The Santa Barbara County Courthouse is, to many, the pride and joy of the community. For the past 50 years, the docent council has provided free courthouse tours, taught residents and tourists about its history, and aided in restoration efforts.
On Wednesday the courthouse marked the 50th anniversary of the first docent-led tour and honored past and present docents.
When 103-year-old Peggy Hayes walked into the courthouse mural room, she received a standing ovation from fellow docents and public officials including Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse. Hayes was responsible for starting the information booth in the late 1970s. Since then all money made at the information booth has gone to restoration projects.
Lori Bevon has been a docent for 13 years and served as president of the docent council from 2016 to 2017. Bevon became a docent after some convincing from a friend just as Bevon was entering retirement.
“To see this building and to relay the history and art of this building, it’s just an exciting, thrilling experience,” Bevon said. “We have people from all over the world come, and to be able to present our city in this light, I think it’s a gift and a privilege.”
Docents take a ten-week course to learn about the courthouse history, architecture, and the artists behind the iconic landmark. Anyone can become a docent if they wish to do so. Classes begin in February and meet once a week for several hours. Right now the courthouse has 64 docents and 14 who recently finished the classes.
Bevon said she’s loved getting to know the other docents and feels honored to be a part of the 50th anniversary.
Her favorite fact to share on tours is that Santa Barbara got its name because Sebastián Vizcáino sailed into the Santa Barbara Channel on Dec. 4 in 1602, the Roman Catholic Feast Day of Saint Barbara.
On Wednesday government officials including Mayor Randy Rowse and representatives from the offices of Congressman Salud Carbajal, Assemblymember Gregg Hart, Senator Monique Limon, and county government honored the docents’ years of service.
Following the ceremony everyone was invited to join a regularly scheduled tour by Kathy McColm, who walked visitors throughout the courthouse, pointing out its castle-like features, asymmetrical design, and its history.
The docent council was started by a group of lawyers’ wives who wanted to bring schoolchildren into the courthouse to teach them about the legal system. Together the group of women, including Marilyn McMahon, a long-time Santa Barbara journalist, started docent-led tours in 1974.
In the past 50 years docents have worked on restoring and preserving lanterns, draperies, and copper-plated allegorical scenes on the Hall of Records’ doors, according to Barbara Peters, publicity chair for the docent council.
“Over the 50 years, the docents have done several hundred thousand dollars’ worth of conservation work within the courthouse, which is all worthy, I think, of a little 50 year celebration,” Peters said.
Peters said she loves being a part of the courthouse and sharing its history with others.
“I love this building so much,” she said. “I love the opportunity to share what we have learned about the history, the architecture, the cultural heritage of this building, and its significance in the community as a national state and local historic landmark.”
The docents conduct tours Monday through Friday at 10:30 a.m. except for court holidays and everyday at 2 p.m. except for Dec 25. Tours begin in the mural room on the second floor and are completely free with no registration required.
Anyone interested in becoming a docent at the courthouse can learn more information here.
