Things are moving right along with the collections inventory project at Jimmy’s Oriental Gardens. So far, over one thousand objects have been photographed, cataloged and logged into the database. These objects include plates, woks, martini glasses, silverware, artwork, furniture, and much more. While some of these objects are more utilitarian in nature, for example, the 100+ sets of generic wooden chopsticks, there are several items that tell a more interesting story.

Several objects I’ve come across have beautiful Chinese characters incorporated into their design.  There are over ten thousand characters in the Chinese language, and while I myself do not speak Chinese, I enlisted a friend that works at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art to help with the translation of several of these characters.

I’ve selected four objects found in the collection that include Chinese characters:

Photo by Laina Malm-Levine.

This symbol, which is located on an east-facing window in Jimmy’s bar, means ‘Double Happiness’.  This double character is usually associated with happy couples on their wedding day, however it is also used in many other social customs.

Photo by Laina Malm-Levine.

The following symbols are painted on one of Jimmy’s ceramic teapots. One reads the strokes of these Chinese characters from right to left. The loose translation reads, ‘Beautiful Person As Jade’.

Photo by Laina Malm-Levine

Here we find a top to one of the ceramic teapots. When viewing these characters, one reads them in a diagonal line. Start by looking at the upper left symbol and then lead your eyes to the lower right. These two characters mean ‘Auspicious’. Then you see the lower left symbol and make your eyes travel to the upper right. These two characters mean ‘As You Wish’.

Photo by Laina Malm-Levine

Jimmy’s has many of these brightly colored serving platters. Again, the viewer should read these symbols from right to left. The symbol second from the right means ‘Longevity’. Coupled with the other three, the four symbols together mean ’10,000 Years of Longevity’ or ‘Limitless Longevity’.

Jimmy’s Oriental Gardens was a cultural and social gathering place for the community for over 50 years. The Chinese characters visible throughout the restaurant and its service items remind us of the significance of the Chung’s family business to Santa Barbara’s New Chinatown.

Laina Malm-Levine is working with SBTHP to evaluate and catalog the objects associated with the Jimmy’s Oriental Gardens property, which SBTHP acquired in 2007. As a result of this project, a core collection will be developed that will aid future researchers and help SBTHP interpret this important local business. At the time of its closing in 2006, Jimmy’s was the last Chinese-run business in Santa Barbara’s “New” Chinatown.

137 East De la Guerra Street, taken from Santa Barbara Street. Photo by Anne Petersen

If you have traversed the intersection of East De La Guerra and Santa Barbara Streets in the last few weeks, you will likely have noticed the reemergence of a painted sign on  131-37 East De la Guerra Street, on the Santa Barbara Street side (currently occupied by Beads).  This Spanish Colonial Revival-style structure is part of El Presidio de Sánta Barbara State Historic Park, which is operated by the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation.  Three weeks ago, SBTHP’s property management company, Meridian, sent painter Tony Monarco to patch the walls of the building. As Tony scraped away the loose paint, he uncovered this sign, which appears to be an advertisement for Ghirardelli Chocolate.

Tony Monarco scraping loose paint as the sign is slowly uncovered. Photo by Anne Petersen.

It was common for property owners to rent space for painted advertisements on the exterior of their buildings to garner a little extra income. The space at 137 De La Guerra Street was occupied by various tenants over the years, including the J.N. Sheridan Real Estate office (1927), United Produce Company (1932-34), and was vacant from 1935-1941.  In 1942, Horner’s, a linoleum and flooring company, moved in and remained well into the 1950s.  From the layers of paint visible on the building, this sign was painted and repainted many times.   It may have endured the occupancy of multiple tenants over the years.

After all the loose paint is scraped away, just this small portion of the sign is exposed. We think it reads "Ghirardelli Chocolate." Do you agree? Photo by Anne Petersen.

We were all surprised to see a painted sign on this particular property, however.  The Spanish Colonial Revival style, known for its smooth white walls and red tile roofs, was popularized as a uniform architectural style for downtown Santa Barbara by our organization’s founder, Pearl Chase, and others, following the 1925 earthquake.  Pearl Chase held a particular dislike for large signs and billboards of any kind, which were at odds with her vision for a beautiful downtown.  She campaigned throughout her life to remove them throughout Santa Barbara County, with great success.  The discovery of this sign therefore presents a bit of a mystery for us at SBTHP.  Between the 1920s and 1960s, Pearl Chase held offices at multiple locations in the Presidio neighborhood from which she conducted her work with the Plans and Planting Committee of the Community Arts Association. We can only speculate about what she thought of this brightly colored advertisement gracing the façade of a nearby building.

