Oral History Center Helps
Preserve Photos of Early Placentia Life
Historian preserves photo collection
of the George Key Ranch Historical Park. Photos include images
of early area buildings, including businesses and packing houses,
as well as farm equipment, agriculture and Placentia founding
families.
October 13, 2005
By Robbie Nisenfeld
Placentia pioneer George Key left behind
quite a collection of old photos when he passed away in 1989.
Now another George has found a way to try and share
it with the world.
Stephanie George, collections curator at the
Center for Oral and Public
History, received a $4,990 County of Orange contract to
complete a photo digitization project at the George Key Ranch
Historical Park in Placentia.
The ranch, where Key and his family once lived,
is now a public museum that houses thousands of historic photos
dating back to as early as the mid-1800s. The photos include
images of early area buildings, including businesses and packing
houses, as well as farm equipment, agriculture and Placentia
founding families.
“History that isn’t used is history
that is lost,” George said. “And how do you use
it? You share it. What digitization allows is an accurate
copy that can be used for research and for the public to see,
and that’s the point.You don’t want this to be
under lock and key. You want to get it out there for people
to use.”
George, who received her bachelor’s degree
in American studies from CSUF in 2001, said her project will
focus on close to 400 pictures in the Key family photo albums.
She hopes to have it completed by Christmas, and said when
the project is done, the public will be able to visit the
ranch and search through the photos electronically. She is
hoping to eventually upload the photos to a Web site for global
access and digitize the remaining photos in future years with
additional funding.
“This isn’t just an exercise in
George Key’s family tree,” George said. “It
tells us a lot about people’s values and the social
context when these photos were taken.”
Key was just two years old when his family
moved to what was once a 20-acre ranch in 1898. The property
now occupies only 2.2 acres but still has working orange groves.
Key’s house, completed in 1908, is one of the oldest
standing home in Placentia.
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Stephanie George of the Center for Oral and Public
History displays one of the many photos she is digitizing
from a photo collection at the George Key Ranch Historical
Park in Placentia. The work is underwritten by a grant
from the County of Orange and is meant to preserve
and allow access to the images of early county history.
(1/5)
download image
Placentia pioneer George Key left behind a collection
of old photos when he passed away in 1989. Sephanie
George points at one of the photographs from the Key
family photo albumn. (2/5)
download image
Setphanie George, who received her bachelor's degree
in American studies from CSUF in 2001, said her project
will foucs on digitizating close to 400 pictures in
the Key family photo albums. (3/5)
download image
The ranch, where Key and his family once lived, is
now a public museum that houses thousands of historic
photos dating back to as early as mid-1800s. (4/5)
download image
Key's house, completed in 1908, is the oldest standing
home in Placentia. (5/5)
download image
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