The Old West is clearly on view at the William S. Hart Regional Park in Newhall, now a neighborhood in the city of Santa Clarita. Hart, a silent film star from the early 20th Century, was most noted for his roles in Westerns. He bought this ranch and built a mansion on top of the hill, not far from these old log cabins. Within the mansion is his art collection including works by many famous western and native American artists. In his will he gave the property to Los Angeles County and now his mansion and the art works can be visited by the general public. There is also a Western Walk of Fame on the sidewalks in Old Town Newhall named after Hart.
After Hart's death and as the cities of Newhall and Santa Clarita grew and became modern, preservationists began to try to save old buildings before the bulldozers arrived. The log cabins, at the top of this page, are just a few of the historic buildings within the park. There are also Victorian homes and a tiny one room schoolhouse. Old Town Newhall is, itself, in many ways a collection of historic buildings from the early 20th century when the area was agricultural.
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