If you have not yet seen the painted sign, hurry on by.  It will soon be painted over, perhaps to be rediscovered again by a future generation.

Anne Petersen is associate director for historical resources and Mike Imwalle is the archaeologist at the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation

Students whitewash the living quarters and cocina of the alférez, or second lieutenant. Photo by Mike Imwalle.

On Wednesday, February 8, thirteen energetic volunteers from Cate School assisted SBTHP Maintenance Supervisor Eduardo Garcia with putting the final coats of whitewash on the Presidio‘s Northeast Corner complex. Ed has been working with Santa Barbara County Probation Department workers and volunteers for months patching and repairing the hundreds of feet of adobe walls that comprise the Northeast Corner. After patching the adobe walls, the last step is to coat it with a thin layer of lime whitewash.

Outer defense wall with a bright new coat of protective whitewash. Photo by Mike Imwalle.

Will Holmes, David Wood, Patrick Thomas, Nathan Alldredge, Nik Pajouh, Anna Saterfield, Jenny Lundt, Blake Wands, Ema Boateng, Johnowen Lowe, Emma Newton, Luisa Ilvento, and Reid Jeffries made the fourteen-mile trip from the Carpinteria, California campus. The crew finished whitewashing the outer defense wall, cocina and dispensa, and living quarters of the alférez, or second lieutenant.

Eduardo Garcia with the Cate School crew. Photo by David Wood.

We appreciate the support of the school on our adobe maintenance project.  We can also attest that Cate School is no stranger to historic preservation.  Last year, SBTHP granted the school a certificate of appreciation for moving, restoring and repurposing a 1928 barn on their campus designed by famed local architect Reginald Johnson.  For more information on Cate School and their public service day, click here.

Mike Imwalle is the archaeologist at the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation. 

Moises Solis (right) building athe horno at El Presidio SHP. Photo by Karen Anderson.

On December 31, 2011, Moises Solis retired from State Parks after 35 years of service. He worked at La Purisima Mission State Historic Park, as well as El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park, technically as a Maintenance Worker 1, but more famously as blacksmith. For the Presidio and for the Casa de la Guerra, he made window and door hardware. He also constructed the Presidio’s horno along with volunteer assistance.

Solis, a native of Querétaro, Mexico, immigrated to California at the age of 18 to work as an immigrant farm laborer. He began working at La Purisima SHP in 1976 as a park aide. Solis worked his way up to the top Maintenance Worker, the position he held until his retirement, but he was often seen in the blacksmith shop, working with the anvil that was used by his father in Mexico. (Solis learned the trade from his father, working by his side in Mexico.) He was an important part of the Student Learning History Days at La Purisima, as well as living history days at the Presidio.

Demonstrating how to make hand-forged nails during SBTHP's Early California Days program. Photo by Karen Anderson.

His specialty is constructing hardware – ranging from nails, hinges, locks, and bells – from the 18th century. Solis commented, “I know how to make anything out of metal that’s related to the mission period. This is part of my culture, of Mexico.”

Solis’ retirement was celebrated in Lompoc on January 22 by approximately 300 people, who enjoyed a bit of toasting and roasting this famous figure. He remarked that he felt “very honored” by the party. He has been awarded the title of “honorary docent” by the volunteers and docents with whom he has worked over the years and will continue to work as a historic blacksmith.

So next time you visit the Presidio on Early California Day, Founding Day or Presidio Pastimes, look for Moises Solis and tell him what a treat it is to still see him heating metal over the fire, pounding out nails, or merely smiling as he explains the age-old process of blacksmithing.

For more information about Solis click here.

Karen Schultz Anderson is Director of Education at the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation and Moises Solis Fan Club Member.

In Part I of the Santa Barbara Post Office Project, I wrote about the postal service windows donated by Harold Kroeger to the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation.

Today, I would like to discuss a part of the project that involves cataloging the buildings that occupied the site prior to the post office’s construction in 1936. Through decades of research, we have a general idea of what portions of the Presidio Neighborhood used to look like.  However, there are still gaps in what we know about certain properties that researchers are still trying to fill.  So what was on the property prior to the post office? At many different points between 1886 and 1931 there were various billiard halls, small stores, a café, barbershop, and individual residences.

The only known photograph of the property prior to the U.S. Post Office. Image from the top of the Lobero Theater circa early 1930s. Santa Barbara News Press.

