church belfries were used as watch towers by Filipino revolutionists, including Gen. Antonio Luna and Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo.
Along the tour is the Founder’s House in Sto. Rosario, a typical bahay na bato with a stone and roughly cut tree trunks as foundation, wide wooden planks for flooring and capiz shells for windows.
The founder’s grandson Mariano Vicente Henson inherited the house and it was passed on to the latter’s son Don Pepe Henson and then to Vicente N. Henson. In 1980, Vicente’s daughter, Rosalie Henson Naguiat and her husband Sergio T. Naguiat, Jr., undertook the renovation of the Bale Matua, as it came to be known.
A few minutes’ away is the Bale Herencia ancestral home, whose owner is the museum director, and a Barangay Captain, Mr. Jose G. Paras, Jr.
The two-story high house is a classic example of a bahay na bato, where the rich families of the colonial era lived. The basic architecture has been restored, with big capiz shell windows, wooden floors, and doors, among other parts of the house, inducing an air of nostalgia.
The evolution of the house from a residence, to a Catechism School, office of a town councilor, mini-casino, then a commercial establishment, took several years. It was sold to Mr. Paras in 1986, who started the painstaking process of restoring the old building to its former glory.
At present, it is being used as a function hall, hosting beauty queens and art exhibits, among other lavish luncheons, dinners and other celebrations.
The Pamintuan Mansion, which currently serves as the Central Bank of Angeles, is a historic edifice that housed Gen. Aguinaldo as his Presidential Residence in 1899.
On June 12 of the same year, the president ordered a grand celebration and parade on the occasion of the first anniversary of Philippine Independence. The parade was led by Gen. Gregorio del Pilar and passed by the Pamintuan Mansion, where Aguinaldo was watching from a second story window, waving the original Philippine flag with all aplomb.
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