Local historian and Orange County Historical Society president Chris Jepsen will discuss “O.C. in the Colonial & Revolutionary War Era,” at the next Orange County Historical Society meeting: Thursday, May 14, 2026, 7:30 p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. Please join us!
Gaspar de Portola, Spanish Military Officer and first governor of the Californias (1767-1770). photo courtesy of Chris Jepsen
As we celebrate our nation’s 250th year, we often use the term “Colonial America” to evoke the 13 colonies on the East Coast. But California was also an American colony (albeit Spanish) at the time, and plenty of history was being made here too. This broad overview will provide perspective on what you may have thought of as two separate chapters of history but which are, in fact, not only concurrent but actually related.
Chris Jepsen is an independent historian, frequent lecturer, life time OC resident, and longtime president of OCHS. He has written for historical journals, his own O.C. History Roundup blog, government publications, and for six years was Orange Coast Magazine’s “O.C. Answer Man.” He is the Assistant Archivist at the Orange County Archives.
We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, May 14, 2026, 7:30 p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange to hear from local historian and Orange County Historical Society president Chris Jepsen discussing “O.C. in the Colonial & Revolutionary War Era,” at the next Orange County Historical Society meeting.
Flags of America and Spain. Photo courtesy of Chris Jepsen
Kelley Brugmann of the Irvine Ranch Conservancy (IRC) will discuss “Living Legacy: Irvine Ranch’s Rich History Through Landscape Reflections,” at the next meeting of the Orange County Historical Society: Thursday, April 9, 2026, 7:30 p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. Please join us! The public is welcome!!!!
Irvine Ranch scene photo courtesy OC Archives
The historic Irvine Ranch was shaped by more than 150 years of rich culture, enduring heritage, and thriving open space, cared for by generations of dedicated stewards. For more than twenty years, the Irvine Ranch Conservancy has continued that legacy, protecting and restoring this remarkable landscape for the future while inviting the community to experience its beauty. Discover a rare expanse of preserved Orange County open space where monuments, historic sites, and striking geological features reveal the stories of the land.
Limestone Canyon, part of Irvine Ranch Photo courtesy IRC
Kelley Brugmann is a lifelong Orange Countian with over 25 years of experience in environmental education across local cities, the County, and nonprofit organizations. She previously supported public programs at OC Parks’ historic sites and now serves as Program Manager for Community Engagement and Education at Irvine Ranch Conservancy, overseeing a dynamic team who leads stewardship, school programs, and public activities. An award-winning Master Interpreter, she has trained more than 250 park rangers in the art of interpretation.
Irvine Ranch scene photo courtesy OC Archives
Please join us to learn more about the rich natural history of the Irvine Ranch Conservancy on April 9, 2026 at 7:30pm at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange.
Join author and historian Eric Plunkett Thursday, June 11, 2026 at Alta Vista Country Club, Placentia, CA Social Hour / Silent Auction / Cash Bar: 5:30 p.m. Dinner: 6:30 p.m. Presentation: 7:30 p.m.
Avast, ye lubberly swabs! Come hear local pirate lore and the true story of buccaneers’ raid on San Juan Capistrano. Historian Eric Plunkett will share swashbuckling tales he’s uncovered for his new book, The Saga of Orange County’s “Pirates”: Hippolyte Bouchard’s Attack on Mission San Juan Capistrano in 1818. This raid even played a part in the Argentine War of Independence. And while not exactly like the pirates we know from Disneyland, tales of the exploits of Bouchard and his crew provide a compelling and enlightening window into Alta California during the collapse of the Spanish Empire. Plunkett is a teacher and a Placentia native, and has a history degree from CSU Fullerton. He’s the author of scholarly articles, of his own Visions of California blog, and of several books (which will be available for sale).
Our buffet includes: roasted tri tip with shallot demi glaze, chicken piccata, mashed potatoes, saffron rice pilaf, seasonal vegetables, field green salad, rolls and butter, and NY-style cheesecake with strawberry puree.
Complimentary beverages include: water, iced tea, lemonade, and coffee.
Pirate-ish attire is encouraged but not mandatory. The venue requests no ripped or torn clothing, sleepwear, shorts, or immodest dresses.
This event is open to members and non-members alike, so bring yer shipmates!!
