William S. Hart Ranch and Museum

Information about William S. Hart - Star of the Silent Screen Directions to the William S. Hart Museum Hours of the William S. Hart Museum Guided tours are offered at the William S. Hart Museum Map of the grounds at the William S. Hart Museum
Facts about the William S. Hart and the museum dedicated to him. Friends of the hart Museum and Park Web Site. Contact Us at the William S. Hart Museum.

Williams S. Hart Ranch and Museum The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

A member of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the William S. Hart Museum is less than an hour's drive from most areas of Los Angeles.

The William S. Hart Park and Museum is the former retirement home of the famed silent film actor and director who produced a series of hit Western movies in the early 1900's. His beautiful Spanish Colonial Revival Style Mansion – now the Museum – exhibits an impressive collection of Western artwork by noted artists Charles M. Russell, Frederic Remington, and Joe de Yong, as well as mementos from early Hollywood, personal furnishings and effects, and artifacts representing multiple Native American cultures.

The Museum also includes an historic 1910 Ranch House that exhibits Hart's tack and saddle collection, personal furnishings, and additional Hollywood mementos.

Both the Mansion and the Ranch House are located in scenic William S. Hart Park, where guests may enjoy visiting a live collection of farm animals, a herd of American bison, a vast picnic area, a series of hiking trails, and a charming Western-themed Gift Store.

For more information, please call (661) 254-4584 or email information@hartmuseum.org.

 William S. Hart Ranch and Museum Bill and Fritz - Image courtesy of the Seaver Center for Western Historical Research
William S. Hart Ranch and Museum William S. Hart Ranch and Museum

Upcoming Events

Passport 2 History
The William S. Hart Museum is proud to be participating in the “Passport 2 History” program designed by the Leonis Adobe Association to introduce visitors to the incredible diversity of historical, cultural and natural resources available in California. Visitors will be issued a passport at the Leonis Adobe Museum, and will receive a seal on the relevant page when visiting each participating venue. Historic locations in the program are found throughout Los Angeles, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties. Get the most out of your gas this year by exploring the wealth of local sites celebrating Southern California's rich past! We look forward to seeing you at the Hart. Check out the Passport 2 History website for complete information and maps, www.passport2history.com

Volunteers Wanted

Come be a part of this amazing historic home. When you become a Hart Volunteer, you join a dedicated and passionate team of individuals who work together to engage guests with the Hart collections and keep William S. Hart's legacy alive. Hart Volunteers assist in the following ways:

Museum Tours
Volunteers guide the public through the home itself on walking tours, helping visitors explore William S. Hart, his legacy, his home, and the Museum's collections. These tours engage guests with Mr. Hart's life and times as well as Western art, history, nature, Native American culture, animals, and Spanish Colonial Revival Style architecture.

Educational Outreach Program
The Hart Museum partners with Santa Clarita Valley elementary schools to connect 3rd and 4th grade students with local history. Bringing interactive and hands-on education programs into the classrooms, outreaches complement the school's curricula and provide the students a chance to learn more about local history with artifact replicas and interactive activities. Volunteers assist the staff with the outreach programs and work directly with the students and the hands-on objects / activities.

Gift Store
The Friends of Hart Park Gift Store, the Trading Post, offers a variety of Western and Native American items for sale including jewelry, clothing, and accessories, as well as Hart's films, Western books, and other novelties. Volunteers in the Gift Store facilitate sales of the shop's merchandise and engage with visitors about William S. Hart, the Park and Museum, and public programs.

Special Events
Volunteers also assist with special programs, projects, and events as needed and / or desired.

You do not need any special experience or background to become a Hart Volunteer – just an interest in the Hart material and an enthusiasm for working with our amazing visitors. So consider joining the volunteer team at the William S. Hart Museum! You can help us connect our guests with nature, history, and Hollywood.

Call Rachel Barnes, Education and Volunteer Coordinator, at (661) 254-4584 for more information!

Oscar Winners at the Hart
The recently declared winner of the 2012 Academy Award for Best Picture, The Artist, and another Oscar-winning film, Hugo, are now the stars of a special exhibit at the William S. Hart Museum. The timely temporary exhibit, on view through Sunday, June 3, features rarely-seen and never-before-seen artifacts related to early motion pictures and their pioneers. Among the items on display is an original four-page letter from filmmaker Georges Méliès, the main character in Hugo, in which he says he does not like “to revive my happy past,” and further states that most already know his major film accomplishments, including his invention of “a great many of the tricks used in cinematography.”

The Artist is based on the swashbuckling silent movie star Douglas Fairbanks. On display will be the jeweled dagger worn in The Thief of Bagdad. Other items on display in the Mansion include the shirt, cuffs and boots worn by William S. Hart in Tumbleweeds, Buster Keaton's trademark pork-pie hat, and Harold Lloyd's iconic glasses. In a display in the Ranch House you will find a number of key props featured in The Artist, generously on loan from the prop house, History for Hire (www.historyforhire.com).

Come celebrate the movies with your friends at the Hart!

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a Cowboy Bronze Statue - A part of Hart's personal art collection on display at the William S. Hart Museum. © The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and William S. Hart Museum. All media are for the personal use of students, scholars and the public. Any commercial use or publication of them is strictly prohibited. If you have any technical problems with this website, please contact webmaster@nhm.org. Please review our Copyright Policy and Privacy Policy.

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