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Contributing Institution:
Museum of Ventura County
Title: Ventura High School collection
Creator:
Ventura High School
Identifier/Call Number: MVC059
Physical Description:
3.84 Cubic Feet
(1 half-size box, 2 cartons, and 2 flat boxes, 1 ledger)
Date (inclusive): 1890-1978
Abstract: Ventura High School is a public secondary school that was established in 1889. It is the oldest high school in Ventura. The
school was originally established as a grammar school for Grades 1-8 and was located across from Park Plaza on the same site
as the Post Office. The school was moved to Ann Street in 1897, Thompson Boulevard in 1911, and finally Catalina and Main
Streets in 1930. The school adopted the Cougar mascot in the 1960s and the black and orange school colors, representing the
two major industries in the area, petroleum and citrus farming. The school operated a senior high school for several years
before splitting off from Ventura College and becoming a high school serving Grades 9-12 in 1982. The collection includes
a variety of materials related to student life and extracurricular activities between the 1930s and the late 1970s, including
the school's football team, the Girls' League, and the Interact Club. Materials include correspondence, awards, scrapbooks,
yearbooks, newspaper clippings, and photographs.
Physical Location: Stored off-site and advance notice required for timely retrieval. Please contact the Research Library reference desk prior
to your visit.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE: Open for research. Collection is minimally processed and may contain restricted materials. All
requests to access materials must be made in advance by contacting the Research Library staff via email: library@venturamuseum.org
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
Property rights to the physical object belong to the Museum of Ventura County. Literary rights, including copyright, have
not been determined. Contact the Research Library for further information: library@venturamuseum.org
[Identification of item], Ventura High School collection, (MVC059), Museum of Ventura County, Research Library, Ventura, California.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Jodi and Rod Dunn; gift; 2013.
Processed by Krystell Jimenez, 2020.
Ventura High School is a public secondary school that was established in 1889. It is the oldest high school in Ventura. Eugene
Preston Foster served as the first school board president. The school was originally established as a grammar school for Grades
1-8 and was located across from Park Plaza on the same site as the Post Office. The school was moved to Ann Street in 1897,
Thompson Boulevard in 1911, and finally Catalina and Main Streets in 1930. The original building was red brick and was rebuilt
in 1958 in order to ensure it could withstand earthquakes. The school adopted the Cougar mascot in the 1960s and the color
black and orange, representing the two major industries in the area, petroleum and citrus farming. The school operated a senior
high school for many years before becoming a high school serving Grades 9-12 in 1982.
The collection includes a variety of materials related to student life and extracurricular activities between 1945 and 1978,
including the school's football team, the Girls' League, and the Interact Club. Materials include correspondence, awards,
scrapbooks, yearbooks, newspaper clippings, and photographs.
The collection is organized at the collection level with box-level description.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
High school student activities
Students -- Social life and customs
Ventura High School -- Archives