Santa Barbara Historical Museum

Santa Barbara Historical Museum Our mission is to inspire meaningful connections to Santa Barbara history.
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Save the date: October 15 for Concierto Íntimo with the Antonio Artese West Coast Trio. The program features original c...
09/01/2026

Save the date: October 15 for Concierto Íntimo with the Antonio Artese West Coast Trio.

The program features original compositions—including the evocative Bartokiana Suite—alongside imaginative interpretations of classical works. Pianist Antonio Artese will be joined by bassist Emiliano Lasansky and drummer Matt Perko.

Tickets on sale now:
https://conciertoartese.eventbrite.com

Flor y Canto! 💃🌹🎶⁠⁠Join the Museum this Thursday, September 3 for early California music and dance.⁠⁠6:00pm Show (Lower ...
08/31/2026

Flor y Canto! 💃🌹🎶⁠
⁠
Join the Museum this Thursday, September 3 for early California music and dance.⁠
⁠
6:00pm Show (Lower Courtyard)⁠
5:00-8:00pm (Museum galleries open)⁠
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Guests can also view our latest exhibitions, Finding Saint Barbara and Arte de los Mantones, along with our permanent galleries, also be open for visitors. All ages welcome!

08/12/2026

An intimate evening of music in the historic Covarrubias Adobe

Step back in time with us! 🔍️⏳️ What was Fiesta week like 100 years ago? Take a peek into this original 1926 Old Spanis...
08/07/2026

Step back in time with us! 🔍️⏳️ What was Fiesta week like 100 years ago? Take a peek into this original 1926 Old Spanish Days Fiesta program, preserved in the Museum's Gledhill Library collection.⁠
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We'd love to hear from you: which of these events do you still celebrate today? And is there a beloved Fiesta tradition from the past you wish would make a comeback? 💃🎉 Viva!

This year marks the 100th anniversary of one of Fiesta's most beloved traditions❤️ ⁠⁠In 1926, the Reina del Mar Parlor ...
08/06/2026

This year marks the 100th anniversary of one of Fiesta's most beloved traditions❤️ ⁠
⁠
In 1926, the Reina del Mar Parlor No. 126, Native Daughters of the Golden West, was invited to select one of its members to portray Saint Barbara during Old Spanish Days Fiesta, establishing a tradition that continues today.⁠
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Each year, the woman chosen to represent the city’s patron saint serves as one of Fiesta’s most recognizable and cherished figures. Among her many official appearances, she rides on her own float in El Desfile Histórico and appears in ceremonial robes at La Fiesta Pequeña at Old Mission Santa Barbara and Las Noches de Ronda at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse. ⁠
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To celebrate, we're sharing some of our favorite images of Saint Barbara in El Desfile Histórico, from our Santa Barbara News-Press collection. See more in our latest exhibition, Finding Saint Barbara, open TONIGHT to 8:00pm, and Friday-Sunday 12:00-5:00pm.⁠
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⁠📸:⁠
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1. Doris Hartfeld Ray, Saint Barbara 1958 (Photo by Tomlinson Studio⁠)⁠
2. Bernice Hogg Rau, Saint Barbara 1964⁠
3. Mary Louise Days, Saint Barbara 1965⁠
4. Diana Russell Vandervoort, Saint Barbara 1968⁠
5. Veronica Ramirez Gonzalez, Saint Barbara 1976⁠
6. Lynda Bell, Saint Barbara 1981

Every Sunday morning on KMGQ-FM Goleta from 1983 to 1986, local radio and media personality Bayard Stockton interviewed ...
08/02/2026

Every Sunday morning on KMGQ-FM Goleta from 1983 to 1986, local radio and media personality Bayard Stockton interviewed local celebrities, authors, scientists, and artists about a diverse range of topics. ⁠While Stockton passed away in 2006, his decades-long commitment to promoting the local community and the people who call it home lives on through Good Companions. ⁠
⁠
The Santa Barbara Historical Museum’s Gledhill Library recently digitized over 100 episodes of Stockton's show, Good Companions, and is thrilled to announce a new podcast, Catching up with Good Companions, in which host Emma Holm-Olsen revisits select episodes of the historical broadcast.⁠

Listen to Bayard Stockton’s July 3, 1983 interview with historian and author Stella Haverland Rouse here: https://open.spotify.com/show/1SnP1JlYHLCOAuGK8suw60

Stella H. Rouse, February 12, 1991
Photo by Rafael Maldonado
Image from the Museum’s recently acquired Santa Barbara News-Press Collection

Every Sunday morning on KMGQ-FM Goleta from 1983 to 1986, local radio and media personality Bayard Stockton interviewed ...
07/12/2026

Every Sunday morning on KMGQ-FM Goleta from 1983 to 1986, local radio and media personality Bayard Stockton interviewed local celebrities, authors, scientists, and artists about a diverse range of topics. ⁠While Stockton passed away in 2006, his decades-long commitment to promoting the local community and the people who call it home lives on through Good Companions. ⁠
⁠
The Santa Barbara Historical Museum’s Gledhill Library recently digitized over 100 episodes of Stockton's show, Good Companions, and is thrilled to announce a new podcast, Catching up with Good Companions, in which host Emma Holm-Olsen revisits select episodes of the historical broadcast. ⁠

Listen to Bayard Stockton’s October 9, 1983 interview with chemical engineer and astronaut Lodewijk van den Berg here: https://open.spotify.com/show/1SnP1JlYHLCOAuGK8suw60

📸:
Lodewijk van den Berg, June 10, 1983
Photo by Ray Borges
Image from the Museum’s recently acquired Santa Barbara News-Press Collection

The Museum is saddened to learn of the passing of Sheila Lodge, who made history as Santa Barbara's first female and lon...
07/09/2026

The Museum is saddened to learn of the passing of Sheila Lodge, who made history as Santa Barbara's first female and longest-serving mayor.⁠
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We were honored to welcome Sheila as both an author and speaker, where she shared insights from her book, Santa Barbara: An Uncommonplace American Town. Drawing on years of research—including extensive work in the Museum's Gledhill Library—she explored how thoughtful planning helped shape the city we know today, reminding us that "Santa Barbara not only has a sense of place, it has a sense of community."⁠
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Images from the Museum's Santa Barbara News-Press Collection:⁠
1. Sheila Lodge, 1981 (Photo by Rafael Maldonado)⁠
2. Richard Johns, Sheila Lodge, and El Haldeman "checking out the new wading pool at Oak Park", 1982 (Photo by Rafael Maldonado)⁠
3. Dr. Michael Henderson and Sheila Lodge, De La Guerra Plaza, 1982 (Photo by Jason Bleibtreu)⁠
4. Sheila Lodge, Fiesta Pequena, 1983 (Photo by Rafael Maldonado)⁠
5. Sheila Lodge, 1982 (Photo by Rafael Maldonado)

Today the FINAL day of our pop-up exhibition, Stars, Stripes, and Santa Barbara! 🇺🇸 Featuring Independence Day memories ...
07/05/2026

Today the FINAL day of our pop-up exhibition, Stars, Stripes, and Santa Barbara! 🇺🇸 Featuring Independence Day memories from our Santa Barbara News-Press archive.🗞️⁠ Visit us today from 12:00-5:00pm, admission is free!⁠
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Enjoy this 1985 memory taken by Len Wood. 🎆📸

Address

136 E De La Guerra Street
Santa Barbara, CA
93101

Opening Hours

Wednesday 12pm - 5pm
Thursday 12pm - 7pm
Friday 12pm - 5pm
Saturday 12pm - 5pm
Sunday 12pm - 5pm

Telephone

+18059661601

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