Santa Ana Historical Preservation

SAHPS and the SA Fire Museum was out in force at the Heritage Museum of Orange County's Dinosaur to People Days. We had a great time! Here are a couple photos. #dinostopeeps2021

The Santa Ana Historic Preservation Society (SAHPS) is so excited to open our doors once again! Please come celebrate with us on Saturday, July 3rd from 11 am to 3 pm. Take a journey back in time as you tour the beautifully restored 1889 Victorian Dr. Willella Howe-Waffle House and Medical Museum. This home was once the residence and medical office of one of Orange County’s first female physicians. Before you leave, be sure to visit our gift shop to purchase interesting bo...oks on local history, and vintage gifts and ephemera. Come out and enjoy the day as our Open House celebrates the start of summer and the first opening of our home since 2020 - enjoy refreshments of popcorn and lemonade. Adults $8, Seniors and Members $6, Students K-12 $5 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 or call at 714/547-9645.

The Yost Theater / El Cine Yost The history of Santa Ana’s Yost Theater (El Cine Yost) and its important role in Orange County’s Mexican-American community will be the topic of Professor David-James Gonzales’ program at the Orange County Historical Society’s April 8, 2021 meeting at 7:30 p.m., online via Zoom. To register, visit the OCHS website or:... https://tinyurl.com/OCHSYost : The Yost Theater on Spurgeon St. in 1974. Photo by Werner Weiss, courtesy Orange County Archives

In 1983, nine years after being moved to its current location on Sycamore & Civic Center (in 1974), and after years of volunteer-led renovation of virtually everything in the house (walls, woodwork, stairs, etc., etc.), the Dr. Willella Howe-Waffle House was ready for a ribbon-cutting and dedication for public viewing. Led by preservationist Adeline Walker and restored by hundreds of like-minded volunteers over those years, the Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society show...ed off their proudest achievement. Without Adeline taking a stand to preserve our past, we would have lost this beautiful, Victorian-style home when it was slated to be demolished for "progress" (as so many other beautiful homes in Santa Ana were during the 60s and 70s). She sparked a movement in Santa Ana that still exists today to protect at least some of our history. We came across some old articles and things we'd love to share with you. There is a good story on the saving of the house at our website: https://www.santaanahistory.com/savingofahouse (By the way, the headline notes she was the first female physician in OC. Dr. Willella was the first in Santa Ana and one of the first in the county.)

MEDICAL ADVANCES DURING DR. WILLELLA’S EARLY YEARS OF PRACTICE In 1883 Willella Howe enrolled at the largest homeopathic training institution in the world: Hahnemann Medical College of Chicago. Her husband, Dr. Alvin Howe, remained in Santa Ana, California with their daughter Lulu. Willella brought her younger daughter Ethel with her to Chicago, so Alvin could continue to run his medical practice and keep Lulu in the local school. Willella had been at Hahnemann with Alvin a f...ew years earlier so he could get a 2nd medical degree, specializing in homeopathy, while she took classes to learn to better assist him in his practice. But she then realized that she could do so much more to help female patients by becoming a doctor herself. Besides treating their illnesses, she could offer advice and training based on her own experience as a woman and a mother. Willella received her MD from Hahnemann in 1886 and returned to California to begin her practice. She was the first woman physician in Santa Ana, and the second in Orange County. Two years later she returned to school to receive advanced training in gynecology. Willella’s education would have already benefited greatly from the hundreds of scientific advancements already attained earlier in the 19th Century, including: the invention of the stethoscope in 1816; the first successful human to human blood transfusion in 1818; the 1820 identification of the active ingredient in quinine for malaria treatment; the formulation of aspirin in 1853; 1867’s publication of Joseph Lister’s "Antiseptic Principle of the Practice of Surgery"; the common usage of Nitrous Oxide for anesthesia in the 1870s. We know that Dr. Willella was an avid reader, and keeping up with medical developments would have been important for a fledgling physician. So what new medical discoveries was Dr Willella reading about in her first few years of practice? Here are some highlights from those first four years. 1886: Heinrich Schule describes dementia praecox, or early dementia, the disorder we know today as schizophrenia. 1887: Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the French Academy of Medicine by Dr. Joseph Grancher. 1888: Emile Roux and Alexandre Yersin isolate diphtheria toxin. 1889: Oskar Minkowski and Joseph von Mering’s experiments demonstrate the major role of the pancreas in the cause of diabetes, leading to the isolation of insulin in 1921, and saving the lives of millions of type 1 diabetics. Willella and her family settled into her brand new Victorian home and medical office in 1889, looking forward to a continuing successful career, and the hundreds of additional medical discoveries she would learn about in her 43 years of practice. - Alison Young (photo: Dr Willella Howe, Graduation Day 1886)

