The Port Hueneme Historical Museum is located at 220 Market Street in Port Hueneme, a small beach town in Ventura County. The name “Hueneme” derives from the Spanish spelling of the Chumash word for "Resting Place." Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo explored the Hueneme area and the adjacent Channel Islands in October 1542. The town's name was officially changed to Port Hueneme in 1939 and the municipality
was incorporated March 24, 1948. When Thomas Bard learned of a submarine canyon at Point Hueneme, he wanted to take advantage of the canyon depth with the construction of the Bard or Hueneme Wharf in 1871. He later dreamed of a harbor but it would be his son Richard who would be the man to eventually realize the construction of a harbor in 1940. Both the Port of Hueneme and Naval Base Ventura County lie within city limits. The Port Hueneme Historical Museum is located in the Hueneme Bank (1925) Building, which was declared a Ventura County Landmark in 1976. The structure served as the third home (previous structures burned down) of the Bank of Hueneme, a financial institution which first opened its doors on August 6, 1889 and was founded by Thomas Bard and Achille Levy. Two years after Security First National Bank purchased the Hueneme Bank building in 1950, the Bank of Hueneme was dissolved. The city later purchased the property and the diminutive building served as City Hall from 1960 to 1973. The distinctive neoclassical structure, which became the official residence of the Port Hueneme Historical Museum in 1973, now houses artifacts, memorabilia, furniture, clothing, black and white photo exhibits and other information about the history of the Hueneme area. Highlights at the museum include the 3,000-piece collection of salt and pepper shakers, a barbed-wire collection that dates from 1891, a silver tea service that once belonged to the Thomas Bard family, and the original anchor and bell of the historic USS Norton Sound. A plaque on museum grounds also marks the spot where a 375-year-old Monterey Cypress once stood, the second oldest cypress in California. Architect Myron Hunt, who designed the building, was also responsible for designing the Bard Mansion, Huntington Library, Occidental College and the Ambassador Hotel. Tours of the museum are available anytime the Museum is open. The Museum is open on Tues./Thurs/Friday/Sat 9AM-3PM and Sundays Noon to 3. In 1976, a five-member Historical Museum Commission was appointed by the City Council to preserve Hueneme’s history and oversee operation of the museum. The current commission members include: Larry Downing, Rose Boog, Joseph Morris, Cindy O’Brien and Purna Pai. The Commission meets the first Wednesday of the month at 1:00PM in the Museum.