Mission San Juan Capistrano photo courtesy of Eric Plunkett
Historian Eric Plunkett will discuss “The Books that Made Mission San Juan Capistrano,” at the next meeting of the Orange County Historical Society: March 12, 2026, 7:30 p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. Please join us!
Few know that the first library in Orange County – assembled by the padres of Mission San Juan Capistrano themselves – remains among the mission’s collection. Annotations in some of the books tie them to some of the most important missionaries and events in the history of California and tell a fascinating story about how the mission was built, organized, and maintained. These very books were sources used in some of the earliest agricultural, ranching, and architectural developments in the county. Some are directly tied to the most important events in early California. Come hear the story of this library, its books, and how it helped shape our history.
Eric Plunkett is the author of St. Junípero Serra and the Founders of Mission San Juan Capistrano and Orange County and many scholarly articles and is co-author, with Phil Brigandi, of the OCHS publication, The Portola Expedition in Orange County. Plunkett teaches in the Placentia Yorba-Linda Unified School District. A native of Placentia, he graduated with a degree in history from CSU Fullerton. He has led numerous OCHS tours and History Hikes and has addressed OCHS on many occasions. He blogs about the early history of Orange County at www.visionsofcalifornia.blogspot.com.
We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, March 12, 2026 at 7:30pm for this informative presentation! The public is welcome!!!!
The history of Orange County’s Korean-American community will be the subject of guest speaker Ellen Ahn of the Korean American Center and Korean Community Services at the next meeting of the Orange County Historical Society on, February 12, 2026, 7:30 p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. The public is welcome!!
Mrs. A. Lee with children, Alice and Sadie, in field near Santa Ana, 1912 photo courtesy of Los Angeles Public Library
Ahn will trace the Korean-American community from the early 20th-century labor migration to Hawai‘i, through the transformative impact of the 1965 Immigration Act, and into the establishment of Southern California as a primary gateway for Korean immigrants, with O.C. becoming a destination. She’ll tell how the 1992 L.A. riots accelerated suburban migration and reshaped Orange County into a center of Korean-American life with strong institutions, businesses, and more. In the following decades, O.C. developed into a mature, multi generational Korean-American hub characterized by professional leadership, political engagement, and ties to South Korea. Today, O.C. is one of the largest Korean-American population centers in the U.S., marked by high education, strong entrepreneurship, significant Limited English Proficiency needs among seniors, and growing second- and third-generation communities.
Mr. A. Lee, at workers camp near Santa Ana, June 1912. photo courtesy of Los Angeles Public Library
A Fullerton resident for over 20 years, Ellen Ahn is the longtime Executive Director of Korean Community Services (KCS), which provides free health, educational, immigration, legal and social service programs to some 10,000 low-income people in Orange County annually.
Ahn grew up in Echo Park’s Koreatown, the child of immigrants. Her father, an Episcopal priest, led a small Korean congregation which started KCS in 1977. Ahn attended both Yale and Georgetown University law school, and later joined the board of KCS. She went back for a master’s in social work from USC to better guide the Buena Park-based nonprofit.
The Korean American Center was founded in 2015 in Irvine, to reclaim what was lost to assimilation: Korean language, culture, and history. In 2018, the Center merged with KCS and was designated a King Sejong Institute – a global network supported by South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to promote Korean language and culture worldwide.
Sign in OC’s first Koreatown, in Garden Grove, 2026 photo courtesy of Chris Jepsen
A strip mall in OC’s first Koreatown, in Garden Grove, 2026. photo courtesy of Chris Jepsen
We look forward to learning about the history of Orange County’s Korean-American community from Ellen Ahn of the Korean American Center and Korean Community Services at the next meeting of the Orange County Historical Society on, February 12, 2026, 7:30 p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. The public is welcome!!
Moulton Family Foundation president Jared Mathis and Moulton Museum Executive Director Dr. Elisabeth Lange will discuss the history of the historic Moulton Ranch at the next meeting of the Orange County Historical Society, on Thursday, January 8, 2026, 7:30 p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. The public is welcome!
