Heritage Museum of Orange County
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Images
The Kellogg House.
The Maag Farmhouse.
Interior of the Kellogg House.
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The two primary historic buildings at the museum are the Hiram C. Kellogg House and the John A. Maag Farmhouse. Both were relocated from their original settings to the museum in the early 1980s. The Kellogg House’s primary function is to educate young and old alike about life in Victorian Era Orange County. It has been a popular field trip destination for school children for over 30 years. The Maag Farmhouse, which was completed in 1899, will soon be the home of the museum’s archives, offices and will also display various historic exhibits. Included with the Maag Farmhouse are its two former outbuildings which once served as its pump house and carriage barn.
The museum also maintains both a hydroponics and aquaponics garden as well as an organic farm that is cared for by local high school and Santa Ana College students. It produces its own fruit and vegetables which are sold to local establishments. Volunteers also tend to Gospel Swamp and Natural Area which was once home to squatters known as “swampers.” It was so named because local evangelical ministers held tent revivals for its residents back in the 1870s.
Additionally, the museum offers a lecture series, group tours and various “hands-on and minds-on” educational programs. It is also, due to its bucolic setting, a popular location for weddings, receptions, corporate events, luncheons and teas.