Kirsten Anderberg's URBAN ADVENTURES:
William S. Hart Park

Tower at WSHart Park, facing east, with the San Gabriel Mountains in the background (Photo: K. Anderberg, Jan. 29, 2008)

The Wiliiam S. Hart Park is located at 24151 Newhall Avenue, in Newhall, CA. Newhall is in the Santa Clarita Valley, just north of the San Fernando Valley, in Los Angeles County. You can call the park at (661) 254-4584 or visit their website at www.hartmuseum.org.

William S. Hart was a famous silent movie star in the early 1900's. I used to go to the park as a young child in the early 1960's and not much has changed. The park is a charming step back into the historic CA rancho era, with a wooden ranch house in the lower part of the park, along with a small animal farm and picnic tables. And up on the hill sits a classic Spanish style adobe house full of artifacts from early America. The Horseshoe Ranch, as Hart named it, eventually grew to 230 acres. As a child, I spent many days at the Hart Park, and feel a familial affinity with it, as do many kids that grew up in the surrounding valleys.

W.S. Hart in a parade in 1918...

The interior of the ranch house on the lower property. Hart used this house (which was built in 1918) as a second residence from 1921- 1924, to avoid the hustle and bustle of Hollywood. The house was used in movies, and the walls would be removed to let in light for filming. (Photo: K. Anderberg, Jan. 29, 2008)

The front of the upper hill's adobe ranch house at the Hart Park. (Photo: K. Anderberg, Jan. 29, 2008)

The back of the upper hill's adobe ranch house at Hart Park (Photo: K. Anderberg, Jan. 29, 2008)

An historic picture of the Hart Ranch in the 1940's (from the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society collections)

The dog cemetery at the Hart Park (Photo: K. Anderberg, Jan. 29, 2008)

The flagpole in the back of the upper hill ranch house with views of the San Gabriel Mountains (Photo: K. Anderberg, Jan. 29, 2008)

Red tile patio below the upper hill ranch house (Photo: K. Anderberg, Jan. 29, 2008)

Outside of the teahouse at Hart Park (Photo: K. Anderberg, Jan. 29, 2008)

Inside of the teahouse at Hart Park (Photo: K. Anderberg, Jan. 29, 2008)

Tower on hill at Hart Park (Photo: K. Anderberg, Jan. 29, 2008)

More Resources about W.S. Hart


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