Santa Barbara Historical Museum

10/15/2026

Our friends at the Carriage and Western Art Museum are hosting this cool event tomorrow highlighting El Presidente of Old Spanish Days Fiesta and community leader Dwight Murphy.

Check it out!

10/04/2026

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. ⁠
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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 February 26, 1984 interview with photographer Ines Roberts here: https://open.spotify.com/show/1SnP1JlYHLCOAuGK8suw60

📸:
Ines Roberts, November 15, 1989⁠
Photo by Rafael Maldonado
Image from the Museum’s recently acquired Santa Barbara News-Press Collection

09/28/2026

✨️THIS THURSDAY✨️
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Join the Museum for Hispanic Heritage Month as we enjoy a concert by local band Mezcal Martini (6:00-7:30pm), known for their danceable Salsa, Cumbia and Latin music. 🌶️🔥🍸️🎶🎷⁠
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Guests can also view our latest exhibitions, Finding Saint Barbara and Arte de los Mantones, along with our permanent galleries, will also be open for visitors (5:00-8:00pm).⁠
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This is a FREE event for the community, and all ages are welcome!🌞

09/23/2026

Read about our recent event, "Convivencias" Tablao Museo, in collaboration with FLAMENCO Santa Barbara. Thank you Santa Barbara Independent!

Special thank you to dance writer Jatila van der Veen for her engaging and thoughtful review in the Santa Barbara Independent of our production, Maria Bermudez' "CONVIVENCIAS."

The evening was a dream! We were incredibly fortunate to share this experience with our Santa Barbara community. Thank you to Maria for her visionary leadership, to all the artists who shared their art, and a special cheers to all who support our work!

The event, Tablao Museo is produced in partnership with Santa Barbara Historical Museum and Flamenco Live Productions. Photos by Fritz Olenberger.

https://www.independent.com/2026/09/22/convivencias-santa-barbara-style/

09/13/2026

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 March 24, 1985 interview with marine biologist Peter Howorth here: https://open.spotify.com/show/1SnP1JlYHLCOAuGK8suw60

Image from the Museum's Gledhill Library collection.

09/09/2026

Did you know?🔍️ You can explore on our website hundreds of images of historic Santa Barbara from the Museum's Gledhill Glass Plate Collection.⁠ This collection consists of photographs from 1890-1916 taken primarily by Norman H. Reed and I.N. Cook, two of the most prolific commercial photographers in Santa Barbara during that period. ⁠ ⁠
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This image of Old Mission Santa Barbara was taken by N.H. Reed (1848-1917) in 1986. Out of Illinois, Reed came to Santa Barbara in 1887, and soon became one of the city's most acclaimed photographers, documenting local events, the changing cityscape, and taking portraits of Santa Barbara's denizens. Among his most celebrated images include those of Santa Barbara Mission, the Floral Festivals of the 1890s and the Channel Islands.⁠
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To explore more images from this collection, click the link here: https://sites.google.com/view/gledhill-library-collections/visual-audio/photographs
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📸⁠:⁠
Old Mission Santa Barbara, 1896⁠
Photo by N.H. Reed (1848-1917)⁠
Collection Santa Barbara Historical Museum⁠
1965.232.1296

09/05/2026

Labor Day weekend in Santa Barbara, 1965. ⏳️⁠
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"Popular Sunday activity is Domingo Art Show in De la Guerra Plaza from 1 to 5p.m. Local artists display their work while residents and visitors get an idea what's astir in the Santa Barbara art community."⁠
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Story originally published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on September 4, 1965. Follow us as we share more local memories from the Museum's recently acquired Santa Barbara News-Press collection, and comment below if you spy any familiar faces! 💭

09/04/2026

School's back in session for Santa Barbara! Enjoy these memories from the Museum's collection.📚️📓✏️📖🏫⁠
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📸:⁠ ⁠
1. Santa Barbara High School, 1956⁠
2. San Marcos High School, 1962⁠
3. ⁠La Cumbre Junior High, 1964⁠
4. ⁠Dos Pueblos High School, c.1967⁠
5. ⁠Dos Pueblos High School, c.1967⁠
6. ⁠Dos Pueblos High School, c.1967⁠
7. Santa Barbara High School, 1968⁠
⁠8. Santa Barbara Junior High, 1968⁠
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Tag a fellow alum or drop your memories in the comments — we love hearing how our schools have shaped Santa Barbara's story.❤️

09/03/2026

"As women, we need to treat ourselves as well as we treat others." - Gloria Steinem, speaking to an audience of 180 people at Chaucer's Books in Santa Barbara, February 11, 1993. ⁠
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Photo by Elaine Thompson, from the Museum's recently acquired Santa Barbara News-Press collection.