MUSEUM EXHIBIT SHOWS LIFE IN THE `OTHER' '90S.Byline: P. Catherine Shanks Community Columnist ``Household Amusements in the 1890s,'' the new Santa Paula Santa Paula (săn`tə pôl`ə), city (1990 pop. 25,062), Ventura co., S Calif., on the Santa Clara River in a fertile valley that yields citrus fruits, avocados, vegetables, flowers, nursery products, and walnuts; laid out 1875, inc. Historical Society exhibit at the Santa Paula Union Oil Museum, contains a wide assortment of the goodies and gadgets that caused minds to wander and turned 1880s idlers into dabbling dawdlers. The time is that ``other'' turn of the century, and the place is a small town with a big claim to farming and oil production in Ventura County. The scene is a parlor or patio or any place where friends and family regularly meet to enjoy the pleasures and pastimes of a simpler, more serene era. ``In the midst Adv. 1. in the midst - the middle or central part or point; "in the midst of the forest"; "could he walk out in the midst of his piece?" midmost of the current millennial fever, it's good to look back and see what was going on in the homes back then,'' said Union Oil Museum curator John Nichols People named John Nichols include:
He said the timely exhibit gives visitors a sampling of what life was like when people talked and played together before TV and mass transportation changed the pace of society. Early Santa Paula settlers lived full and interesting lives. Outside of their laborious workaday toils, they found time to sort out political issues over a game or refreshment, or to escape to other places through music, photos, books and keepsake treasures. The methods of amusement were as varied as the people who enjoyed them. The early settlers came from as far east as New England New England, name applied to the region comprising six states of the NE United States—Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The region is thought to have been so named by Capt. , and as far south as Mexico. ``They came from Maine and Mexico,'' said Nichols. He explained that the descendants of early Spanish and Mexican landowners sought to establish lives and livelihoods in farming and citrus growing in Santa Paula. Families from the East Coast established the Santa Paula oil industry. Items in the household amusements exhibit reflect the differences in the way early residents took time out to relax or to celebrate special occasions. A few universal pleasures show up amid the collection. A porcelain chocolate pot resembling an English teapot stands properly atop a table in one tableau. A large, round metal chocolate pot with wooden utensils rests in a corner, next to a pan used to prepare carnitas, in another part of the display. The living room of the transplanted New Englander New England A region of the northeast United States comprising the modern-day states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. New Eng often included a harmonium harmonium: see reed organ. harmonium or reed organ Free-reed keyboard instrument in which wind from a foot-operated bellows causes metal reeds to vibrate. Pitch is determined by the size of the reed; there are no pipes. keyboard, a concertina concertina (kŏnsûrtē`nə), musical instrument whose tone is produced by free reeds. It was invented by Sir Charles Wheatstone in 1829. or mandolin mandolin (măn'dəlĭn`, măn`dəlĭn'), musical instrument of the lute family, with a half-pear-shaped body, a fretted neck, and a variable number of strings, plucked with the fingers or with a plectrum. . Mexican settlers brought with them a rich folk music tradition. The trumpet, cello and guitarra graced the home like art pieces. When played, the instruments added joy to many a festive celebration. Though the household amusements exhibit occupies only a small portion of the museum space, its appreciation requires a long linger. As the viewer takes in the many detailed objects, the mind begins to piece together a picture of the typical Santa Paula home a century ago. Historic photographs mounted on the walls show some of the pieces in their original settings. Stereopticon stereopticon (stĕrēŏp`tĭkən), optical projection instrument making multiple use of the magic lantern. The magic lantern uses lenses to throw on a screen a magnified image from a transparent slide or from an opaque object such as viewers lent dimension to photographs of the famous Paris Exposition. Women must have dreamed of the Parisian fashions while browsing through the pages of the latest fashion catalog. Modified bustles and puffy sleeves were all the rage General Public's All the Rage was released in 1984 by I.R.S. Records. Track listing
Children and gentlemen have told a tall tale or two while sharing their collection of fossils and Chumash arrowheads. Oil paintings opened windows through which thoughts wandered, and a fancy new Kodak camera captured special moments on film. Fiesta dresses and woven and crocheted shawls and sashes decorate the walls of the display with bright splashes of color. The castanets castanets (kăs'tənĕts`), percussion instruments known to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, possibly of Middle Eastern origin, now used primarily in Spanish dance music or imitations of it. and maracas appear as if they want to spring into action at the first strum of the guitar. The brown Tiffany-style oil lamp, humidors and brandy service await a complement of local businessmen meeting together in repose. A portrait of a young man and a framed wedding picture lend a sense of living history to the detailed display. The original items collected by members of the Santa Paula Historical Society are all in exceptional condition and are well worthy of a special visit to the Union Oil Museum. The Santa Paula Union Oil Museum is located at 10th and Main streets in downtown Santa Paula. For more information, call (805) 933-0076. |
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