Historical Society Gives First Look at Hart Family Artifacts at Fundraiser

At the recent “Silents Under the Stars” fundraiser for Friends of Hart Park, guests got to enjoy a little peek at some personal items related to William S. Hart himself.
Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society Archivists Eva Gritz and Madison Traylor set up several display cases in Hart Hall with artifacts from the collection of the SCVHS that featured items belonging to Winifred Westover, who married William S. Hart in December 1921. Three small “Kewpie” figurines from their wedding cake, fashioned as a bride, groom and minister, were displayed along with a Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin champagne cork, presumably from their wedding celebration, along with a picture of the happy couple.
When Winifred divorced Hart several months later, she was pregnant with his child, a boy, who was born in September 1922. Along with the wedding décor, some porcelain beads from a child’s rattle and several items of baby clothing were displayed, including a pair of blue-trimmed booties, a Bakelite pacifier, a pair of older boy’s moccasins and cowboy boots, which accompanied a picture of William Jr. dressed as his famous father.
Some of the heirlooms belonged to Winifred herself; a complete Victorian-era baby and young girl’s wardrobe that included pink knitted and crocheted socks, tiny woven mittens, bonnets and store-bought red button-up baby shoes reflecting a popular style of the 1890’s as well as two baby blankets, one embroidered silk and the other monogrammed with a “W.”
The items came to the Historical Society’s collection as a donation from Dr. Tracey Goessel, a noted film historian who founded the Los Angeles-based Film Preservation Society. In 2018, Goessel purchased a steamer trunk that had been part of the estate of William S. Hart, Jr., who died in 2004. When she discovered the items inside, she felt they belonged in a museum and donated them to the SCV Historical Society in 2019. The items will be exhibited at the future museum of local history planned for the Pardee House in the Santa Clarita History Center.