The Serenity of the Heritage House in Riverside, CA

The historical Heritage House in Riverside, CA

In 1873, a woman by the name of Eliza Tibbets got an unexpected gift from her friend, William Saunders, who happened to be a horticulturist at the United States Department of Agriculture in Washington D.C.

Knowing that Saunders liked to figure out the science of growing plants, we might presume Tibbets may have thought a nice bouquet of Camellias would be special. Those very rare flowering plants found in the far-flung lands of eastern and southern Asia would be charming to put on her windowsill at her home in Riverside, California.

When the package arrived, her friend had sent three Brazilian navel orange trees. He explained that the trees had come from Bahia, Brazil, and would grow very well in the semi-arid climate of the town situated alongside the Santa Ana River,

“I like oranges,” Tibbets may have said while donning a pair of work gloves and grabbing a shovel.

Turns out the trees did like the weather in Riverside and soon the citrus revolution in this Southern California town was in full bloom.

One of the orange trees planted by Tibbets is still thriving and can be seen at the junction of Magnolia Avenue and Arlington Avenue to this day.

By 1882, Riverside had over half of the entire population of citrus trees growing in California and people were making all kinds of moola-boola. Then, with the invention of the refrigerated railcar, oranges and other citrus could be shipped anywhere in the United States without rotting. 

By 1895, Riverside had become the richest city in the nation by way of income per capita.

As Laureen, my citrus-loving wife, and I wandered the beautiful green gardens of the Heritage House in Riverside recently, I regaled her with tales of growing up in the city of oranges.

The rear gardens including the carriage house and water tower

“I’ve heard those tales before. Many times,” she said.

I’m sure that meant that she wanted to hear more about the times my friends and I would ride our stallions through the acres of orange groves in Riverside on lazy summer afternoons looking for boyish adventures.

“I recall the time near Victoria Avenue . . .” I started.

“The tour is beginning,” Laureen interrupted. “You can finish your monologue later.”

You bet I will, I thought, as Docent Sandy invited us into the parlor of the rather large Victorian house located along Magnolia Avenue.

We were visiting the historical Heritage House which was built in 1892 wondering what it had to offer visitors in the way of Riverside history. As we stepped into the entrance, it seemed as though the residence had just been recently constructed. It is simply gorgeous - in a 19th-century sort of way.

The entrance parlor of the Heritage House

Docent Sandy was dressed in period costume and introduced herself to our small group of tourists, or as I like to refer to myself, historical researcher.

“The house is maintained in almost the exact way it would have appeared when Mrs. Catharine Bettner had lived here,” Docent Sandy said. “In fact, all the furniture, paintings, photographs, and other items in the house come from that time period, though they may not have all belonged to Mrs. Bettner.”

We later learned during the tour that all the items in the house were donated by people living in Riverside from their private collections when the Riverside Museum Associates purchased the property and converted it into a museum in 1969.

“Good time to get rid of great-grandma’s rocking chair,” a husband may have said. “Then I can get a wide lounger to take its place for game day.”

The Heritage House and all the belongings were as authentic as they could be.

Beautiful artwork abounds

“Mrs. Bettner had always wanted to live in a Queen Anne-style home and she got her wish after hiring architect John A. Walls from the firm Morgan and Walls out of Los Angeles.”

Turns out that even with detailed plans, the contractor made one terrible boo-boo as he went to turn the keys over to the new owner. He had forgotten to add the servant staircase at the rear of the house.

And we all know how that feels. Servants traipsing down the main staircase, how ghastly indeed. Laureen would have clasped her pearls in dismay at such an atrocity.

“John, my smelling salts, please,” she may say. “Jeeves just came down OUR staircase.”

The contractor sued Bettner. Bettner sued the contractor. And the judge said build the staircase and she will pay for it.

The total cost of the house, with the added servant staircase, was a staggering $13,500.00 dollars, in today's money would be nearly $400,000.  This actually is not bad considering the home boasts over 4,000 square feet of living space with an intricately carved staircase, (not the one for servants), multiple fireplaces that are inlaid with gorgeous colored tiles, and pocket sliding doors weighing four to six hundred pounds to close off rooms which glide like they are slicked with butter - and these doors are 132 years old. Try to get that warranty from Home Depot or Lowe’s.

The ceilings are designed in various patterns utilizing all sorts of native and imported wood that Docent Sandy told us but I forgot. Wait, my wife just nudged me: pine, redwood, and white oak. Finely crafted hanging lights are in each room showing nothing but elegance.

