A nonprofit museum in Santa Fe Springs focused on preserving the history of farming, ranching, and oil development in the early Fulton Wells and Santa Fe Springs area. The museum offers a hands-on approach to local history and is open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is free, with a suggested donation per visitor appreciated. On-site parking is also available at no charge. The museum serves residents of Santa Fe Springs and surrounding communities, including those in the La Mirada area interested in regional heritage and local history.
Our Address
11901 Florence Ave, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670, USALocated just minutes from La Mirada in Santa Fe Springs, this free-admission museum focuses on preserving the agricultural and industrial history of the Fulton Wells and Santa Fe Springs area. Its collections and exhibits center on five generations of the Hathaway family and the broader community, covering early farming, ranching, and oil development that once defined the region. The museum operates as a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
The museum is open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is free, with a suggested per-person donation. Onsite parking is available at no charge. The museum is closed on major holidays, though group tours and off-hours visits can be arranged by contacting the museum directly at (562) 777-3444.
For La Mirada residents with an interest in local Southern California history, the museum offers a hands-on look at a way of life that shaped the communities of the San Gabriel Valley and surrounding areas. The site is also available for limited outdoor gatherings, receptions, and other social events, making it an option for those seeking an informal, historically distinctive venue. Inquiries about event reservations can also be directed to the phone number above.
Very historical place, owned by a generation of amazing people. This place is more real than any 2 pieces of wood put together and called God lolll. They leave food outside for people, give you a tour with kindness and history โค๏ธ๐๐๐๐๐ I hope this place continues to be the same bloodline forever.
Imagine exploring a ranch from the 1920's to 1930's lost in time. The buildings and equipment are all still here, though very rusty outside and dusty inside. Still a working goat ranch, but with the equipment from its prior cattle feed lot, dairy ranch, and oil production. We had a fantastic 2 hour tour of the outside ranch and both historic homes. The newborn goats were so cute. Machine shop with the original line drive.
I visited the Hathaway Museum with my 4 year old. We had some other errands to run in the Santa Fe Springs area, and saw this was nearby on our Passport2History Museum Program. The grounds are large and there is a lot to see. Watch for the sign as I drove by it the first time. It's a little confusing where to park, as when I went in I thought just the house on the left was the museum, but the entire grounds are the museums, so you can park anywhere. Just watch out for the chickens, roosters and cats running around! The docent was already mid tour, so another staff member caught us up to him. Full disclosure... by this time in the day, my toddler was in a bit of a mood, so he wasn't in the best place for a tour. The first staff member had told us there they had 25 baby goats, so my son was eager to get to that part of the tour. Our docent was very kind and knowledgable and gave a very detailed tour. It was a bit too detailed for my son's speed, so we had to cut it kind of short, but if you're intro history, I would definitely come back and check this place out because there is a lot to see! He said we only caught about a third of the place. There is a lot of cool oil stuff in the big mental oil tower which is now part of the museum. We didn't make it to the house across the street that I'd LOVE to see! We did get to see all the baby goats though! There is a ton to see here, but make sure you give yourself enough time. I'd go when they open so the kids are a bit more ready for a tour. I wish this were a bit more self guided so we could still see everything but go at our own speedy pace. Our docent while doing his best, wasn't really picking up on the cues that we needed the speedy tour. But if you're adults only, you'll love this! I hope to get back there! You can make a decent day trip out this way from LA. Look up what else is around. There are some cool historic restaurants, other museums, and King Richard's Antique Center, which is supposedly the largest in CA!
Very immersive, lots of vintage trinkets to see in the houses and old farm equipment to check out. Great stories of how the family lived and how the neighborhood transformed. Charming time capsule.
Such a time capsule back in time! This ranch has so many artifacts in and around the property. You can walk through the houses of the owners from decades ago and flip through old photo albums and see how they lived. Loved it and so did my toddler and husband.