Homestead Museum

Confronting Regional History Controversies: Jonathan Temple and the 1836 Vigilance Committee in Los Angeles

by Paul R. Spitzzeri Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Times published an article concerning an ongoing reevaluation at the University of Southern California of the memorializing of key early figures in the institution’s founding and development.  A recent repost on our social media platforms here referenced long-time USC president Rufus von KleinSmid in connection to... Continue Reading →

Shake, Rattle and Roll: The Whittier Earthquake of 8 July 1929

by Paul R. Spitzzeri Many of us clearly remember the Whittier Narrows earthquake of 1 October 1987, which registered 5.9 on the Richter scale and the destruction that was wrought by that shaker, especially in places like Uptown Whittier which is filled with historic houses and commercial structures dating back to the late 19th and... Continue Reading →

Portrait Gallery: Los Angeles County Surveyor and Los Angeles City Engineer Harry F. Stafford and His Wife Charlotte, 1886-1888

by Paul R. Spitzzeri In the Homestead’s fairly substantial collection of portrait photographs from greater Los Angeles dating from about 1870 to 1930, there are a very few that show the subject’s vocation, but tonight’s highlighted artifacts from the museum’s holdings include one such view. It is a striking studio image of Harry Fritsch Stafford... Continue Reading →

From the Homestead Kitchen: Don’t Cry Over Soured Milk

by Gennie Truelock I was recently going through the Museum’s collection of cookbooks and recipe pamphlets looking for another item to bake when I came across an interesting booklet printed in 1920 called A Cook Book for the Modern Home Maker Showing the Value of Using more Milk in the Menu produced for the Peerless... Continue Reading →