Betsy J. Green -

Click here to view videos about my books on my Youtube channel.

Sit back and relax as we time-travel back to Santa Barbara a century ago with a sampling of stories from my Way Back When series of books that describe interesting and humorous aspects of life in Santa Barbara one year at a time.

Books

Local history & humor

My latest book

But wait! There's more!

The best stories of 1918 include: wild storms, the Montecito Country Club opening, "Flying A" movies, the Lockheeds' flights, sauerkraut becomes "Liberty Cabbage," fire & flood worries, the circus arrives, the El Encanto Hotel opening, a solar eclipse, Life magazine cartoons, the Spanish Flu, pelicans making news, SB High School photos, victory gardens, draftees going off to war, and a special memorial page remembering the fallen of WWI. $14.95

Way Back When: Santa Barbara in 1917

The fourth book in the series of fun and interesting news in Santa Barbara 100 years ago. Still only $9.95.

Way Back When: Santa Barbara in 1916

The third in the series of history & humor books about Santa Barbara's history -- one year at a time. $9.95

Way Back When: Santa Barbara in 1915

More tales of the wacky and weird events in SB taken from the local newspapers. $9.95

Way Back When: Santa Barbara in 1914

Tales of everyday life in Santa Barbara 100 years ago, told with wit and humor. $9.95

Local history

The latest in my silent-movie series - Silents on the Islands

Islands are the perfect places to film movies about nature, beaches, primitive life, shipwrecks, daring deeds, pirates, mermaids, and more.

More than 200 silent movies had scenes filmed on the Channel Islands featuring stars such as Gloria Swanson, Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks, Buster Keaton, Oliver Hardy, Stan Laurel, and many more.

The earliest films were only five- or ten-minutes long and filmed on the beach. Island movies later grew into million-dollar features with casts of thousands.

MESApedia

MESApedia is the first comprehensive history of Santa Barbara’s Mesa neighborhood, containing more than 400 entries and images, portraying life on the Mesa in the 1800s.

Images of America: Western Springs, Illinois

A photographic history tracing the development of a village just west of Chicago.

How-to

Discovering the History of Your House and Your Neighborhood

"Could be a runaway bestseller!"

--Old-House Journal

Quick Links

WAY BACK WHEN: SB IN 1924

May 19, 2024

Image: Watercar (Library of Congress)

Surfing By Car?

Dateline – May 1924
The latest watercraft dashing through the waves in Santa Barbara a century ago were Dodge Watercars. A couple of local men had purchased these cutting-edge speedboats.

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