Object Collection

Anacapa Hotel Key Tag

(Tag, Identification) Key tag used at the Anacapa Hotel in downtown Ventura.
The three-story hotel was built in 1889 operated by the Hartman family who ran it until it was razed in 1928.

(Animal, Stuffed; Bear, Teddy) Childhood Steiff Teddy bear belonging to Elizabeth Hardison (1924-2017) of Santa Paula.
A German stuffed animal company, founded by Margaret Steiff, created the first Teddy bear in 1902.
[Made in Germany; Used in…

Marine Clock

(Clock, Ship’s) 30-hour marine clock cased in brass and wood used on Ventura’s first pier
Mr. Joseph Wolfson, son-in-law of Juan Camarillo, spearheaded the creation of Ventura’s first pier and operated the wharf in its infancy. He used this marine…

Leather Top Hat Box

(Hatbox) Leather top hat box; stamped with “A. Levy”; lined with blue and white striped fabric.
Achille Levy came to Ventura County from France in the 1870s. Here he grew his business from agricultural broker at the Port of Hueneme to the largest…

Coffee and Tea Service

(Service, Tea) Twelve-piece ceramic coffee and tea service with a silvery luster glaze.

Brass Gunpowder Flasks

(Flask, Powder) English-made, brass powder flasks with embossed hunting scene.

From Gerry Browning’s Docent Textbook: “The black powder of the "Old West" was a very explosive mixture of saltpeter, charcoal and sulfur. People dampened the mixture…

Mortar and Pestle with Cooking Bowl

A gray, coarse-grained steatite bowl; globular shape with rounded bottom; exterior is blackened from fire.

Stone mortar and pestle; rounded on one end; found and taken from Somis. Donated to the Museum.

Metate; round shape with surface…

Projectile Points and Arrow Shaft Straightener

Straightener; single grooved, elliptical in shape with rounded upper surface, flat bottom.

Projectile points; found and taken from San Miguel Island. Donated to the Museum.

Bone Whistles

Whistle made from deer tibia with distal end broken off; proximal end has asphaltum over a hole, which shows the imprint of a shell that was once adhered there; found and taken from a cave in Northwest Ventura County. Donated to the Museum.

Deer…

Shell Beads and Adornments

Triangular and trapezoidal abalone shell ornaments; one biconically drilled hole at each corner; some cross-hatching.

Fishhooks and Net Weight

Barb section of a composite fishhook made of bone.

Mussel-shell fishhook; circular with parallel grooved shank; notch runs parallel to the length; rounded and deep on one face; found and taken from Rincon Point in the 1960s. Donated to the…

Steatite Pipes

Tubular, gray steatite pipe; one end tapers narrower than the other.

Some pipes found and taken from the Thurmond Ranch in Saticoy; one from Rincon area. Donated to the Museum.

Digging Stick Weights

Black porous stone, circular with a hole in center.

Digging stick weight; made from natural unmodified cobble by pecking; biconically bored hole.

Chumash Basket

Coiled pedestal-base basket; foundation three-rod juncus, split juncus stitches, 12 stitches to one inch; reinforced rim, stitches completely cover foundation; tapered coil finish.

Reproduction Cux

Replica of a Chumash feather headdress or cux; deerskin skull cap on a frame of twigs, with chinstraps made of milkweed cordage; bottom row is white turkey feathers, second row of medium length gray feather; top has a bundle or topknot of tall…

Dolley Madison Historical Figure

Raised as a Quaker, Dolly Paine left the sect to marry John Todd, was widowed, and then married James Madison in 1794. She was a gracious hostess at the White House for her husband and also President Jefferson. Legend credits Dolley Madison with…

Peggy Shippen Historical Figure

The daughter of a prominent Philadelphia loyalist, Peggy Shippen married Benedict Arnold in 1779. She was suspected of aiding her husband’s treason and accompanied him into exile. This sculpture is part of American Revolution! George Stuart…

Mercy Otis Warren Historical Figure

Mercy Otis Warren was known as the Conscience of the American Revolution. A lifelong revolutionary, she was the first woman to champion an anti-Federalist viewpoint. Warren used her talents as a writer to promote the Revolutionary cause with…

Benedict Arnold Historical Figure

Benedict Arnold distinguished himself as a military leader in the Revolutionary War, but became bitter when others were promoted ahead of him despite his exemplary record. As commander of West Point in 1780, he planned to betray the fort to the…

Thomas Paine Historical Figure

Thomas Paine wrote the 1776 pamphlet Common Sense that galvanized revolutionary sentiment and led to the Independence Movement and the writing of the Declaration of Independence. Paine had met Franklin in England, who invited him to come to America,…

George Washington Historical Figure

George Washington (c. 1775), received his early military training as an officer in the colonial militia and saw action in the French and Indian Wars. When the united colonies searched for a military leader, Washington was an easy choice. Named…

Thomas Jefferson Historical Figure

Thomas Jefferson rose to prominence in Virginia politics, supported the revolutionary movement, served in both Continental Congresses, and was a major drafter of the Declaration of Independence. Became Governor of Virginia in 1779 and later succeeded…

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Collection Items