Upon the incorporation of the Santa Barbara Humane Society on April 18, 1887, under the direction of founding president E.T. Weitzel, its purpose was
to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals in the County of Santa Barbara by means of existing laws or laws to be hereinafter enacted for the protection of animals, and to ensure by all lawful means, the arrest, conviction, and punishment of all persons violating such laws; and to labor in the education of a public sentiment of humanity and gentleness toward dumb animals.**This original purpose of prevention, protection and education remains a priority of the Humane Society to this day, and over the years its scope and specific programs have changed in response to the changing needs of the community.
1887 was an important year in the history of the Santa Barbara area. According to local historian Walker A. Tompkins, "its crowning event was the long awaited coming of the railroad, which had been preceded by a two-year period of unprecedented prosperity"**. In early 1887, David Beck of Illinois purchased 27 acres in the Goleta Valley, and developed his land as a walnut farm. After the death of David Beck in 1915, part of his property was used for two state highway projects, and the remainder was subdivided and sold in the 1960s. This was when the connection between the Beck Farm and the Santa Barbara Humane Society began.
From 1887 to 1940 the Humane Society had no property of its own; it shared space with local veterinarians or private kennel operators. During this time the headquarters also moved from place to place throughout downtown Santa Barbara, depending on the location of available office space made possible through those connected with the Society.
In 1940, the Society purchased its own property at 801 E. Montecito Street, thanks largely to the efforts of its president, Mrs. Lloyd Aspinwall. In 1959, the Society moved its headquarters to 1215 Anacapa Street, and in 1960, a Thrift Shop opened to benefit Humane Society programs. The kennels were kept at the Montecito Street address.
In 1961, a city parking lot project forced a retreat to Montecito Street, made possible by a gift from the estate of Montecito heiress Kathleen Burke Hale. In 1963, the Humane Society was able to acquire about two acres of the surplus state land from the construction of Ward Memorial Boulevard. Property from the Beck Farm, along with some adjacent land formerly belonging to another pioneer Goleta family, the Borgaros, was included.
"Ground breaking took place in 1963 and the kennels of the new facility were officially opened in August of the following year"**. A tragic incident in the history of the Humane Society occurred in May 1963 when the old Beck Family Farmhouse was vandalized. Delmer S. Steele, local building contractor and member of the Santa Barbara Humane Society's Board of Directors, along with William Rudolph, were instrumental in restoring the building, which became the Society's Administration Office.
To this day, the old Beck Family Farmhouse still houses our Administration Office, but many new buildings have been added since 1963 as well: a Shelter Office, additional kennels for adoption animals and boarding animals, a Spay and Neuter Clinic, and a Humane Education Center. The barnyard and horse corrals allow for the Society to house large animals and maintain its fleet of disaster response vehicles for large animal rescue.
Today, Beck House is a proud landmark symbolizing those once numerous and commonplace buildings that were the hub of the small farm-life in Goleta. It is with great pride that we enjoy 5 acres of the Beck Family Farm, where the Humane Society may continue to provide a farm-like atmosphere in which to serve the community and to honor the history of the Goleta Valley.
**Information acquired for this historical section was provided by the book Beck House, A Goleta Farmhouse Reborn by Gary B. Coombs and Jon Bartel.