Beautifully handcrafted woodwork throughout the home

An interesting tidbit is that Catharine Bettner had moved from New York to California with her husband, James, in the late 1870s and knew about electric lights.  Even though electricity was not readily available at that time in Riverside, she had the lights installed in anticipation of retrofitting, so no changes cosmetically would have to be made to the house when electricity became available.

A very practical and forward-thinking woman.

Wandering through the residence truly pointed out how life was both similar and yet quite different at the same time, at the near turn of the 20th century.

All the comforts of an expensive home but with a few things missing, like air conditioning.

“The Heritage House is closed from June until September since the association desires to maintain the place as original as possible,” Docent Sandy said.

In other words, the museum is closed during the very hot summer months so visitors don’t faint while grasping for the banister while descending from the second floor.

“Oh my,” a woman visitor may say as she slides face-first down the stairs. “It is hot in here.”

As we entered the gracefully decorated dining room, Docent Sandy told us how Mrs. Bittner came to build her home along Magnolia Avenue.

The formal dining room

Turns out that the reason James and Catharine had left New York was due to James’s bad health. He was given less than a year to live unless he moved west to the warmer climate of California. They did and he lasted an amazing 11 years longer until passing in 1888.

When they arrived in Riverside, James jumped into the new citrus business not only planting trees but also building packing houses to prepare the citrus for delivery locally or eventually nationally.

“Back then,” Docent Sandy said. “Men had multiple jobs or careers to take care of their families. There were no pensions like today, so many men became wealthy working in this field and that field at the same time. James was a lawyer, a civil engineer, and a citrus farmer.”

I could feel Laureen’s eyes on me. I ignored them.

“So, when James died, Catharine took over his businesses and decided to build this house since she did not want to live in the house in which her beloved husband had died,” Docent Sandy told us.

Bettner was a very wise and shrewd business owner who wanted to make her late husband proud, So, under her guidance the citrus production flourished, and later on, when it was time to slow down, she turned everything over to her only surviving child Robert.

As the tour progressed we realized this was a truly special place to visit. Not only did it have a wonderful history but showed the love and respect the citizens had for this one-time small town in the West.

One of many fireplaces

It was their home and they took pride in it.

With the thought of preserving history, the Riverside Museum Associates wanted the residence designated on the National Register of Historic Places, which it received on February 28, 1973. 

For further information: https://riversideca.gov/museum/

Palm Springs Air Museum

 The concept of flying has always intrigued me. How some object simply in a matter of seconds can leave the earth and soon be flying so easily through the heavens?

As a young boy, I jumped off my parent’s tall garage roof over our backyard and flapped my arms as fast as a hummingbird. Luckily the ground broke my fall.

My father just looked at me. “What were you thinking?”

“I thought I was a bird.”

He walked away shaking his head.

Thus the reason when I can visit an air museum, I jump at the chance, not fly but jump since no matter how hard you flap your arms, gravity will keep you grounded.

So recently my lovely wife, Laureen, and I traveled to the wonderful city of Palm Springs to wander the grounds of the Palm Springs Air Museum.

Walking up to the entrance will take the visitor quite a few minutes because this large museum doesn’t only have historical military exhibits inside but a lot to see on the outside.

A Mikoyan-Gurevick MiG-15 sits proudly just south of the main entrance to the museum. This Soviet Union jet fighter was the terror of the skies after its introduction in 1949. The swept back wings, short fuselage made this plane extremely maneuverable during aerial combat, which was proven when these planes were used during the Korean War. As a result the United States introduced the American F-86 Sabre to counter the MiG-15. 

MiG -15 on display at the Palm Springs Air Museum

We wandered from exterior exhibits like the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, to the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, to another four or five beautifully maintained planes which point out the importance of air power for any nation.

In fact, the message of the museum is: ‘The Palm Springs Air Museum is a living history museum dedicated to educating the public about the role Air Power played in preserving American liberties and way of life.’

One such aircraft on display outside was an observation plane, the 0-2 Skymaster which resembles its predecessor the Cessna 0-1 E Bird Dog. This sight brought a lump to my throat as my uncle, Captain Edmund Thornell, had been flying the Bird Dog on a mission in Vietnam on September 10, 1966 when he was shot down and killed. It was his birthday, he had just turned 33 years of age.

I closed my eyes for a moment before we moved on.

As we entered the museum, there were quite a few docents of all ages waiting to answer questions for the visitors lining up at the doors. It appeared many were veterans of a different era, but all were eager to greet and offer information about each and every exhibit the museum had to offer.

And there is a lot to see in the various hangars located at the museum, but first, we were interested in the guests who were waiting by a check-in counter located at the end of the large glass foyer. 

