February

SBTHP Docent Training 2012
Monday, February 6 at 3:00 PM

Become a Docent at the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation and share with others as you learn about Santa Barbara’s unique history and heritage. Docents are needed to conduct site tours and lead educational activities that add to the visitor experience and increase awareness of the many services offered by the SBTHP. Docents lead group tours of El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park and the Casa de la Guerra, help demonstrate Early California life and activities at community events, and present traveling trunks at local schools, and experience lectures, field trips, and other lifelong learning opportunities. Designed for new and returning Docents, these exciting programs will add to or reinforce your knowledge of early Santa Barbara History. Training sessions Thursdays, February 9, 16 & 23, March 8, 15 & 22, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Open House: Monday, February 6 at 3:00 p.m.
El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park
123 East Canon Perdido Street, Santa Barbara
For more information: (805) 962-9504 or karen@sbthp.org 

March

Presidio Pastimes by Candlelight
Thursday, March 1 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM

Come to the Santa Barbara Presidio for living history vignettes by candlelight.  Experience the Presidio as you might have over two centuries ago: hear the comandante converse with officials, watch the soldados as they clean their muskets, and experience the music and dances of early California. Refreshments available.

El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park
123 East Canon Perdido Street, Santa Barbara
First Thursday event, free admission
For more information (805) 965-0093

April

Santa Barbara's Founding Day
Saturday, April 21 from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM

Celebrate Santa Barbara’s 230th Birthday with “Founding Day” at El Presidio de Santa Bárbara. Bring the family and watch the Presidio come to life with Early California music and dance, pottery, Chumash storytelling, archaeology, and adobe brick making!

El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park
123 East Canon Perdido Street, Santa Barbara
For more information (805) 965-0093
Free event

Current Exhibits

A Legacy Set in Stone: Santa Barbara Stone Architecture, 1870-1940

An abundance of material, expertise and financing helped create a flourishing period of stone construction in Santa Barbara between 1870 and 1940. The Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation is pleased to present an exhibit of images, objects and stories honoring this distinctive period of craftsmanship in partnership with the Santa Barbara Conservancy. Featuring historic and contemporary photographs of some of Santa Barbara's most admired landmarks, stone working tools, and samples of stonemasonry.

Exhibit Dates: September, 3, 2011 - TBA
Saturday - Sunday, Noon to 4:00 PM
Casa de la Guerra
15 East De la Guerra Street, Santa Barbara
For more information (805) 965-0093

Nihonmachi Revisited: Santa Barbara's Japanese American Community in Transition, 1900-1940

Nihonmachi Revisited covers forty years of life in Santa Barbara’s Nihonmachi, or Japan Town, which was located on the Presidio site during the first half of the 20th century.  The exhibit includes rarely seen historic photographs donated by local families, accounts of life in Nihonmachi from members of the community, and beautifully reconstructed Japanese ceramics excavated on site by SBTHP’s Archaeological Field School.    

Daily, 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM
El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park
123 East Canon Perdido Street, Santa Barbara
For more information (805) 965-0093

Ceramics Rediscovered: Science Reshapes Understanding of Hispanic Life in Early California

Discover how ceramics were made, used and traded in early California with the newest exhibit at El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park, Ceramics Rediscovered: Science Reshapes Understanding of Hispanic Life in Early California. Based on a decade-long investigation of ceramic production using archaeological evidence and scientific analysis, the exhibit offers a rare glimpse into daily life during California’s Spanish and Mexican periods (1769-1848). Featuring period artifacts and reproduction pottery, this groundbreaking exhibit traces the evolution of California’s earliest potters and the material culture they helped shape.

10:30 AM to 4:30 PM
El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park
123 East Canon Perdido Street, Santa Barbara
FREE with museum admission, $5/adults, $4/seniors (62+),
Free/children 16 & under & SBTHP members
For more information (805) 965-0093

*This exhibit has been developed by the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation in collaboration with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History,  Santa Clara University, California State Parks, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the University of Texas-Pan American. The exhibit received generous support from the Smithsonian Latino Center.

Memorias y Facturas

Based on the book Documenting Everyday Life in Early Spanish California, "Memorias y Facturas" offers a glimpse into life at the Santa Barbara Presidio between 1781 and 1810. Featuring transcriptions and translations of fifty-two memorias (requisitions) and facturas (invoices) for goods delivered to the Presidio, along with artifacts found on site,
"Memorias y Facturas" helps imagine life on the fringes of the Spanish Empire.

Exhibit Dates:
Daily, 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM
El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park (Northeast Corner)
123 East Canon Perdido Street, Santa Barbara
For more information (805) 965-0093

*This calendar listing may not include all events and programs at SBTHP. Times and dates are subject to change. Please call (805) 965-0093 for more information. If you are interested in becoming more involved in programs offered at SBTHP, you may be interested in our membership program.