Santa Ana Historical Preservation

The Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society is an active group of people concerned and interested in preserving and celebrating the history of our local Santa Ana valley community. We preserve and maintain the Dr. Willella Howe-Waffle House and Medical Museum. We record and promote the history of early Santa Ana and its central role in the birth and growth of Orange County. We celebrate local history by creating enjoyable events and publications for residents whether hard-core historians or just curious. We actively support the education of our children to learn about and appreciate their heritage and the community around them.



Thanks to the help of our members and other supporters, we continue this mission to celebrate and promote Santa Ana and early Orange County history. We’ve been doing that for over 35 years – starting when Adeline Walker, Betty Biner, and other dedicated residents, much like yourself, took a stand for preservation. Back in 1974 they saved the Dr. Howe-Waffle House from destruction and began the Society.


We take our mission seriously. Our efforts and publications have garnered awards. Our membership grows every year. Our community continues to support and thank us for our activities and educational programs. We know what we’re doing is working and is helping keep our local history alive!


We’re all volunteers in this work. All the funds we raise go towards expenses like supporting and maintaining the Dr. Willella Howe-Waffle House and Medical Museum and to continue our work to collect and share information about local history. We have no paid staff members. Our active board is out there salvaging vintage homes, creating educational programs, assembling new history displays, and developing new publications for the community.


This year we have even more on our plate. We’ll again create and produce our award-winning Living History Historical Tour at Fairhaven Memorial Park and Santa Ana Cemetery. We’re working on several new mini-books on SA history. Our salvage program to recycle vintage building materials to homeowners of older homes is more popular than ever. We’re creating a digital archive of local photos. We’re expanding our website with even more historical articles and photos for students and others searching the Internet for local history.


But we need your help to continue these activities. We absolutely can not do it without you. Your membership dollars paired with our volunteer efforts help make the Society one of the leaders of local historical organizations. Without your help, we couldn’t do all that we do. Even if you can't volunteer your physical help, becoming a member will help us with the funds we need to continue and expand our work.