Lewis Moulton and his horse, Lady. photo courtesy of Moulton Family Foundation
In this illustrated lecture, the origins, growth, and eventual breakup of the Moulton Ranch operations will be brought to life, from the sheep herding beginnings to the cattle-raising end. Along the way, you’ll gain insights into the personality and character of Lewis Moulton and Nellie Gail Moulton, two pioneers of Orange County history, and their interactions with historical figures like James Irvine, Judge Richard Egan, and artist Edgar Payne. Come hear how the story of the Moulton Ranch influenced the development of Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, and Mission Viejo.
Branding cattle on the Moulton Ranch photo courtesy of Moulton Family Foundation
Jared Mathis is the President of the Moulton Family Foundation, and a leader in the cultural and education ecosystem of South Orange County. He was recently awarded the Madame Modjeska Visionary Leadership award from ArtsOC for his many philanthropic endeavors. His efforts uphold the family legacy of Lewis and Nellie Gail Moulton; he is one of their great-grandchildren and along with the rest of his family, actively supports the preservation of history and art in South Orange County, including the ranching heritage. He grew up on a ranch outside of Sacramento and has been in the commercial real estate field for most of his professional life.
A graduate of Mission Viejo High School, Dr. Elisabeth Lange went on to earn a PhD in Scandinavian Languages and Literature from U.C. Berkeley. She has been working in the museum field for over 30 years, first as a curator of an exhibition about the Vikings, then at a Scandinavian heritage museum in the Pacific Northwest, before focusing on local history museums. She became the Executive Director of the Moulton Museum in May of 2024, and is excited to be contributing to her hometown area historical awareness and preservation efforts.
Please join the Society and welcome Moulton Family Foundation president Jared Mathis and Moulton Museum Executive Director Dr. Elisabeth Lange as they bring the rich story of the historic Moulton Ranch to life at the next meeting of the Orange County Historical Society, on Thursday, January 8, 2026, 7:30 p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. The public is welcome!
Dr. Art Hansen, 2015 photo courtesy of Chris Jepsen
A great historian, a gifted teacher, a true friend to OCHS, a powerful voice for civil rights, and a man with a tremendous heart, Dr. Arthur August “Art” Hansen died on Oct. 29, 2025 after a long illness.
Art taught and guided students for 43 years as a professor of History and Asian-American Studies at CSU Fullerton. He was a trail blazer in gathering, studying, and writing about Japanese-American history for almost 60 years. His research specialization was resistance activity within the World War II Japanese American exclusion and detention experience. Art was also a leading light in the field of oral history; served on the boards of countless historical organizations, and provided a rare welcoming home for Orange County history in academia. In the process, he made the world a better place than he found it.
Art Hansen at OCHS Meeting 2011 with Phil Brigandi (standing) photo courtesy of Chris Jepsen
Art never hid his feelings. From furious indignation in the face of injustice; to high enthusiasm for his work and his favorite sports; to deep sadness at the loss of a friend; to effusive kindness, to love and empathy for all in his life, no one ever wondered where he stood.
His students found his vast knowledge, mentorship, and often lifelong friendship invaluable and inspiring.
“His care and concern was uplifting, joyous, and affirming,” said Tracy Smith Falk, who, like fellow OCHS board member Stephanie George, was lucky enough to have Hansen as both a professor and her boss.
Art Hansen with Chris Jepsen and Stephanie George at JANM Nov 2023 photo courtesy of Chris Jepsen
“Art supported and participated in elevating and celebrating local history and local historians,” said Falk. “He mentored his students to be the best writers, researchers, oral historians, and people they could be. He taught them to seek out the full story and uncover all the experiences that made Orange County so diverse, interesting and unique. He led several conferences celebrating Orange County history and brought together wide groups of people who then discovered common interests.”
Debbie & Art Hansen with Tracy Falk, June 18, 2019 outside of Rutaborgz’s in Fullerton, CA. photo courtesy of Tracy Falk
Born October 10, 1938, in Hoboken, New Jersey, Arthur Hansen was born to Haakon A. & Anna Stover Hansen. (Art was always proud of his Norwegian heritage.) His older brother, Roy, also became a university professor.
Art’s love of baseball began early, and he always kept his grades up, so he could play. (He would later become a big fan of Cal State Fullerton baseball and always had season tickets.) Tracy Falk and Art could talk about Titan baseball and players for hours! Truth!
