A recent trip north found me in Orange County, thanks to one of my fave peeps, Shannon (Going to Guides). She notified me that she was going to have a little market/fair situation at the Stanley Ranch Museum in Garden Grove. If Shannon’s involved, count me in. She is one of the most creative and kind people I know.
I could not believe I’d never heard of let alone visited this place before, but since one would probably not notice it just driving by, I guess it’s not a total surprise.
Built in 1893, the Ware-Stanley house is situated at the entrance, with the historical village just down the street.
As you wander down the tiny street, it feels like you have stepped back in time, as the historic buildings that have been moved/repurposed here seem as if they are just waiting for your patronage
My friend Kevin, who has the dubious distinction of being the last person I visited Disneyland with (in 2016) accompanied me on the trip.
During our tour, we got to see the interiors of many of these buildings which include historic artifacts and furnishings appropriate to the business once located within.
No town is complete without a fire department…especially in California.
Our Tour Guide was wonderful, dishing fun little tidbits of Garden Grove historic gossip while relaying the history of each building.
I alerted OC friends Lori and Paul (who share both my Disneyland AND Shirley Temple obsessions) so that they could attend the tour, too. Despite being OC residents, they had never visited this hidden gem, either.
The village also includes the Robert Disney Garage, circa 1923. You may not know Robert, but his nephew, Walt, rented the garage and created his first animated film here. The garage was removed from its Hollywood location in 1981 and was moved to its current Garden Grove location.
A photo of the original property is inside the garage.
Lots of Disney memorabilia can be found inside.
The village also includes a post office:
…and a schoolhouse (red, naturally!):
Lori, a teacher, got to ring the bell.
Any apples for Lori?
The rules from 1872 still apply today (right, Melissa?).
Would the desks of yesteryear suffice for the tech-savvy kids of today?
Kevin is also a photographer, and he captured me in action. Step one: identify the shot.
Focus and shoot:
Voila!
Come back for part two!
See more Stanley Ranch Museum photos at my main website.
1 comment:
So glad you got to go. For some reason I always thought you had been? I guess not. Years ago I drove by the house owned by "Uncle Robert" to get a view, as well as the copy business down the street that was the first official office of Disney Brothers studio. Then I headed over to the Stanley Ranch to see the barn. A long stretch for the payoff, but something I'd only do once and had to see. It was something to touch the wall of the barn and think that a young idealist started here and had no idea what was next. Some of the Jim Korkis writings indicated that when they took the barn apart they found art supplies, ink and paint bottles, etc. that were probably Walt's. Who else would have been in there using them? As for the schoolhouse, those desks would work fine. Just tell the kids the circular cutout in the corner is for cables. They'll believe you since cables were before their time.
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