You might be wondering how we know this? One invaluable tool researchers at SBTHP use to survey the Presidio Neighborhood are fire insurance maps created by the Sanborn Map Company. During the latter half of the nineteenth century, Daniel Sanborn, founded a mapmaking company in Massachusetts that produced detailed maps of cities across the United States. These maps were bound in books, updated every few years, and used by insurance companies to assess the liability of fire damage. SBTHP houses a number of Santa Barbara’s oldest Sanborn maps and uses them to gain insight about the history of local properties.

Sanborn map, 1930, showing the corner of Anacapa and Canon Perdido Streets, the future location of the Santa Barbara Post Office.

First, it is necessary to compile the information in a spreadsheet because the building addresses changed over time. What is now 830 Anacapa Street once had street numbers that ranged from 842 to 828. Once all of the information is recorded, we then cross-reference those addresses with the Santa Barbara city directory. City directories often yield business listings that can offer specifics for buildings and merchants lost to history. For example, 842 Anacapa Street used to be the address for Ugo Segundo Billiards, while 830 ½ Anacapa was the Ming Hing Co. oriental goods shop. Residence listings are a bit trickier, as property holders may have not been the same people who resided in a particular building. Also, some property listings are abbreviated with “furn rms,” which appear to have been rooms rented out.

Next time you are in front of Santa Barbara’s historic post office, take a moment to think about the variety of businesses and residences that were once there, which are now being rediscovered.

Michael Orth is a recent graduate of Cal Poly, SLO with an M.A. in History and the 2012 Jim and Sue Higman Intern at the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation.

Leading guided tours is one of the most popular opportunities for SBTHP docents. Photo by Karen Anderson.

Do you love History, want to get more involved, or give back to your community? Help tell the story of the beginning of Santa Barbara by becoming a docent with the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation. SBTHP docents give tours to both schoolchildren and adults, and provide interpretation at living history days. Enriching activities for docents include special field trips to other cultural institutions, giving docents opportunities for lifelong learning. Volunteering as a docent is a great way to meet people who share your interest in local history and culture.

Docent tours leave lasting impressions on young people. Drawing by a local student, mailed to SBTHP staff after a site visit.

Find out more at our Docent Open House on February 6th at 3:00pm at El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park (123 East Canon Perdido Street, Santa Barbara). Training sessions take place on Thursday afternoons in February and March. For more information, please contact (805) 965-0093 or meredith@sbthp.org.

Photo by Cathy Oliverson.

It was a great day for son jarocho on Sunday, January 22, when Los Soneros del Tesechoacán came to Casa de La Guerra for a workshop in the music and dance of Veracruz. Seventy-five people attended the session co-presented by ¡Viva el Arte de Sánta Barbara, ProyectoJAROCHO, and the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation. Led by Adrián Luna and Pablo Tadeo Sanchez from Playa Vicente, Veracruz, more than a dozen jaraneros, including musicians from ProyectoJAROCHO, others from as far away as Camarillo, and a couple of absolute beginners, practiced on jaranas of all sizes. The enchanting sound and heartening sight of people playing for fun, outside, under the oak and a blue sky, brought smiles to those strolling by the Casa on this beautiful afternoon.

Photo by Cathy Oliverson.

Off to one side Soneros leader Arturo Barradas gave a private lesson to a serious new jaranero from Ellwood School who quickly picked it up. Members of Xochipili and Raices de Mi Tierra were joined by others from the community for the lesson in zapateado jarocho coached by Margarita Saldaña and Patricia Barradas.

Photo by Cathy Oliverson.

After nearly two hours of practice all the participants crowded into the comedor for a high-energy session of dance to live music. Friends, parents and siblings, and a few tourists, spilled out the doors and watched from the window. The workshop was a huge success and the beautiful venue played an important part.

Cathy Oliverson is the Manager for Performing Arts and Educational Outreach at UCSB Arts & Lectures. Thank you Cathy, for contributing to Dispatches, and for being a part of  this great partnership between some of Santa Barbara’s most valuable cultural organizations.  

During their internship, the Sonoran Wheat grew as tall as Corinna! Or did it? Photo by Gazal Hamayouni.

We are nearing the end of our internship, so there is no better way to say goodbye than to tell our readers what we have accomplished in our five months of volunteering with the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation.

Building the pea trellis. Photo by Mike Imwalle.

