Local History

Local history is the study of history within a geographically local context and it often
concentrates on the local community. It incorporates historical cultural and social aspects.
Local historical societies or organizations that emerge to protect a historic structure or another historic
site in the area frequently record it. Amateur historians working alone or archivists employed by
various organizations generate several works of local history. The publication and
categorization of materials from local or national archives that are relevant to specific locations are cru
cial to local history.

Learning history through a local lens can be an engaging and powerful way to study the past. Local
repositories of historical resources are the local museum, libraries , and historic sites. Timelines and
maps are invaluable tools to study history. From using a timeline to understand photographs that show
a changing town landscape to using maps to understand settlement patterns, these tools help locate
primary sources in concrete ways and read and analyze these sources. Connections between local
and regional or national events can also be more transparent for students when timelines and maps
are compared.

Museums in Batangas

The Leon and Galicano Apacible Museum is an 18th-century abode that was
renovated in the 1930s, adopting an art deco design. It was later turned into a museum in the
early 1970s and donated to the
government in 1976. The first museum
and the only art deco house in Taal,
Batangas showcase the life and works
of the two brothers—Leon and
Galicano Apacible—and the role they
played during the struggle for
Philippine independence in the last
quarter of the 19th century.

Permanent collections: Aside from

the story of the two brothers, the
Museum also houses relics, a great
number of antique furniture, countless
dinnerware that dated as far back as
17th-19th century China, France , and Italy, family photos and paintings, vintage mirrors,
antique chandeliers, figurines and pieces of jewelry owned by the Apacible family.

The Museo De La Salle is a lifestyle and decorative arts museum featuring certain
aspects of the 19th-century Philippine lifestyle. It was set up to foster its use in cross-
disciplinary learning and growth in an academic environment and with respect to its
immediate community.

Permanent collections: The Museo De La Salle collection comprises antique family

heirlooms such as furniture, decorative objects, as well as fine and applied arts, all displayed
in faithfully-recreated rooms. The Museo De La Salle is a contributor to ASEMUS Virtual
Collection of Asian Masterpieces. 16 pieces among its thousands of objects are presented as
part of the project. These notable pieces,
reminiscent of the Victorian era in Europe,
represent the fine Filipino craftsmanship in
furniture making and design.

The house where the 'Mother of the Philippine Flag', Marcela Agoncillo, was born was built
by her grandfather, Don Andres Mariño, around the 1780s. It was one of the earliest bahay na
bato in Taal. The ancestral house was then passed on from generation to generation until it
was inherited by Marcela Mariño at the death of her grandfather. Felipe Agoncillo, the first
Filipino diplomat, also lived in this house upon his marriage to Marcela in 1889. On July 6,
1980, the living daughters of Marcela Agoncillo, Gregoria , and Marcela Jr., donated the
Mariño ancestral house along with various furniture and family memorabilia to the then
National Historical Institute. Inside this centuries-old house, together with the ambiance of a
regal Spanish town, is a new and modernized museum
Museums You Can Visit Virtually

Museo ni Apolinario Mabini -

Tanauan, Batangas.

It is one of the biggest museums under

the care of the National Historical
Commission of the Philippines which
exhibits the life and heroic deeds of
Mabini through interactive learning,
touchscreen computer terminals,
hologram, actual footage of the war,
augmented reality, paintings and his
personal memorabilia. It was expanded,
refurbished, and reopened on the
occasion of Mabini’s 150th birth
anniversary on 23 July 2014 by
President Benigno Aquino III. The shrine
was designed by the great Arch. Juan F.
Nakpil, National Artist for Architecture, is
indeed a fitting memorial to a true sage,
Apolinario Mabini.

https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/apolinario-
mabini-shrine-tanauan/

Museo ni Miguel Malvar – Malvar,

Batangas
The Museo ni Miguel Malvar, in
Batangas, showcases the life and times
of Gen. Miguel Malvar, Philippine's last
highest general to surrender and his
legacy to the liberation of the Philippines
against the United States.
https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/miguel-
malvar-historical-landmark/

Museo ni Jose Rizal – Dapitan,

Zamboanga del Norte

The Museo ni Jose Rizal, Dapitan

reflects Rizal’s life in exile through his
personal memorabilia and
correspondence with his family and
friends, whom he missed dearly.
Some of his most poignant letters
were written in Dapitan. His nipa hut
residence, clinic, school, dormitory,
dam and waterworks are living
testaments to Rizal’s expansive
range of talents and his commitment
to serve the country he loved. https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/rizal-shrine-dapitan/
Museo ni Emilio Aguinaldo – Kawit,
Cavite

https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/emilio-
aguinaldo-
shrine/wppaspec/oc1/lnen/cv0/ab35/pt42
5

The Museum of Philippine Economic

History – Iloilo City, Iloilo
Located along Ortiz Street in Iloilo
City, the museum houses artifacts,
images, documents, and other items
that depict the rich economic history
and culture of Iloilo as well as the
Philippine’s flourishing industries.

https://nhcp.gov.ph/museums/the-
museum-of-philippine-economic-history/