This is a now a 2-part multi with all points within a fairly easy
walk of each other. The highest muggle factor is
from behind the nearby restaurant/market.
The Newland House gets its name from the original owners,
William and Mary Newland, who built the house in 1898. When the
house was built, much of the surrounding area was swamp land, known
then as "Gospel Swamp". With the help of neighbors, William Newland
was able to drain off the water giving access to the fertile land
beneath. On the newly exposed ground, Newland planted celery, lima
beans, chili peppers, and sugar beets.
The octagonal turret at the front of the house was William's
office, where he conducted the farm's business. The view from the
turret gave him a splendid panorama from Long Beach to Saddleback.
The office turret was William's favorite room. He used it until he
got older, and climbing the stair became too difficult. Mary and
the seven daughters took it over and turned it into a sewing room.
Over the years the Newlands and their ten children would
occasionally find Native Indian artifacts around the grounds of the
farm. The artifacts were from an ancient Indian village site that
the house had been built on. In the 1930s the Work Progress
Administration did an archaeological dig of the area and removed
many of the valuable artifacts some dating back 5,000 years.
In 1933, Mary took charge of running the house and the farm upon
William's death. She remained in the house until her own death in
1952. After Mary's death, the house was leased to the Signal Oil
company who then leased it its employees. In 1974 the city allowed
the Huntington Beach Historical Society to start restoring the
house to its original glory. Finally on October 14, 1985, the house
was designated an authentic Orange County Historic Site and placed
on the National Register of Historic Places. A visitor to the
museum will find the house furnished as it would have been when
William and Mary resided there. This gives the visitor a sense of
what life must have been like in the early part of the twentieth
century. The museum is open to the public on Wednesday and Thursday
from 2 p.m. to 4:30 P.M. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4:00
P.M. The tour is guided and takes about a half hour. Fees are $2
for adults and $1 for children. In the "Country Store", patrons to
the museum can purchase gift items. Funds raised by items sold at
the gift shop are used to maintain the museum.
For more information, please call the museum at (714)
962-5777.
Please note that there are caretakers on premises
24 hours a day so be discreet.