The last time we blogged, we shared information about the vegetables that were growing behind the cocina on the Northeast corner of the Presidio. Most of those vegetables have survived, and we have planted new crops such as strawberries, broccoli, brussels sprouts, potatoes, and more peas (check out our handmade trellis, it’s pretty awesome).

Arugula? I hardly know 'ya! This monster arugula plant's days are numbered, but it will taste good no matter how large it gets. Photo by Mike Imwalle.

The radishes are still there, and if you read this blog post and still haven’t checked them out for yourself, you better get on that because they have gotten so big that they are going to explode! We also have arugula, beats, chard, carrots, and cabbage.  They are growing little by little, but they are getting there! You can also find wheat and peas over at El Cuartel, so we urge you to stop by and look at the progress.

Weeding the wheat furrows. Photo by Mike Imwalle.

Our last task before we leave has been to restore all of the signs made from roof tiles that were used to label the crops around the gardens.

First peas of the winter crop! Photo by Gazal Hamayouni.

It’s been a pleasure working with Mike Imwalle and Anne Petersen, we have learned so much about the history of Santa Barbara’s Presidio, as well as the art of gardening. We have been inspired to start our own gardens at home and we are even starting a garden at our own school, Anacapa, which is right down the street! We have enjoyed this time with our readers, and until next time. Peace and vegetables!

Gazal and Corinna in the Presidio Northeast Corner garden. Photo by Mike Imwalle.

Corrina and Gazal are seniors at The Anacapa School.  Last week they finished up their one-semester garden internship at the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation. Anacapa School is just down the street, so we look forward to bumping into them as they pop into the garden from time to time to check on the fruits of their labor.

Lucas Nichols collecting data with a Geoscan Research Resistance Meter near the Presidio aqueduct. Photo by Mike Imwalle.

SBTHP recently welcomed Dr. Lewis Somers of Geoscan Inc. to El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park to give a lecture and hands-on demonstration of geophysical survey techniques. The lecture was part of SBTHP’s Archaeology Month programming.  On Saturday, October 15th, 2011 Dr. Somers discussed the use of various geophysical survey methods including ground penetrating radar, resistance, and magnetics. He also discussed the effectiveness of the various techniques at other Spanish Colonial period sites.

Bob Guess, Lucas Nichols, David Jackson, and Ginny Guess look on as Dr. Lew Somers explains how the sensors on a Geoscan Research Fluxgate Gradiometer measure magnetic data. Photo by Mike Imwalle.

Following the lecture some of the attendees adjourned to the yard behind the comandancia for a hands-on demonstration of magnetometer survey and magnetic resistance survey. Both techniques employ the use of a grid system to collect data at predetermined spots across the site. Ropes representing the grid points are stretched across the site at one meter intervals. Correspondingly, each rope is marked with tape every meter. By walking along the ropes and timing the cadence of the instrument to record data at every meter marked on the rope, the data collected represents a grid of one meter squares across the site. While the magnetometer is carried just above the ground to collect data about the magnetic qualities of what is beneath the surface, the resistance meter consists of two probes inserted into the ground to measure electronic current as it passes through objects beneath the surface.

Bob Hoover outstanding in his field! Actually Bob is assisting with moving the survey ropes across the site. Note the intersection of two gridlines on Lot 72. Photo by Mike Imwalle.

The purpose for Dr. Somer’s visit to California was twofold. After the lecture at the Presidio, Dr. Somers packed up his equipment and hauled it over the pass to the Santa Inés Mission. He was contracted to survey the adobe apartments for neophytes formerly located south of the mission quadrangle. The survey was funded by the California Missions Foundation. On October 17th, 2011, SBTHP volunteers and staff assisted with establishing a one meter by one meter grid across an area measuring almost 200 meters by 200 meters. SBTHP Board President Bob Hoover, Santa Inés Mission Mills Steward Wayne Sherman, and volunteers Allison Lorber, Lucas Nichols, Arturo Ruelas and I assisted with moving the survey ropes across the site as Dr. Somers recorded the magnetic data.

Dr. Lew Somers collecting magnetic data with the Geoscan Research Fluxgate Gradiometer and the Santa Ines Mission property. Photo by Mike Imwalle.

Different techniques can provide varied results depending on a number of factors including the type of soil, the amount of iron in the soil, the amount of moisture in the soil, and the underlying geologic formation. Other factors such as the amount of “electronic noise” from metal fencing, underground, conduits, and overhead communications and power lines can also affect results. The best technique is the technique that provides the best results. The results may be partially determined by factors that can change like the amount of moisture in the soil.  Because the soil was very dry in October, Dr. Somers concluded that it was not practical to use resistance. He will return to the site in April 2012 to re-survey the same areas using resistance after the rainy season and be able to compare the results of the two techniques.

