Kern County Museum
3801 Chester Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93301; 661-852-5000; Museum Website; Foundation; Bakersfield Museums;
16 acre complex with 56 buildings that depict Kern County life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The museum serves the people of Kern County by providing its citizens a deeper understanding and appreciation of their past, providing school audiences with a powerful educational laboratory for experimental learning, and providing visitors to the area a better appreciation of the importance of the region in shaping California and the West. Kern County was established in 1866 and its original county seat was in the pioneer town of Havilah.

Black Gold: The Oil Experience - Special $4 million interactive exhibits showcases the vital role oil plays in our society and in the local economy. The "Oilwell Supply Store" includes displays of important equipment and tools.
• Adobe House - was built to resemble a typical adobe dwelling found in the Bakersfield area in the late 1800s to early 1900s.
• Barnes Log Cabin -
• Beale Memorial Clock Tower - sixty-four foot structure of Moorish design, was a gift to the city of Bakersfield from Truxtun Beale, dedicated in 1904.
• Early Hospital - This one-story structure is a replica of Kern's first county hospital in Bakersfield. This building was for a short time the home of Judge George Fluornoy.
• Havilah Jail & Courthouse - Built in 1866/67.
• Howell House - This historic mansion - characterized by its high ceilings, double doors, stained glass windows and wide hospitable porches - stood for more than 77 years in downtown Bakersfield
• Lori Brock Children's Discovery Center has hands-on exhibits for children.
• Norris School - was built in 1882 near Rosedale on land donated by Bob Norris, a local farmer.
• Oil Derrick - Sample equipment from Bakersfield oil boom that started in 1899.
• Photographer's Studio - contains a wealth of turn-of-the-century photographic materials.
• Santa Fe Caboose - This ATSF No. 1323 caboose was the living quarters for a freight train crew while the train was in service, built in 1923.
• St. John's Episcopal Mission - Built in 1892, this mission is restored to original condition with almost all of its original furnishings. Inside you can look beyond the pews to see the ornamental cross which graced the same altar in Rosedale over a century ago.
• Southern Pacific Locomotive - old Engine No. 2914 was built in 1898.