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Discovering the History of Your House and Your Neighborhood by Betsy J. Green | Credit: Courtesy 
Lecture Slides Sharing Helpful Research Sources for Homeowners. | Credit: Courtesy 
Historic AIA Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara on Victoria Street | Credit: Courtesy 
Rick Closson was videographer for the evening | Credit: Courtesy 
Credit: Courtesy 
Tom Jacob welcoming guests | Credit: Courtesy 
Betsy J. Green Presenting Lecture to AFSB guests | Credit: Courtesy
The charming historic mansion of the American Institute of Architects Santa Barbara Chapter on Victoria welcomed members and guests to the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara Spring 2026 Lecture presented by author Betsy J. Green, who shared her experiences researching not only the history of historic houses but also the unique history of the family living in each home and sometimes forgotten secrets.
Her lecture was filled with valuable information on implementing the bevy of resources available to unfold the mystery of a home’s fascinating history, and included helpful listings with easy-to-use contact references for making a home history search complete with as little stress as possible. There are specific city directories, census records, vital records, voter registrations, and more available to make a home history search complete and during the lecture the author of “Discovering the History of Your House and Your Neighborhood” generously shared countless valuable short cuts to assist anyone on their home history quest.
Learning who lived in your home, finding visual clues like old photos in Online Newspapers, learning who the architect was or who built your house and collecting historic information through recommended research sources or through actual contact with former home owners or their descendants seems like it could be as much fun as unraveling all the details of a great mystery novel. “Thanks to the internet, it is now easier than ever to follow the paper trail and the people trail for delving into a home’s history,” said Green.
The Q&A offered guests an opportunity to request specific information from the author, who shared facts on her first house search details in the Chicago area through some unique recent searches she has assisted on. Audience members appreciated details on locations of the organizations in Santa Barbara where they could obtain the specific history facts they required. Following the lecture guests were invited to mingle over refreshments on the patio, and visits with the author, attending members Rick Closson, Tom Jacobs, and additional attending AIA, and AFSB board members.
Betsy J. Green is a former staff editor of World Book Encyclopedia and associate editor of Reader’s Digest. She is a noted house historian who has been researching and writing about house histories for over ten years. She has taught house history research at adult educational programs throughout the Chicago area and has written nominations to list buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. She also gives presentations at libraries, historical societies and community groups. Discovering the History of Your House and Your Neighborhood is one of the Betsy J. Green Way Back When series of 14 books she has authored. Currently she also contributes regularly to several local news publications. For additional information or book purchase information Visit: http://www.betsyjgreen.com.
The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara offers walking tours to experience the history of Santa Barbara’s past architecture in a unique and personal way, focusing on style, significant and historic buildings, aesthetics, past and present building usage, landscape and overall history. The tours are weekly year-round, and last two hours with a donation of $20 (children under 12 are free. Please go to site for details). For additional information please contact the Architectural Foundation at visit http://www.afsb.org.