Volunteer Arturo Ruelas looking at a preliminary plot of the magnetic data from the area near the adobe apartments within the neophyte village at Santa Ines Mission. Photo by Mike Imwalle.

Geophysical survey is an extremely valuable tool for archaeologists for developing research designs, testing strategies, and resource management. Having an idea about what is under the ground before an excavation allows limited resources to be focused on areas where there is a high probability of encountering features. Knowing where buried features lay without having to excavate them allows interpretation of the site without damaging it.  It also provides information to archaeologists and planners to help avoid archeological resources during development projects and preserve them in situ for future generations of researchers.

Mike Imwalle is the archaeologist at the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation.

by Josh Figueroa

Anacapa School students Wishiah Roper, Josh Figueroa and Aubrey Cazabat, and Westmont College student Amanda Lyons, making roof tiles. Photo by Mike Imwalle.

I started working at the Presidio in the fall of my ninth grade year at the Anacapa School. I worked as an intern with three of my fellow students under the direction of Michael Imwalle of the Archeology Department at SBTHP. My peers and I mostly dealt with sifting, throwing, and molding clay to produce floor tiles and roof tiles. I continued the internship throughout the rest of the year and started it up again in my eleventh grade year. By the second semester, I was the only intern in the program from Anacapa, which delegated new roles to my job. I worked with clay only a few more times from that moment on, as my chief responsibility turned into developing and caring for the heritage garden in the northeast corner of the Presidio. At the time, the garden was mostly just a bed of weeds, making the cleanup long and arduous, but ultimately rewarding. I had the pleasure of developing new plantings for the garden right from the seedling stage, including beans, tomatoes, gourds, wheat, and chilies.

Josh and the Giant Beet: at the Presidio's northeast corner garden. Photo by Mike Imwalle.

In the summer of my eleventh grade year, I continued to volunteer my time at the Presidio. I took an active role in assisting the 2010 Archaeological Field School in their endeavors to excavate and document findings in the second defense wall area.

I also volunteered for the CASA (Cultural Activities and Summer Adventures) day camp, which provided a fun and educational two-week experience for children from the local housing authority residences. I continued to volunteer for SBTHP periodically throughout my twelfth-grade year, and was awarded a certificate of appreciation by the SBTHP at their  48^th Annual Meeting and Community Awards Presentation for my volunteer work.

Josh with participants in the 2010 Archaeological Field School. Photo by Mike Imwalle.

This past semester, I have been in Portland, Oregon attending Lewis & Clark College. I am currently undeclared, but am interested in pursuing sociology or psychology as a possible major. Upon returning to Santa Barbara for my winter break, I found plenty of work and volunteer opportunities at the Presidio. For the annual Las Posadas celebration, I assisted in readying the food and refreshments for the reception. I also had the fun opportunity to be the Piñata operator for the kids that evening.

Josh (center) with fellow award winners Joyce and Walter Douglas, Greg Hind, Sandi Pierce (from Cate School) and David Bolton at the 2011 SBTHP Annual Meeting. Photo by Clint Weisman.

The most labor-intensive opportunity I had this break was working on the reconstruction of the Presidio’s west defense wall. An ongoing project at the Presidio, the defense wall is made almost entirely out of genuine adobe brick. With thousands of bricks already in place, it is still underway, partly due to the labor-intensive process of making adobe bricks. Alongside other workers, my role in the construction work was sifting several metric tons of dirt, as well as placing mixtures of dirt, straw, and oil in brick molds throughout the parade ground and back of the Presidio. After seven days of work we had successfully molded almost two thousand adobe bricks.

Loading mud for bricks, December 2011. Photo by Mike Imwalle.

I have been with the Presidio since I was 14, and I could not have found a better place to volunteer through high school. I have gotten to know and grow up with the wonderful staff and friends at the Presidio, as well as obtain valuable work experience in both physical work and in an office environment, and I feel quite lucky for it. I’m back in Oregon, but I look forward to returning to Santa Barbara in May and continuing my work with SBTHP.

Josh Figueroa has been volunteering at SBTHP for five years.  We all enjoyed seeing him over his winter break.  Thank you Josh, we sincerely appreciate your hard work and dedication.  Come back soon.