Workman & Temple Family Homestead Museum

09/28/2026

Following this weekend's special tours of La Casa Nueva for the California Preservation Foundation's Doors Open California program, the newest post on The Homestead Blog shares some history of Bernard A. Whalen, the Los Angeles dealer who supplied tile in 1924 and 1925 for this remarkable Temple family residence, which is a century old. Check it out at The Homestead Blog, putting this title in a browser search (Meta now charges for links):

09/25/2026

We've extended our call for artists! We will be taking additional submissions until Thursday, Oct. 1

The Homestead Museum invites artists of all ages to submit original artwork for an upcoming community art exhibit inspired by the museum’s beautiful grounds, historic architecture, scenic landscapes, and the rich stories preserved on site. This is a unique opportunity to creatively interpret and celebrate local history through a variety of artistic mediums.

Visit our website for more info.

09/19/2026

The fourth part of a post on The Homestead Blog regarding the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders of 1928 looks further at press coverage of investigations at the Northcott family ranch in modern Jurupa Valley and a cabin at Mint Canyon near Santa Clarita, as well as the treatment by a Los Angeles Police Department captain of Christine Collins, whose son was believed to be killed by Gordon Northcott. We'll return soon with more of the story: https://homesteadmuseum.blog/2026/09/19/the-most-cold-blooded-murders-that-have-ever-been-committed-on-the-pacific-coast-the-wineville-chicken-coop-murders-revealed-september-1928-part-four/

by Paul R. Spitzzeri As the investigation over murders purported to have been committed at a Wineville, now part of Jurupa Valley near Riverside, ranch owned by the Northcott family continued in Se…

09/19/2026

Part three of a post on The Homestead Blog continues a look at the investigation into what has been called the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders, committed at the Northcott ranch in today's Jurupa Valley in Riverside County and centered on Gordon Northcott and four young victims, ages 9-19: https://homesteadmuseum.blog/2026/09/18/there-are-some-things-yet-to-come-to-light-through-the-proper-channels-the-wineville-chicken-coop-murders-revealed-september-1928-part-three/

by Paul R. Spitzzeri With investigations continuing into what transpired at the Northcott ranch near Wineville, later Mira Loma and now part of the Riverside County city of Jurupa Valley, with rega…

09/18/2026

Following a Los Angeles Corral of The Westerners tour of Los Angeles International Airport, the latest post on The Homestead Blog, featuring a mid-September 1928 photo from the Museum's collection, looks at the airplane, Yankee Doodle, and some of the career of its well-known pilot, Art Goebel, as part of early Angel City aviation history: https://homesteadmuseum.blog/2026/09/17/from-point-a-to-point-b-with-a-photo-of-the-airplane-yankee-doodle-mines-field-los-angeles-international-airport-mid-september-1928/

by Paul R. Spitzzeri It was a pleasure today to take part in a guided tour with members of the Los Angeles Corral of The Westerners of Los Angeles International Airport. Led by two members of Los A…

09/17/2026

On this Mexican Independence Day, the newest post on The Homestead Blog looks at newspaper accounts of how Los Angeles celebrated the holiday from 1865 to 1870, including parades with girls in triumphal cars representing Liberty, Justice, the states of México and more, music, speeches and, of course, feasting: https://homesteadmuseum.blog/2026/09/16/mexico-will-yet-take-an-enviable-position-with-her-sister-republics-the-celebration-of-mexican-independence-day-in-los-angeles-1865-1870/

by Paul R. Spitzzeri On this day in 1810, Father Manuel Hidalgo exhorted his congregation in the town of Dolores with a passionate and inspired call for Mexican independence from Spain, with the Gr…

09/16/2026

Part two of a post on The Homestead Blog about the mid-September 1928 revelation of what came to be called the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders, committed by Gordon Stewart Northcott on four boys, looks further at early investigations at the Northcott ranch in what is now the Jurupa Valley in Riverside. Part three is soon: https://homesteadmuseum.blog/2026/09/15/the-worst-murder-case-in-the-nations-history-the-wineville-chicken-coop-murders-revealed-september-1928-part-two/

by Paul R. Spitzzeri As the investigation continued after the stunning mid-September 1928 discovery of evidence showing that human remains were buried at the Northcott family ranch in Wineville, in…

09/15/2026

Following posts earlier this year on the discovery of a Latino youth's body adjacent to the Homestead and the disappearance of Walter Collins, part one of the latest post on The Homestead Blog follows early reporting in mid-September 1928 on the stunning discovery at the Northcott Ranch near Riverside, of evidence for what has generally been known as Wineville Chicken Coop Murders. Part two is very soon: https://homesteadmuseum.blog/2026/09/14/the-harrowing-tale-of-a-human-butcher-farm-the-wineville-chicken-coop-murders-revealed-september-1928-part-one/

by Paul R. Spitzzeri Posts earlier this year on this blog detailed the gruesome discovery in early February 1928 of the headless body of an unidentified Latino youth adjacent to the Workman Homeste…

09/15/2026

Underneath It All
Sun, Sep 20 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Sign up here: https://www.homesteadmuseum.org/event-details/underneath-it-all

Explore the evolution of undergarments, silhouettes, and beauty ideals from the Victorian era through the 1920s. Discover the history of corsets, bustles, petticoats, bras, and more, as we examine what people wore beneath their clothing and how changing fashions and cultural influences shaped underwear across different societies.

09/13/2026

The latest post on The Homestead Blog is a combined "Read All About It" and "Drilling for Black Gold" entry sharing the 13 September 1923 edition of "California Oil World" with news about a congressional delegation tour of the Golden State's fields, cuts to yields because of overproduction and lower prices, oil excitement in Compton, and more: https://homesteadmuseum.blog/2026/09/13/read-all-about-it-while-drilling-for-black-gold-in-california-oil-world-13-september-1923/

by Paul R. Spitzzeri A century ago, oil was a huge part of greater Los Angeles’ burgeoning economy with rapidly growing uses of the natural resource for manufacturing of many products, as wel…