The Hansens valued education so much that Art’s father decided to move the family to California, so his boys could attend Cal Tech. Misunderstanding where Cal Tech was located, and confusing it with Cal Poly, they ended up near Santa Barbara, settling in Goleta after learning that the new UC Santa Barbara would soon be built there. Ironically, Art briefly attended Cal Berkeley before deciding to enroll in UCSB after all. There, he earned his BA, MA, and PhD in history.
While working on his PhD, he lived in Laguna Beach and taught at Tustin High School before accepting a position at California State University Fullerton in 1965.
Art met Debra L. “Debbie” Gold at CSUF and they were married in Maine in June 1977. Debbie also has a PhD in History and later taught library science classes at San Jose State University School of Information. The two were an impressive team and they split their time between their two homes in Yorba Linda and Los Osos.
Art taught at CSUF from 1966 until 2008, making a national name for himself as a professor of History and Asian American Studies and a central figure in the university’s Oral History Program (later called the Center for Oral & Public History or COPH and now The Lawrence de Graaf Center for Oral and Public History). He taught classes in local history, community history, and oral history methodology, as they related to Orange County and the world at large.
There aren’t enough terabytes on the Internet to list all his accomplishments and all the hats he wore during those years, but here are a few of them:
· Founding director of the Japanese American Project of the CSUF Oral History Program (1972)
· Founding faculty member of the Asian American Studies Program at CSUF
· Director of the Center for Oral and Public History, CSUF
· Visiting Professor, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (1979-1980)
· Editor, Oral History Review (1980-1987)
· President, Southwest Oral History Association (1991-1992)
· President, Oral History Association (2002-2003)
· Senior Historian, Japanese American National Museum (2001-2005)
· James V. Mink Oral History Award-winner, Southwest Oral History Assoc. (1988)
· Named Outstanding Teacher, College of Humanities & Social Sciences, CSUF (1996-1997)
· Named Outstanding Faculty Member, College of Humanities & Social Sciences, CSUF
· Distinguished Faculty Member, College of Humanities & Social Studies, CSUF (2001-2002)
· Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Asian American Studies (2007)
He was also a prolific writer and editor. Just a few of his many, many publications included,
· Reflections on Shattered Windows: Promises and Prospects for Asian American Studies (1987, co-editor)
· Japanese American Evacuation World War II Oral History Project [5 volumes] (1992-2005, editor/author)
· Barbed Voices: Oral History, Resistance, and the World War II Japanese American Social Disaster (2018, author)
· Manzanar Mosaic: Essays and Oral Histories on America’s First World War II Japanese American Concentration Camp (2023)
· Nisei Naysayer: The Memoir of Militant Japanese American Journalist Jimmie Omura (2018, editor & introduction)
· Beyond the Betrayal: The Memoir of a World War II Japanese American Draft Resister of Conscience (2022, editor)
· A Nikkei Harvest: Reviewing the Japanese American Historical Experience and Its Legacy (2024, author)
Many also remember Art raising money from the Japanese American community for the building of the 8,500-square-foot Orange County Agriculture and Nikkei Heritage Museum at the Fullerton Arboretum (at CSUF), which opened with an excellent exhibit in 2007. But despite promises made, the University scuttled the museum as soon as Art retired and they had the donations in hand. This infuriated and saddened Art.
In retirement, Art served as Emeritus Professor of History and Asian American Studies at CSUF; wrote, edited and lectured extensively; continued to serve as historian for the Japanese American National Museum; and won the Manzanar Committee’s 2014 Sue Kunitomi Embrey Legacy Award.
At one point in his later years, he suffered a heart attack while delivering a presentation at CSUF. True to form, he insisted on finishing his program before being taken to the hospital. He recovered from the heart attack, but there would be other health challenges ahead. Through it all, he continued to research, write, and edit – even in the last week of his life.
Dr. Art Hansen will be truly missed by all who knew him, including the Orange County historical community. His good work, however, will continue, through the oral history programs he started, through the interviews he conducted, through a library’s-worth of articles and books he wrote, and through the organizations he helped create and build. He will also live on through his students and their work, and through those who in turn, learned from his students. Art will always be with us.
Thanks to Chris Jepsen, Tracy Smith Falk, Stephanie George and Dr. Debra Gold Hansen for their help with this article.
