Dr. Howe-Waffle House-Medical Museum

Here's a great story about early Santa Ana thanks to Chris Jepsen.

Tickets are now on sale for our annual "An Evening with Poe" event. This event sells out every year. Be sure to purchase your tickets today if you want to experience one of our most popular events of the year! Tickets at: http://santaanahistory.com/

TODAY! - Noon till 4 pm - An Easter Bonnet Open House with the Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society Put on your best Easter bonnet and join us for a special spring Open House at the beautifully restored 1889 Victorian Dr. Willella Howe-Waffle house on Saturday, April 4th, 2015 from noon to 4:00. As you tour this historic home, once the residence and medical office of one of Orange County’s first female physicians, learn about the history of the Easter bonnet tradition and enjoy tea and cake in our beautiful garden. Visit www.SantaAnaHistory.com for details.

An Easter Bonnet Open House with the Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society Saturday, April 4th, Noon until 4 pm Put on your best Easter bonnet and join us for a special spring Open House at the beautifully restored 1889 Victorian Dr. Willella Howe-Waffle house on Saturday, April 4th, 2015 from noon to 4:00. As you tour this historic home, once the residence and medical office of one of Orange County’s first female physicians, learn about the history of the Easter bonnet tradition and enjoy tea and cake in our beautiful garden. Visit www.SantaAnaHistory.com for details.

We're mourning the loss of a good friend this week - Ben Grabiel. Besides being a wonderful father and warm & kind friend to many, Ben was a long-time friend of Santa Ana and dedicated preservationist. Ben had been a board member of SAHPS for a few years and an associate board member for others. He was instrumental during the fight against One Broadway Plaza and later against the City's Station District project with its destruction of historic houses in the Lacy neighborhood. We will miss him!

Celebrate Mardi Gras at an Open House with the Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society on Saturday, Feb 7th from noon to 4 pm. Take a journey back in time as you tour the beautifully restored 1889 Victorian Dr. Willella Howe-Waffle House and Medical Museum. Enjoy a taste of New Orleans as our Open House celebrates the origins and traditions of Mardi Gras, complete with beignets and chicory coffee. Tap your feet to the rhythm of live Dixieland jazz, and take your photo in fr...ont of our Café du Monde! As you tour this historic home, once the residence and medical office of one of Orange County’s first female physicians, learn about the history of Mardi Gras and the connection of the old South to Orange County. Before you leave, be sure to visit our gift shop to purchase interesting books on local history, and vintage gifts and ephemera. Adults $5, Seniors and Members $4, Students K-12 $3 Want to know more about this unique city? Explore the history and fabulous buildings of downtown Santa Ana with an expert guide on our Downtown Landmark Architectural Walking Tour, starting off at the Dr. Howe-Waffle House at 2:30. ( An additional $8 per person order tickets online at our website or call to reserve a spot at 714/547-9645) A special combined house and downtown walking tour ticket is available for $10.00; please arrive before 1:15 to enjoy both tours. The Dr. Willella Howe-Waffle House and Medical Museum is located at 120 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana, California. (free parking is available in our lot, or at the UCI Family Health Center at the NE corner of Sycamore and Civic Center Drive). Visit us at www.SantaAnaHistory.com

The Orange County Archives at the beautiful Old Orange County Courthouse in historic downtown Santa Ana will be open on Saturday, Jan 24 from 10 am to 3 pm. Normally, the Archives is only open during the week, but they are expanding to add one Saturday a month for those who can’t visit during the week. You can use their photos, maps, books, and millions of other documents to discover the history of your home, your neighborhood, or your local ancestors. The helpful OC Arch...ive staff will be on hand to assist your local history research needs and help guide you through their extensive materials. The OC Archives is located in the basement of the Old Orange County Courthouse located at 211 W. Santa Ana Blvd. (at the corner of Broadway and Civic Center Drive, one block west of Main St). Their regular weekday hours are 9 am to 12 pm and 1 pm to 4:30 pm (closing for lunch). Other Saturday openings include Feb 14, Mar 21, Apr 25, May 16, and June 27. For more info visit www.ocarchives.com.

This Saturday (Dec. 6th) the Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society will host our annual holiday open house from 3 to 7 pm. Enjoy refreshments and hors d'oeuvres as you help us celebrate the Society's accomplishments, give hearty thanks to our members and supporters, and begin the season with a generous helping of Holiday cheer. This year's festivities are free to the public and include a host of wonderful activities to entertain you: a children's choir (the School Of Our ...Lady's Childrens' Choir at 4:00 pm); a holiday sing-a-long; gingerbread decorating; shopping at a special holiday boutique and our unique gift shop. As you relax in the splendor of Victorian trimmings, see the Dr. Howe-Waffle House in a whole new light-candlelight! Arrive a bit early and you can also explore the history and fabulous buildings of downtown Santa Ana with an expert guide on our Downtown Landmark Architectural Walking Tour, starting off at the Dr. Howe-Waffle House at 2:30. Tickets for the tour are just $8 per person. Call 714/547-9645 to reserve your spot on the tour. See more

In celebration of Veteran's Day. Thank you to all who served or who continue to serve. Thank you to all the families who support those who protect us.

As parents ourselves, our hearts go out to the family & friends of the girls killed on Halloween Night. Here's a link to the Fund to raise money for the burial expenses of the twins. If we get information to help with the third girl, we'll post that too. http://www.gofundme.com/gl7l4s

Sorry to say, but our Santa Ana Fire Museum open house for November has been cancelled due to major renovation going on at the fire house. We expect the County to be done for our next open house on January 10th. We'll let you know as we get closer. Meanwhile, if you need your dose of Santa Ana history, be sure to visit us for our holiday open house at the Dr. Howe-Waffle House-Medical Museum on Sat., December 6th. More information to follow! Meanwhile enjoy these wonderful photos from local resident Annabella Pritchard taken at our recent cemetery tour of some of the fire vehicles we featured.

We've been getting ready for another great historical cemetery tour - this Saturday, Oct 25. The theme you ask? The local firefighters of Orange County. Visit our site at http://www.santaanahistory.com/CemeteryTour.html for more information on the tour.