The Latest News About The William S. Hart Museum
The William S. Hart Museum Story
The Hart Museum has a long and illustrious history as a member of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County. (NHMLAC is a public-private partnership between the non-profit Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History Foundation and the County of Los Angeles.)
In 2024, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a plan to transfer the William S. Hart Museum and Park from Los Angeles County to the City of Santa Clarita. The transfer of ownership and operations of the William S. Hart Regional Park and Museum will be run by the City of Santa Clarita beginning July 1, 2025.
A Star's Gift
The Spanish Colonial Revival mansion is the former home of silent movie star William S. Hart (1864-1946), which he bequeathed to the County of Los Angeles in 1948 for the purpose of creating a museum. NHMLAC has stewarded the Hart Museum and collections since the 1960s. Located in Newhall, a suburb of Los Angeles and home to the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, the Hart Museum offered free year-round programming and tours to approximately 34,000 visitors and school groups each year.
The museum has been closed since the early years of the Covid-19 pandemic and NHMLAC remained the caretaker of the culturally and historically significant property until the transfer to the City of Santa Clarita The museum features a large collection of objects, works of art, photographs, documents, and furniture and memorabilia from his career as a star of early Westerns.
A visit to the Hart Museum means stepping back into Hollywood in the roaring 1920s. Starting as a stage actor, Hart transitioned into movies around age 50. Once on the silver screen he quickly became one of the most successful actors in the world. Hart was also an animal lover. He spoiled his two Harlequin Great Danes—named Prince Hamlet and Princess Galatia–so much that he gave them their own room! He was an avid equestrian and owned many horses over the years. A large bronze and stone monument on the property honors Hart’s equestrian co-star, Fritz.