SUGGESTED VIEWING:
Nisei Naysayer Discussion at JANM with Art Hansen (2018)
Art discusses journalist James Omura, JACL leader Mike Masaoka, and war hero Ben Kuroki in the film “Conscience and the Constitution”
Art and Lawson Fusao Inada talk with the family of WWII Japanese American Draft Resister Yoshito Kuromiya
Art’s comments at the 2023 Manzanar Pilgrimage
“Voices of Resistance” presentation to the Nichi Bei Foundation (2019)
Keynote address, 39th Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage (2008) – Part 1
Keynote address, 39th Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage (2008) – Part 2
A Preview of Art Hansen’s Book “A Nikkei Harvest”
Part of OCHS’ Tribute to Phil Brigandi, including Art Hansen
Sample a few of the oral history interviews Art conducted for DiscoverNikkei in the early-to-mid 2000s
Found treasures of the past photo courtesy of Chris Jepsen
Come to “Show & Tell Night” at the Orange County Historical Society, Thursday, December 11, 2025, 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., Orange. The public is welcome!!!
Bring a choice artifact or bit of memorabilia that connects to an interesting story about Orange County’s past. Rummage around your house or garage for an interesting artifact or bit of ephemera that tells us something about local history. Maybe you have a handbrake from a Pacific Electric car, or maybe great-grandpa’s branding iron is stored in your attic. Or maybe you have an outstanding photo of early Orange County that hasn’t seen the light of day in many years.
Now’s your chance to trot out those curiosities you’ve had stashed away. The public is welcome. This time, YOU are our program for the month, and everyone’s looking forward to seeing and hearing about the item you bring. We’ll have a sign-up sheet at the entrance and participants will be called up one at a time. Anyone bringing more than one item, may be asked to wait to share their second item until everyone else has had a chance to present.
See you at the “Show & Tell Night” at the general meeting of the Orange County Historical Society, Thursday, December 11, 2025, 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., Orange. We are looking forward to seeing and learning about your Orange County historical treasures!
Vietnamese Heritage Museum Founder and President, Chau Thuy will discuss “The Vietnamese Diaspora and Little Saigon”, at the next meeting of the Orange County Historical Society, on Thursday, November 13, 2025, at 7:30p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. The public is welcomed.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War and of the beginnings of the Vietnamese American community in the part of Orange County we now know as Little Saigon.
Refugees on U S aircraft carrier, during Operation Frequent Wind, 1975
photo courtesy of U.S. Marine Corps in Japan
After the fall of Saigon, USMC Camp Pendleton served as America’s first Vietnamese refugee camp. Soon, church groups in the heart of nearby Orange County began sponsoring many of those refugees. Many families settled permanently in Westminster, Garden Grove and surrounding cities, building a new community which attracted still more displaced people. Today, Orange County’s Little Saigon is a thriving commercial and cultural center and home to the largest Vietnamese community outside Vietnam.
Little Saigon, Westminster, CA
Little Saigon, Westminster, CA. photos courtesy of Chris Jepsen
A survivor of a harrowing boat escape from Vietnam to Thailand, Chau Thuy’s personal journey fuels his deep passion for cultural preservation and education. He is an artist, author, and engineer dedicated to preserving the history and legacy of the Vietnamese diaspora. He’s committed himself to safeguarding and sharing the stories of resilience, sacrifice, and survival that define the Vietnamese refugee experience. His books about the Vietnamese “boat people” include Vực Xoáy and Bloodstained Sea. He is also an expert in Vietnamese calligraphy and his artwork has been exhibited at numerous universities and museums and at the State Capitol in Sacramento.
His vision is to establish a permanent institution that preserves and amplifies the history of Vietnamese refugees worldwide, ensuring their struggles and triumphs remain a vital part of the global narrative. To learn more about the Vietnamese Heritage Museum, please visit their website at: https://vietnamesemuseum.org.
Little Saigon today, Westminster, CA, photo courtesy of Chris Jepsen
Please join the Orange County Historical Society in welcoming Vietnamese Heritage Museum Founder and President, Chau Thuy as he helps us all learn and understand more about “The Vietnamese Diaspora and Little Saigon”, at the next Society meeting, on Thursday, November 13, 2025, 7:30p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. We look forward to seeing you!