GOOD FORTUNE ROLLS OVER THE SANTA ANA HISTORICAL PRESERVATION SOCIETY LITERALLY! You haven’t lived until you’ve seen SAHPS President Tina Davidson operating a steam roller! Thanks to Tina’s silver tongue and the huge generosity of Brandon Jeter, owner of Allied Paving in Garden Grove, the blacktop of the Dr. Howe-Waffle House Parking lot was recently redone as a completely free donation. What a wonderful early Holiday gift to the Society,... Needless to say, Tina’s powers of persuasion didn’t end there, she convinced the Allied crew to let her take a spin on the equipment. To share on the fun, please enjoy this video of her operating the roller on her own! Happy Holidays to you all. We look forward to seeing you in the New Year! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPtNcHERdjs&feature=youtu.be

Here are some cool old photos from Santa Ana's industrial past.

Jamestown, the first settlement. Where it all started in 1609 when 177 men sailed in three ships from England in 1609

The History of Thanksgiving In a 1789 proclamation, President George Washington called on the people of the United States to acknowledge God for affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness by observing a day of thanksgiving. Devoting a day to public thanksgiving and prayer, as Washington called it, became a yearly tradition in many communities. Thanksgiving became a national holiday in 1863. In that year, duri...ng the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln made his Thanksgiving Day Proclamation. He asked his fellow citizens to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise It was not until 1941 that Congress finally designated the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day, thus creating a federal holiday. Of course, Thanksgiving is not born of presidential proclamations. Native American harvest festivals had been celebrated for centuries, and colonial services date to the late 16th century. Thanksgiving Day, as we know it today, began in the early 1600s when settlers in both Massachusetts and Virginia came together to give thanks for their survival, for the fertility of their fields, and for their faith. The most widely known early Thanksgiving is that of the Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts, who feasted for 3 days with the Wampanoag people in 1621. [Taken from the Farmer’s Almanac] Now that it’s Fall, our thoughts turn to cool weather, falling leaves, turkey and the holidays. Despite all that’s been thrown at us over the past eight months, the Board of Directors at the Howe-Waffle House hope that you continue your traditions and give thanks for your blessings as we all look forward to a happy, safe and healthy new year. April Bettendorf

Interesting post on the Excelsior Dairy Company thanks to Chris Jepsen and his OC History Roundup blog. https://ochistorical.blogspot.com//ranney-street-garden-gr

Secrets From Dr. Willella’s Clothes Closet: The Anatomy of a Jail House Uniform A recent project to evaluate the vintage clothing collection at Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society turned up an unusual donation that had been set aside for yearsa vintage Orange County Jail prisoner’s uniform. A sturdy denim-style workman’s jacket and pant combo, with the eye catching difference of having one white and one blue leg and arm, and a jacket with a blue front and white back. L...ike the iconic black and white stripes, any escapee wearing this ensemble would have been easy to spot! Chris Jepsen at the OC Archives was able to locate one photo of 1930’s inmates working outside the old Orange County Court House after the 1933 earthquake. But while they also were clothed in denim work outfits, these appeared to be a single color. With no information on the uniform’s provenance, discovery of the two original labels inside the jacket neck gave some clues to its age and origin. Proudly proclaiming that this was a United Garment Workers of America Union Duck Goods product, the manufacturer’s label stated Stronghold, Los Angeles Cal, Brownstein-Louis Company. Research on the Brownstein-Louis Company of Los Angeles revealed that they were the big local manufacturer of work clothes for all of Southern California starting in 1895, and one article confirmed that they made prison uniforms along with normal work clothes. They constructed a beautiful building on Figueroa in LA in the 1920s and supplied the majority of work clothes seen in early Hollywood films, including Charlie Chaplin’s striped bib-overalls in his memorable 1936 movie Modern Times. Using these clues, our researcher was able to narrow the date of this uniform to right around 1929 or 1930! Want to know more details on how they solved the mystery? Become a SAHPS member and read the full article in our upcoming Fall newsletter. Perhaps more secrets will be uncovered in Dr. Willella’s closet!

Another wonderful video and message from our friends, Orange Town Revival : We want to share our latest video with you and your members as a reminder that we will eventually overcome these awful times and there will be better days ahead. See the link below for the video, and you can go to the Orange Town Revival Facebook page for the story behind it. Hope to see you in future, happier times! https://youtu.be/EBn-ozp2FXw

Please join us in flying your flag on Friday to show we don't forget those who died and the families who still miss their loved ones!

The Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society presents you with "Fourteen Days" from our wonderful friends,The Orange Town Revival! https://youtu.be/w8VWzg3t81w

We sadly share that one of Santa Ana's best and one of Santa Ana history's good friends, Rob Richardson, has passed away after a long illness. Rob was raised in Santa Ana and spent most of his life as a strong supporter of the city and all the good it stands for. He was a Santa Ana councilman, school board member, uber-volunteer as well as taking several managerial and director roles with the County of Orange. His list of credits can be found at https://newsantaana.com/rob-...richardson-a-former-santa-ana-/. But for the Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society and local historians, he was a constant supporter and graciously assisted with projects like "Vintage Postcards of Santa Ana" and other local books on Santa Ana history. He was the author of two books - "Frederick Eley, OC's Pioneer Architect" and the definitive "Railroads and Depots in OC" published in 2010. He played a role in the saving of the Howe-Waffle House in 1998 when there was a good chance we would lose the land lease the house was standing on. This was appropriate because back in the mid-70s (as a young student), he played a role in the original restoration of the House with SAHPS founder Adeline Walker after it was slated for demolition but saved and moved (see photo below). We will miss him for so many reasons - his historical knowledge of our city, his willingness to help, his unselfish friendship, his infectious smile. We offer our condolences to his wonderful wife Bella and her four children who he loved so much. Rob was one of a kind. And we're thankful that he shined his light our way. Rest in peace, our friend!

WE CAN ALL USE A LITTLE MORE OLD-FASHIONED MUSIC AND LAUGHTER THESE DAYS! The Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society presents you with a light-hearted take on coronavirus from the wonderful musical group, Orange Town Revival! Our good friends Brother Tom and Sister Dee have performed a number of times at the Dr. Howe-Waffle House with their great renditions of Bluegrass and folk tunes, and have outdone themselves with this clever parody of the famous 1920’s Jimmie Rodgers... tune In the Jailhouse Now, aptly entitled We're in a Lockdown Now. Listen carefully, and you’ll even hear the sound of the vintage washboard donated to the band by our own SAHPS President, Tina Davidson, whose mom played it back in the day with the Hillbilly Mamas Band! You can watch We’re in a Lockdown Now at https://youtu.be/DI9dceS-esA and listen to more great music from Orange Town Revival at orangetownrevival.com/videos. We look forward to seeing you all once again when we’re able to reopen our museums! https://youtu.be/DI9dceS-esA

The Historic Saddleback Inn Gates Have Found A Loving Home! The original builder and owner of the Saddleback Inn , Bruce Gelker, and his wife Lisa, are once again in possession of the gates. Thank you, Bruce and Lisa, for reclaiming the gates. The society is so happy that after years of standing tall at the hotel they will now be used once again at your home. Also, a very special thank you for your very generous donation.

Our dear Dr. Howe-Waffle house was caught right in the middle of what should have been a peaceful rally last Sunday night downtown Santa Ana. I had an uneasy feeling about the house about 5:00 pm. When I drove over, I saw a large window in the gift shop had been smashed. People with signs and police everywhere. Someone had cut the power wires to our parking arm probably in an attempt to park in our lot. The arm was stuck in the closed position. I started calling, emailing and... IM’s to everyone we have in the society for back up help. The police were unable to stand guard for us, they were needed elsewhere. We had ten people in total against the marchers. I found two more broken windows. We were able to cover the broken panes with wood. I set out folding chairs all around the property and we all took up our stations to show we were watching. The rally went on until 10:00, when things were quiet. The police sent three officers to our location to keep watch so we went on home at 10:45. It’s so sad that someone would vandalize a 130-year-old historic home maintained by volunteers for the betterment of the city. I will never understand this way of thinking. We are not sure if our insurance company will cover the damage due to the circumstances. Even if they do, we will have a hard time paying the deductible. I know we have many Waffle House lovers out there. So many people have called asking if we’re alright. The good wishes give us courage through this sad time. Tina Davidson President Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society 714-401-6158 *Donations can be sent to: 120 Civic Center Dr West, Santa Ana 92701

In 1918, Dr. Willella Howe-Waffle was an integral part of the medical response to the deadly influenza hitting Southern California, practicing out of her home (now preserved as our beautiful 1889 house museum). You can read about her tireless work treating Orange County patients in this script from our 2006 Cemetary Tour: http://www.santaanahistory.com/FluScript_by_Will_Morton.pdf

The board of directors briefly met, masked and at a social distance, to discuss the business aspect of running the society and to plan some very exciting returning and new events to host when it's safe to do so. While there we celebrated, with sparkling grape juice, the nearly completed reconstruction to the exterior of the doctor Willella Howe Waffle House. When this is all over we will be back, so stay safe, stay healthy and we hope to see you soon.

A little bit of Santa Ana history! http://www.ocsheriffmuseum.com/