Next to a towering Southern Magnolia tree in Heritage Court sits one of Redondo Beach's best kept secrets—the Redondo Beach Historical Museum. Managed by the City of Redondo Beach’s Community Services Department, Heritage Court preserves and shares the city’s story.
Housed in the charming Queen Anne-style home that was relocated and preserved for future generations, the museum isn't simply a place to view old photographs and artifacts. It's where the city's story is being restored—one postcard, newspaper clipping, yearbook, and forgotten box at a time.
For Tony Morejon and Katrina Clugston, who work at the museum, preserving Redondo's history isn't just a job. It's a calling.
When visitors walk through the museum's front door, they encounter a city that once dreamed of becoming the Harbor of Los Angeles, welcomed travelers arriving on the Red Car to the grand Hotel Redondo, hosted Bathing Beauties contests, and helped build neighboring communities with lumber unloaded from its bustling wharves. But behind those exhibits, a much larger effort is taking place out of public view.
For years, historical materials were stored in locations throughout the city. Some items arrived without labels. Others had been tucked away for decades. Entire collections sat untouched with their stories slowly fading as memories were lost. "We've been going through boxes and taking things out of storage and then matching them," Tony explained. That work often feels less like museum curation and more like detective work.
One discovery connected a silver Rose Parade trophy to a long-forgotten photograph of the award-winning float that earned it. In another project, Tony has been sorting through more than 1,000 postcards documenting Redondo's evolution through the decades. Together, he and Katrina carefully examine photographs, documents, and artifacts, searching for clues that reconnect objects with the stories they were meant to tell.
"That's what we're trying to do is archive the stuff that we can match so that people can see it, so people can learn it, so people can pass it on," Tony said. Their mission is evident in every corner of the museum.
Tony, who moved to Redondo Beach as a child in 1961, possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of local landmarks, schools, and neighborhoods. Whether he's explaining how Redondo's three wharves once helped build the South Bay or sharing memories of watching scenes from the original Gone in 60 Seconds and Cannonball Run being filmed on local streets, his enthusiasm is contagious. "It's just our home. It's just a gathering place," he said.
Katrina brings a different perspective. With degrees in anthropology, museum studies, and history of art and visual cultures, she spends countless hours researching artifacts, preserving fragile documents, and uncovering stories that have remained hidden for generations.
Some of her most meaningful discoveries have come from the most unexpected places. An obituary tucked into a folder led her to Iris Cummings Critchell, a Redondo Union High School graduate who competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics before becoming an aviator and military flight instructor during World War II. Other projects have included researching Indigenous artifacts, preserving century-old Olympic documents discovered at the bottom of a storage bin, and uncovering the stories of influential women such as Mary Davis, the driving force behind the original Portofino Inn.
"I love that there are so many new things to find," Katrina said. What excites her most is knowing that many of the documents crossing her desk haven't been examined in generations. "This is potentially the first time in over 100 years that someone is reading these documents," she said.
For Katrina, the work is about far more than research. "There's just so much incredible history, and what a privilege it is to research these people's lives and the history of the city," she said.
That sense of discovery is part of what makes the museum so special. History is still being uncovered. Visitors can explore original maps from the 1880s, learn how Redondo's harbor transformed the waterfront, discover why the city was once known as the "Carnation City," and uncover the stories behind some of its most iconic places.
Among those stories is that of surfing pioneer George Freeth, whose demonstrations at The Plunge—advertised as the "largest indoor salt-water heated pool in the world" at the time—helped introduce surfing to mainland America. Visitors can also learn about the Lightning Racer, a massive dual-track wooden roller coaster where competing cars raced side-by-side above the shoreline, drawing thrill-seekers to Redondo Beach during the city's early resort era. Indigenous artifacts reveal stories that predate the city's incorporation, while photographs capture a coastline that looks dramatically different from the one residents know today.
Overseeing those efforts is Cultural Arts Manager Jack Meyer, who spent more than three decades with the City of Redondo Beach before assuming leadership of the city's cultural arts programs. As the staff member responsible for Heritage Court, the Redondo Beach Historical Museum, and other cultural initiatives, