Local History

Was it my imagination or did many years ago the Arlington Theater have the letters “FOX” on the steeple?

100 years ago, Santa Barbara started to outgrow the small size of our former courthouse located where the Sunken Garden is today.

El Capitan built the Santa Barbara Presidio, discovered San Francisco Bay and mapped out El Camino Real.

100 years ago in Santa Barbara, taxi drivers could be as young as 16-years-old.

Way back when, in February 1919, the big news hit the paper – “Sale of Potter Hotel Now Announced.” 

In February 1919, a group of Hollywood actors was sailing to a filming location on Santa Cruz Island when a winter storm hit.

Before Bogart's Cafe in the La Arcada Plaza, what used to be housed there?

After WWI, the campaign to Prohibition began as temperance ads began to run in local newspapers.

Veronica Springs Road gets its name from a spring in the area that was said to be healthful and medicinal

On January 9, 1857, another devastating flood struck the Santa Barbara area.

Do edhat readers remember the roller skating rink that used to be on W. Cota?

In January 1919, the local Santa Barbara paper reported the weather dipped to 28 degrees.

The local movie studio, Flying A, released a movie titled "Wives and Other Wives" in December 1918.

Betsy shares a Christmas advertisement for new slippers published in 1918 for the store E.F. Rodenbeck at 1021 State Street.

Kellogg Avenue is one of Goleta’s main roads. But who was Kellogg? Well, the Kelloggs were a successful family and they did a lot for the Goleta Valley and Santa Barbara.

In 1918 airplanes were flying over Santa Barbara but they didn't have a proper place to land and began setting down on the Riviera.

In 1918, Santa Barbarans were clamoring for barnacle chowder.

100 years ago, the Lockheed/Loughead brothers flight to Washington D.C. crashed in Arizona due to engine failure.

Betsy shares some interesting police reports from Santa Barbara in 1918.

100 years ago in 1918, the area where the Santa Barbara Airport is airport is now, was full of sharks! 

Can edhat readers help identify the vehicle and people in this local historic photo?

We take it for granted that November 11 is Veterans Day, but it was a new concept back in 1918. 

European explorers nicknamed an area of Goleta "Dos Pueblos" because there were two Chumash villages right next to each other.

Santa Barbara sunsets were still pretty popular in of 1918, so much so that a local poet dedicated some word art to them.

The influenza scare was alarming the parents of trick-or-treaters in  1918,  and put a damper on the demons on the streets of Santa Barbara.

In October 1918, there were more than 50 articles in the local papers about the Spanish Flu invading Santa Barbara.

Does anyone recognize this historic house believed to be in Santa Barbara and know where it is?

In October 1918, a famous wrestler arrived in Santa Barbara for a match with his pet pig.

From October 5 through January 2, the John and Peggy Maximus Gallery at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History will exhibit antique maps and books from the 17th to 19th centuries. 

As the summer temperatures were rising, the swimsuit controversy was heating up in Santa Barbara 100 years ago.