Newland House: A Huntington Beach Pioneer Home
historic place
Newland House, a historic place in Orange County, stands as the oldest residence in Huntington Beach. Built in 1898, this Queen Anne style farmhouse was home to William Taylor Newland and Mary Juanita Newland. The Newlands settled in Huntington Beach in 1898, having moved from Illinois. William Newland, an early civic leader and agricultural developer, was instrumental in transforming the marshy Santa Ana River lowlands, known as Gospel Swamp, into productive farmland. The Newland family, including their ten children, lived in the house for over half a century. William Newland cultivated crops such as celery, lima beans, chili peppers, and sugar beets on his 500-acre ranch. The house was constructed by Dawes & Kuechel of Santa Ana, with lumber transported from Newport Beach and gravel for the foundation sourced from the local beach. After Mary Newland's death in 1952, Signal Oil acquired the property. In 1974, Signal Oil donated the house and thirty acres to the City of Huntington Beach. The Huntington Beach Historical Society restored the house, opening it for public tours in 1978. Newland House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. A historical marker, erected in 1976 by the Orange County Board of Supervisors and Orange County Historical Commission, commemorates the Newland House and its significance to the area's agricultural development. The site is also identified as the former Tongva village of Lupukngna, with artifacts found during the house's construction. Today, Newland House offers a glimpse into the city's early agricultural and community development.