Photographs of the William S. Hart mansion and park from the collection of Harold G. Deines, photography instructor at Hart High School from 1954 to the early 1960s. Deines and/or his students made the photographs on multiple visits shortly after the park and museum opened to the public for the first time in September 1958.

HG5901a: Overview of Newhall from the mansion with the castle turret in view. No earlier than 1961, because that is when the homes were built on Alderbrook Drive, unless they're under construction, in which case it could be 1960. Probably not later. See detail below.

HG5901b: Overview of Newhall from the mansion with the bunkhouse in view. Photographed on the same day as HG5901a.

HG5901c: Vehicular entrance to Hart Park as seen from San Fernando Road (now Newhall Avenue). This photograph was published on the title pages of the 1959 Hart High Tomahawk yearbook, so it was made in 1958 or 1959.

HG5901d: Pedestrian entrance to Hart Park adjacent to the (then) Newhall Avenue-San Fernando Road intersection, showing the ranch house below and the mansion on the hill above. Note the museum hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Mondays. Even then, "Dogs must be on leash."

HG5901e-j: Mansion views from the driveway.

HG5901k: Front of mansion.

HG5901l: A group of Hart High seniors walk up to the mansion from the pool house, probably in 1960 (same time as next photo).

HG5901m: On Hart's front doorstep, the girl in the middle is Lyndell Riley, 1960 Hart High Girl of the Year (1959-1960 school year), as selected by the Hart High faculty. The award was given annually "to a Senior girl who is outstanding to the school and community, as well as for her loyalty and dependability." It's not exactly the same image, but it was the same photo shoot as the image on page 109 of the 1960 Hart High Tomahawk yearbook. Thus, it was made in 1959 or 1960 (probably 1960). At left is Libby Ross, Girl of the Month for April 1960; at right is Linda Stone (daughter of Cliffie Stone), Girl of the Month for May 1960.

Detail from HG5901a. Newhall Hardware (est. 1947) and Safeway are in the center. Note the row of new homes on Alderbrook Drive at top. They were built in 1961. Click to enlarge.

More detail from HG5901a. Click to enlarge.

About the photographer: HAROLD G. DEINES (1922-1970) brought his family to the Santa Clarita 1954 and taught photography and drivers' education at Hart High School. He also was the proprietor of Pin N' Pen Photo Stationers in Newhall. Harold and wife Esther were married in 1944 in Kansas, where Harold was the sports and society photographer for the Wichita Eagle newspaper. They lived briefly in Tucson, Ariz., prior to their arrival in Newhall (Chestnut Street), where they raised four children — Glenn, Anita (Barnes), Sylvia (Wortman) and Myrna (Litt). Not yet 50, Harold succumbed to a long illness; Esther (1921-2009) continued her teaching and adminstrative career with the Newhall School District, sang in the church choir (Santa Clarita United Methodist) and was active in the SCV Senior Center and Friends of the Library.