Newland House Museum

Newland Kitchen

 

Welcome to the Newland House Museum and as we go through the house we will learn of the family who built this wonderful house. But first a little background of the Newland family.

William and Mary Newland and their three children came from Jacksonville, Ill. to Half Moon Bay, near San Francisco to escape the cold Midwestern winters. Unfortunately, the fog and dampness forced the small family to move to a warmer climate in Southern California. They settled on a small farm in Compton, California and stayed there until the mid 1880s. It was there that a son and daughter was born.
They also met the Irvine family and the Irvines asked the Newlands to move to their ranch and manage the farm part of the ranch. The Newlands moved to the Irvine ranch and stayed until the mid 1890s and three more children came along.

Now with eight children, the Newlands wanted to find a place of their own and with the help of Col. Robert Northam bought 500 acres of land for $12.00 to $50.00 an acre. The ranch extended from Beach Blvd. to Magnolia and from Yorktown to Atlanta. The family had to clear the brush and tulles from the 'bottom land' as they called it. This land was the old Santa Ana Riverbed. They were able to raise lima beans, sugar beets, celery and chili peppers on the ranch.

The house you are standing in was built right where it stands today in 1898 and the Newlands paid $1485 to build it. When the house was built, there was no running water, so it was the boys had to go down to a well on the other side of Adams Avenue and fill wooden kegs with water. They would then bring it back to the house. In 1900 Mr. Newland built the water tower you saw as you came in. He had a windmill built next to the tower and a well dug there. Just after 1900 two more girls were born-Helen and Bernice- for a total of ten children- seven girls and three boys.

On the stove Mrs. Newland would prepare all the meals for the family and for the hired hands who numbered from 10 to over 50 during harvest time, on a wood-burning stove. Around the kitchen are pieces that were found in a kitchen of the time, butter churn, coffee grinder, apple peeler, cherry pitter etc.

 

Several of the spice containers in the wooden kitchen cabinet belonged to Mary Newland and used by her in her baking. A meat grinder is clamped to the left side and a coffee grinder is on the right of the kitchen cabinet.

 

 

The picture about show Mrs. Newland's pantry where she would keep the fruits and vegetables that the family grew on the ranch. Canning was a way to keep the fruits and vegetables for use in the winter months.

 

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