The Santa Paula Hardware Company Building, more commonly referred to as the Union Oil Company Building, is significant for its historical importance as the birthplace of the Union Oil Company on October 17, 1890. The building continued to serve as a field division office after the main headquarters moved to Los Angeles in 1900. In 1950 the Union Oil Museum was established and in 1990, for its Centennial Celebration, the building was restored to is original appearance and reopened as a new state-of-the-art oil museum.

Very informative and tactile. Staff was friendly and well versed in the oil industry

We take part in the Passport 2 History (look it up if you dont know about it) and three of the passport museums are within walking distance of each other in Santa Paula! So my son and I took a day trip out to Santa Paula. We visited all three museums starting with The California Oil Museum!This FREE museum has a lot of stuff and has an excellent presentation! What I liked best was that there are a ton of things for little kids to do... push buttons and stuff happens and what not. There is a lot of cool antique gasolina here, signs, bulbs, etc.You wont spend too-too much time here, but make this your first stop, park in the lot and make your way to the other museums as well. A great day trip!

Small museum full of history. Is was our very girls museum in California and it was a great experience. The staff introduced us to their museum passport. (Worth $5) The passport is a book full of museums around California. It includes information about each museum and it has a place for you to collect their stickers/stamps. This is something great to do with kids and get them eager to visit museums. Be sure to stamp a time card when you walk in and walk out of this museum. It makes a great reminder of your experience.

Great historical museum lots of old artifacts including a working full sized early oil well pump, antique gas pumps, detailed scaled model off shore oil drilling rigs! Make sure to see upstairs at the old union oil company offices! Very well restored! Pics to follow soon.

A small museum with the wider story of oil in California. The exhibits are truly eclectic, but relevant. Theres everything from real history and toys, to machinery and films. Then theres also the staff - absolutely brilliant. They care about the subject, they know a lot and they are keen to pass on the information. Im very pleased that I took time out to visit.

Place looked nice, cool exhibits, great air conditioning, but quite a few exhibits were closed for repair/construction so we would give this place 4 stars at the most.

Quaint museum, staff was very knowledgeable and friendly. Art museum is around the corner and is in walking distance to some cute shops downtown!No matter how much they warn you about the sound of the oil rig in back, you will jump! LOL

While our country is debating the future of oil use, it is nice to learn about the history of oil and its uses.

Great history of the local oil industry as well as the global impacts of declining domestic production.

You will find so many unique antiquities!

Brief and and uncomplicated history of oil in Ventura county

Great displays changes to different themes

Awesome exhibit and free! If youre at all interested in the oil history of CA it is a must visit.

Nice little museum, they have some displays aimed at kids. The full size oil drilling setup from the 1900s is impressive, it is in the side building be sure not to miss it. Unfortunately when I was here the back gallery was closed to set up a new exhibit and we did not get to see the second floor that is only by docent-led tour. This made the museum kinda small so if you can go when those parts are open.

Really loved it this place could be so much more if they had more donations and funding but very interesting to stop in real quick its small enough to be in and out within 45 minutes and thats looking at everything

Awesome little museum. Found out here that Columbus wasnt the first to discover America but it was in fact a Chinese man.

Free, very well explained, perfect for kids AND adult

Really cool for anyone who likes history. A lot of pictures and artifacts that illustrate how different life was for the early adopters of Santa paula and the oil industry in general. Obviously biased to make the oil companies look good, but when you keep that in mind its still a fun and educational place to go. Its fun and cheap enough where I would go back. The tour of the original offices was my favorite part.

Its an excellent entertaining museum

Neat little place to kill some time.

Really casts your mind back to what made Santa Paula great

The museum is smaller and more unknown than other more famous museums in the southern california area. But this museum does capture an important part of the California history which is often forgotten. Oil. Many people, including myself grow up not knowing how oil shaped southern California and continues to do so. Worth visiting if youre local to the area. They have big displays of some of the equipment used in the past. Theres free parking.

Lovely lil museum. Great and friendly host. Very informational. Great stop.

Great docent/volunteer/employee. Valuable information.

Good learning experience

Great place to know about history oil in California

This is a nice little museum with a fair amount of history and artifacts related to California oil and the environment. Some of the video displays did not work. There is a separate building with a pseudo-working oil rig thats fun.

Really nice small-town museum, lots of local oil history came from this location. I liked the model of the drilling rig - very detailed and interesting.

Very cool and interesting.Staff was so friendly

Cute local museum.

Great little museum but kinda hot in side

Small but packed full of interesting exhibits on Californias oil history. After you finish visiting the museum talk a pleasant walk down Santa Paulas Main Street.

Small but interesting. We came for the historical designation and ended up getting an education on oil and the early history of Southern California.

Clean staff friendly..exibits are interactive..great for kids

Very little here! There are only 3 small rooms and in one of the rooms everything is just paper they printed out with facts hung up on the wall with tape!

Good for small class

Not a lot to see, but its a cute way to kill half an hour while wondering around downtown SP. Fun date idea.

Great history lesson

Great history of our town, and the oil industry

Interesting and well preserved piece of American history

Ya gotta stop here!

Love it

Take the tour of the upstairs offices

WILLIAM ROBERT TORRES ANDERSON HERDEG

David Herdeg US NAVY.