Local History

In 1916 the local papers warned about an X-rated movie named "Purity" that was filmed in Montecito.

The Santa Barbara newspaper in 1912 detailed an interesting story of electricians being chased off an ostrich farm at State and Islay Streets.

In a prime example of inter-library collaboration, the Santa Barbara Public Library recently partnered with the UCSB Library Special Research Collections to preserve more than 3,000 historic photos of Santa Barbara County.

The process of filming silent movies over 100 years ago at the local “Flying A” studio was anything but silent.

You may already know about two historic Goleta hangars, but lately, a couple of different groups have begun to organize plans to try to save them.

The “Flying A” filmed this movie at one of the mansions in Montecito in 1916.

In 1912, a trained burro stole the scene during a movie being filmed in Hope Ranch.

Everybody knows and loves this beautiful old building. We have for decades. And we are all waiting patiently for the city to save it.

There were still hitching posts on State Street in 1912 when the cowboy actors from the “Flying A” rode into the city.

Every June 17 and any time the thermometer tops 100 degrees the story is retold of “Santa Barbara’s Hottest Day” on June 17, 1859, when the temperature reached an astounding 133 degrees.

In 1912, “Flying A” actors and film crews often showed up unannounced and startled Santa Barbara residents.

Does anyone remember the bombing in Stonehenge Jewelry in the 70s?

A 1912 newspaper clipping explains why the Flying A movie studio moved to Santa Barbara from San Diego over 100 years ago.

By the time this fire insurance map was made in 1930, the "Flying A" studio had been closed for years.

One of the reasons why the “Flying A” studio, and other movies companies, located to the West Coast was to take advantage of the abundant sunshine here.

Over 100 years ago a long article in the local paper described what it called "the artistic studio of the American Film Manufacturing Company," and how all eyes were focused on it.

The Flying A studio had arrived here in July 1912, and by the end of that year, they purchased some land on the first block of Mission Street, west of State Street.

The first "Flying A" movie studio in Santa Barbara was at the corner of State and Islay Streets, but it's long gone.

Many SB folks know about the “Flying A” building on the corner of Mission and Chapala, but this is something else. 

On April 20, 1919, the adventure serial “The Tiger’s Trail” was released. Some episodes were filmed on Santa Cruz Island.

Santa Barbara’s very own movie company was featured in a 1915 magazine titled "In Motion Picture Land," which called it one of the most attractive studios in California.

Neal Graffy shares a historical reenactment video of Santa Barbara's el canon perdido, the lost canon, on April 5

Daniel Hill was one of the biggest American influences on Santa Barbara and Goleta. He was an industrious craftsman that, among other things, changed the way houses were built in this sleepy little pueblo.

In 1916 a film titled "The Dumb Girl of Portici" filmed some scenes at an estate in Montecito.

Some Santa Barbara folks appeared in silent movies produced by the “Flying A” film studio, but here’s a hometown actress who appeared in some 200 films.

Even movie stars over 100 years ago drove a spiffy set of wheels.

One hundred years ago, movie studios had neither budget nor equipment for special effects, so they leapt into action to film disasters such as shipwrecks and use them in a film.

Does anyone know the history of this structure on lower De La Vina Street?

Tom debunks a local myth regarding the attack on Ellwood by a Japanese submarine in 1942.

In the 1900's there were a couple of walking and hiking groups in Santa Barbara.