The Kern County Museum

For 45 years, I had a love-hate relationship with the Kern County Museum.

My first visit to the museum's Pioneer Village was in July of 1970. My family had just relocated to Bakersfield from Florida.

In the early 1990's I began visiting the museum regularly to make detailed drawings and photos of some of the buildings on their property that I wished to model for my HO scale model railroad layout.

I ended up volunteering at the museum for various events. To be honest, my experiences there over the next ten years were mixed.  The Museum went through several directors in a short period of time. The word on the street was that the museum board consisted of an old-guard kabal that fought every director at every turn. The museum had trouble raising operating funds. The oversight of the museum passed through several hands, including the Kern Superintendent of Schools. By 2016, I swore I would never set foot on their property again. 

Fast forward to today, where I attended Homecoming Celebration, an open-house event that they advertised on their Facebook page. It was the first time I had been there for several years. I attended with as open a mind as possible.

The first people I met upon entering the front gate were Mike and Susan McCoy. I knew Mike was the newest director of the museum. We engaged in polite conversation where I kept my guard up. Then, the conversation took a turn.

Mike shared with me how he had fired several staff and the troublesome old guard on the board had resigned. He has managed to raise over $1 million in operating funds during his tenure. After this re-introduction to the museum, my visit was nothing less than enchanting.

The Oil Exhibit

The first attraction I visited was the Oil Exhibit. The charming docent invited me to a small theatre I didn't know existed, to watch a film about the Oil industry in Kern County. The building housed other displays that included a 1/2 scale model of an oil-worker's dwelling.  I was bowled over by the experience and awestruck that such a display would exist here in Kern County.

The Metcalf House

The Metcalf house was the first structure of any size that I modeled from Kern County Museum. My archives list the date of "5/30/94." I remember the day well. I made my scale drawings, then met my late father for lunch. He worked across the street at that time.

Today was the first day I was permitted to enter the dwelling and see the inside. The house is fully furnished and in excellent shape. It looks as though someone lives there.

The Trolley Car Exhibit

I have been reading articles on the Bakersfield Californian website about the ongoing restoration of a trolley that ran up and down Chester avenue back in the day. No article can do justice to the meticulous care the volunteers have exercised in their work on this car, nor the building that displays it. Within the same building, is a large collection of antique cars, where I met another happy volunteer docent.

Bena Station

My visit ended with the Bena Station display, another old favorite. The Kern County Museum today has many memories from my past and new displays. This museum is second to none.

I would write more, but I will be going to the museum quite often. Today culminated with me visiting the Museum's fine website, where I purchased a museum membership. In a way, this is a personal "homecoming" on Kern County Museum's "Homecoming Day."