History Happy Hour
History at your Home!
Join us for these free fun at-home talks about local history. Talks are streamed on Facebook Live and recorded. Watch past talks HERE.
History Happy Hour at the Museum!
Join us as we also begin lectures back at the Museum. Seating will be in our lovely courtyard and socially distanced at tables with wine and cheese.
Norton the First: The Forgotten Emperor of the United States
By Neal Graffy
Wednesday, May 19
5:00 pm
Location: ZOOM
On September 17, 1859, Joshua Abraham Norton of San Francisco published a notice in a local newspaper proclaiming himself Emperor of the United States. A businessman who during his career had won then lost two fortunes, for the next 20 years Emperor Norton issued proclamations on issues large and small. Clad in imperial regalia, he was a familiar figure on the city’s streets. The Emperor was surprisingly progressive in his views regarding the rights of Blacks, Native Americans, and San Francisco’s large Asian population and envisioned later developments such as the Oakland Bay Bridge and the BART Tunnel. Grab a cocktail and learn more about this fascinating eccentric – Emperor Norton I.
Montecito's Hilltop Barons
By Neal Graffy
Thursday, June 3
5:30 pm
Location: Museum Courtyard
Historian Neal Graffy will profile five of Santa Barbara’s most generous patrons whose philanthropy in their ‘adopted’ city remains unmatched to this day. Learn about these prominent residents and their palatial estates: C.K.G. Billings, and his estate, Asombrosso; George Owen Knapp and Arcady; Frederick Forrest Peabody and Solana; David Gray and Graholm; and William H. Cowles and his Eucalyptus Hill.
Cottage Hospital, Santa Barbara High School, Cabrillo Pavilion, Montecito Trails, the Scenic Highway, East Beach, Santa Barbara School for the Arts, and the Santa Barbara Art Museum are just a few many institutions and places that benefited from Montecito's Hilltop Barons.
Old Spanish Days Fiesta Poster Art
By Erin Graffy
Wednesday, July 21
5:00 pm
Location: ZOOM
Viva la Fiesta! Among the traditions of Old Spanish Days Fiesta dating back to the first celebration in 1924 is that of the annual poster. Year after year the Fiesta poster has announced the upcoming festivities with images of music, dance, parades, and gaiety, many of them designed by prominent local artists. Join historian Erin Graffy as she delves into the development and heritage of the Fiesta posters and the stories behind them.
Sponsored by First Republic Bank.
Old Spanish Days Fiesta Poster Art
By Erin Graffy
Wednesday, July 22
5:30 pm
Location: Museum Courtyard
Viva la Fiesta! Among the traditions of Old Spanish Days Fiesta dating back to the first celebration in 1924 is that of the annual poster. Year after year the Fiesta poster has announced the upcoming festivities with images of music, dance, parades, and gaiety, many of them designed by prominent local artists. Join historian Erin Graffy as she delves into the development and heritage of the Fiesta posters and the stories behind them.
Sponsored by First Republic Bank.
Registration is required. For more details or to propose a topic or speaker, contact director@sbhistorical.org.