Workman & Temple Family Homestead Museum

It was a decade of extremes with floods, drought, and disease wracking the region in its first half, and a surge in population and economic growth making for the area’s first growth boom in the second. The 1860s also brought about major transformations for the Workman and Temple families as they navigated these challenging times, so join us as Museum Director Paul Spitzzeri takes us back over 150 years to review this remarkable decade.

"Of course there are the streets and schools and buildings that bear their name. The history of the Workman family is forever entwined with that of the San Gabriel Valley and Los Angeles. But what I love most about this immigrant tale is how true it is for any family: one ancestor decides to strike out to a new place and the roots they establish make for one thrilling, tragic and altogether human story." Journalist Anissa Rivera previewed a program we're offering on April 25 focusing on the English ancestry of the Workman family being given by John Sharpe via Zoom from William Workman's hometown of Clifton, England. https://www.sgvtribune.com//the-stirring-immigrant-tale-b/

For the Temple family, it was quite a decade. They began the 1860s with a flood forcing them to flee their home on a raft and dealing with a devastating drought, but ended it as likely the wealthiest family in a rapidly growing greater Los Angeles. Join us this Sunday, April 11, for "Deluge, Drought and Deliverance," an illustrated program about the Workman and Temple Families in 1860s LA: https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_WPC-93OTTdWgKakvn_-giQ

#HappyEaster! This postcard from our collection shows a Sunrise Service Hollywood Bowl in 1929. 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of this tradition, which will be virtual this year. Here are posts from our blog about the image and a bit of history about the Bowl. https://homesteadmuseum.blog//striking-a-chord-the-hollyw/ and today's about the first Easter Sunrise service from 1921: https://homesteadmuseum.blog//take-it-on-faith-paeans-of-/.

People find value in the Homestead’s collection near and far! This 1890s cabinet card photograph of the Los Angeles Oil Field is featured in new documentary short for the University of Virginia's Religion, Race & Democracy Lab called God $ Green, the story of how potent forces came together to mount an army of climate change skeptics in the name of God, country and capitalism. You can watch it here: https://religionlab.virginia.edu/godgreen/

Congratulations to the mother-daughter team "Isle of Wight is Tight" for reigning supreme in our first virtual trivia night of 2021! The next trivia night will take place on May 26 and focus on the 1920s. Signup here: https://us02web.zoom.us//tZcpd-Gopz0vGtVlw8IP4_Yq-n3lyx8_R

How does a baked treat go from pretty good to great? By using flavored extracts! Explore the history behind this pantry powerhouse on our blog and try baking a breakfast sweet bread from 1922. #archivescooking https://homesteadmuseum.blog//from-the-homestead-kitchen-/

There is so much we don't know about early African American residents of Los Angeles, but information from the 1850 federal and 1852 state census does at least provide us a record, however incomplete and unsatisfying, of the nearly 50 persons who comprised the origins of the Black community in Los Angeles. Read more on our blog: https://homesteadmuseum.blog//the-black-pioneers-of-los-a/

With over a million members across the United States, the Women's Club movement of the early 1900s was described as a "mighty force." Learn why and get the recipes for two local favorite dishes from the Covina Women's Club in this week's From the Homestead Kitchen post. #ArchivesCooking https://homesteadmuseum.blog//from-the-homestead-kitchen-/

Our Fiction Book Club is starting the year with a three-part series called Looking Back at Looking Back: Historic Fiction Written During a Time We Would Now Consider Historic. First up: The Crossing by Winston Churchill (not that Winston--this one is American!), a best-seller from 1904 that focuses on the westward expansion of the US. Learn more about the club and signup here: https://www.homesteadmuseum.org/upcoming-/fiction-book-club

As a faith healer, radio evangelist, and leader of the popular Foursquare Church, Aimee Semple McPherson was used to the media frenzy her public appearances caused. However, in 1926, it was her alleged kidnapping that left a lasting mark on her legacy. Was the Los Angeles DA’s indictment of McPherson an attempt to pursue justice? Or was he more interested in ruining the reputation of a powerful woman?

We've updated our blog! Over time, it has become a dynamic encyclopedia of greater Los Angeles history from 1830 to 1930 as seen through our collection of over 30,000 artifacts, and now you can more clearly see the depth and breadth of its content. Come and take a look at new categories, and feel free to enter specific search terms of interest in the search bar, too. Who knows what you’ll discover? https://homesteadmuseum.blog/

As people from all over the world settled in Los Angeles in the middle of the 19th century they brought many of their holiday traditions with them, such as the Christmas tree, which originates from Germany. Hear the stories behind how our Victorian-era table top tree is decorated, and more tomorrow at 2 p.m. when we present Christmas Unwrapped. Watch here on Facebook Live or sign up to join us on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_ICd-9h5mRx6gaIkcMuF5cg

Do you miss holiday shopping with festive decorations everywhere you look? In this week's "stocking stuffer," we look at newspaper ads describing grand holiday displays that could be found in downtown LA department stores in the 1920s.

British essayist and playwright Samuel Johnson once wrote that oats were "...a grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland appears to support the people." It was thought that oats were a weed, fit only for animal feed and the stomachs of the poor. So how did they become a pantry staple? The journey from field to table took thousands of years. Read all about it in today's From the Homestead Kitchen post. #ArchivesCooking https://homesteadmuseum.blog//from-the-homestead-kitchen-/

The Homestead's holiday exhibit is the most elaborate of the year. The research and planning that is involved from the Victorian-styled tree in the Workman House to the festive crepe paper in La Casa Nueva are all inspired from examples seen in some of the objects in our historic collection. See and learn more about them this Saturday at Christmas Unwrapped. Sign up here: https://www.homesteadmuseum.org/

Happy Holidays, friends! Leading up to Christmas, we'll be sharing short "stocking stuffer" videos with you about different ways we celebrate the season, all with a nod to history, of course. First up: Mulled Wine. Be sure to tag your favorite wine lover!

Despite somehow always being thought of as a rebellious pursuit for young people, vegetarian eating was very much part of the public conscious 100 years ago. Los Angeles, like other large cities, was home to vegetarian restaurants and one could easily finds cookbooks full of recipe ideas...but some of the rhetoric was hard to swallow. #ArchivesCooking https://homesteadmuseum.blog//how-to-be-a-1920s-vegetaria/