Heritage Park: Park Buildings

Carriage Barn
Heritage Park's Carriage Barn once housed horses and carriages. Today it contains a museum filled with turn-of-the-century artifacts and memorabilia. Built in the 1880 by a Midwesterner named Hawkins, the Carriage Barn was reconstructed in 1987 based on photographs taken 100 years earlier.

Entitled "When the Air Was Pure and Money Grew on Trees", the Carriage Barn exhibition is designed to show how life was led in this region during the period 1880-1920. It is divided into sections or sets that illustrate the subjects of transportation (Horse and Buggy Days), education (Little Lake School Days), making a living (A Living from the Land), recreation and technology (Inventing a Better Life) and homemaking (Keeping a Home). Also in the exhibition is the Santa Fe Springs Mercantile, a four-passenger surrey, and a timeline. 

Tankhouse Windmill Building
Farmers once pumped ground water out of these buildings, using the wind for pumping power. The restored tankhouse at Heritage Park could still do this job today if necessary. The Windmill was constructed in 1880 in a Carpenter Gothic style to match the Carriage Barn.

The Plant Conservatory
English country gentlemen once built these structures as nurseries for the exotic hot house plants. Around 1870, Missouri transplant Eli Hawkins built one at his estate too. The Conservatory is a plant-filled room perfect for reflection and a popular backdrop for wedding ceremonies. 

Bird Aviary
The noisiest place to be at Heritage Park! Numerous pampered birds keep the area around the aviary filled with song. The aviary was added to the estate around 1916 by the last private owner, Margaret Slusher.

Adobe Foundation
Long before the United States included California, a Mexican named Patricio Ontiveros lived in an adobe home he built close to where the Carriage Barn now stands. Archaeologists found the stone foundation of the home in the 1980s. Nearby they discovered a huge trashpit filled with the bones of cattle slaughtered on the rancho and the family's household trash. Both the foundation and a trashpit exhibit will bring you in touch with the state's Rancho period.


Site History
Heritage Park is a historic site that is operated by the Family & Human Services Division. The City has restored the buildings and grounds of an elegant ranch that prospered here in the late 1800's. The park also tells the story of the original people of this region, the Tongva/Gabrieliño Indians, in a dramatic exhibit nestled within the trees on the park's west side. At the entrance, visitors are greeted by a railroad exhibit featuring a vintage A.T.& S.F. steam locomotive. The ruins of a large adobe home, built during Mexican rule, flank the park's largest building, the Carriage Barn, which houses a museum.


Tongva Exhibit
This exhibit celebrates the culture of the Tongva people who lived in this area for thousands of years. Attracted to the hot springs and wildlife of the area, the Tongva built a village somewhere in close proximity to Heritage Park. Their dwellings, known as kiches, were domed-shaped structures made of willow and tule reeds. When wandering the path next to the stream, this exhibit gives you a glimpse back in time.

Railroad Exhibit
The City of Santa Fe Springs owes a lot to the presence of two railroad lines. The railroad exhibit tells the story of the City's railroad history through the careful restoration of the Santa Fe Railway depot, tracks and signals. At the center of this exhibit sits the No. 870, a restored steam locomotive, and its tender, along with a refrigerated boxcar and caboose. Although no longer operative, this ATSF engine reminds visitors that the little town of Fulton Wells was so pleased to have a railroad line built through here in the 1870s that it changed its name to Santa Fe Springs. The exhibit includes two meeting rooms, a picnic area and a rose garden. 

The Railroad Exhibit is open daily from 12:00 p.m. to 4 p.m. 

Train Caboose
Located at the entrance of the park stands a vintage A. T. & S.F. steam locomotive. This colorful railroad exhibit offers its guests an opportunity to enjoy their special day inside a restored train caboose. This space is ideal for small birthday parties, meetings, or special gatherings. 

Available to Reserve

Monday - Sunday | 12:00 - 4:00 p.m. 

Decorating Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Clean-up Time: 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. 

School Tours
Climb into the cab of a locomotive! Enjoy an unbelievable view from the tank house. Pump water from a well. Visit a Carriage Barn that has been turned into a museum. School children from all over the southland make Heritage Park their California history tour destination. Tours are available throughout the year. Rangers are available for small tours on weekends. Call for times and availability, please call the SFS City Library at (562) 868-7738.

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Heritage Park 12100 Mora Drive, Santa Fe Springs, California 90670
Phone Number: (562) 946-6476 • Email: heritagepark@santafesprings.gov

Office Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Other hours available by appointment. • Park closed on major holidays.

Carriage Barn: Tuesday - Saturday; 12:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Railroad Exhibit Hours: Open Daily 12 noon - 4 p.m. School tours are available - call for reservations.