These folks were anxiously awaiting their scheduled flight with one of the Warbird planes available to the public. These flights take approximately 60 minutes to complete with at least 20 to 30 minutes in the air allowing an individual the chance for a bird’s eye view of the entire Coachella Valley and perhaps a fly-over of Salton Sea.

Numerous pristine, iconic planes are available, to choose from and the price for a ride varies based in part on the fuel consumption for each craft. The cheapest seat in the house is aboard the famous C-47 Transport which was used to ferry troops and provisions to different locales during WWII. It is probably best known for delivering paratroopers on D-Day with the invasion by the allies into France.

A biplane ready for passengers at the Palm Springs Air Museum

The most expensive ride available is the two-seater T-33 Shooting Star. This Lockheed mid-1940s fighter was the first jet to be utilized by what was called the United States Army Air Force.

There are more planes to choose from, all meticulously maintained and flown by experts.

“Which plane are you going to jump into?” Laureen asked.

I felt my wallet shrink in my back pocket and chose instead to purchase a t-shirt featuring the Warbird, Man O’War. This P-51 Mustang was built in February of 1945 and shipped to England, but was too late to see any wartime action. Now, folks can sit in the back seat and enjoy the maneuvers this plane can deliver. 

“A t-shirt?” Laureen asked.

“I’ll embellish the purchase,” I replied.

P-51 on display at the Palm Springs Air Museum

The hangars at the air museum include not only aircraft from various eras, all dealing with military service, but also other modes of transportation.

John R Beyer by a WWII military Jeep

While wandering here and there, my eyes took in a gorgeous, olive drab Indian motorcycle used by the United States Army. A light brown leather seat and saddlebags gave the machine a look as though it were ready for a mission of utmost importance at any moment.

“Maybe we should buy a motor . . .” I started.

“Nope,” came a reply to my right. I did not even bother to turn, I recognized it, and moved on to the next exhibit.

Large models of Navy ships take up almost an entire wall of one of the hangars. Detailed information of each is readily available for visitors to learn where the ships were built, where they served during military action, and the final disposition of such ships.

A pair of huge WWII Japanese deck binoculars give the appearance they are still in use, waiting to spot an approaching American fighter or bomber headed their way.

WWII Japanese ship binoculars

Walking through any museum is a learning experience for all ages. Laureen and I used to take the girls to museums quite often, and to this day they still marvel at how much fun they had during those visits.

“We went to what?” Kelly still asks.

Erica would chime in then, “Remember when Dad would drag us . . .” 

“I’d rather read the book,” was uttered more than once by Jessica.

I generally stop listening at that point.

It is amazing to view all the aircraft jammed into the hangars at the museum. Not haphazardly, but carefully orchestrated like an oil masterpiece. Much like the Monet I have hanging next to my neon Miller Lite sign.

Guide ropes allow guests a chance to get a close up view of the exhibits while at the same time not allowing those same guests to touch the exhibits with their dirty greasy hands.

Perhaps those ropes were meant for me.

There are pilotless drones hanging from the ceilings, helicopters hanging from the ceilings, and ceilings hanging from the ceilings. 

Writing about the helicopters, and there are a lot of them on display. There is Bell H-13 Sioux, a Bell AH-1 Huey Cobra, a Bell UH-1 Iroquois, and a Heck-of-a-Bell Sasquatch.

There is everything available for the aviationist geek located within and outside of the museum, enough to spend hours upon hours gawking.

WWII German anti-aircraft gun

One of Laureen’s favorite was the dark blue Chance Vought F-4U Corsair. This was the plane used by the United States Navy during WWII that flew off the decks of the humongous aircraft carriers. The powerful Pratt and Whitney behind the long propeller indicated nothing but power.

As I was snapping a photograph of the Corsair, I suddenly heard a man grunting near me while saying something like, “Ooh - ooh, more power.”

“Was that Tim Allen?” Laureen asked.

The Palm Springs Air Museum has created a wonderful real-time experience for visitors in honoring all the military branches and learning what part each of those branches played in keeping this awesome country of ours free.

It should be noted that in one hangar stands the Lockheed Martin F-117A Nighthawk. The lights in the building are low. There are subtle red lights beneath the fuselage giving the fighter an ominous look. A guest can get a glimpse of what this plane would look like as it suddenly swept over an enemy at night.

The F-117 A Nighthawk at the Palm Springs Air Museum

Is the combat fighter a mockup or the real thing?

I was sworn to secrecy.

For more information: https://palmspringsairmuseum.org/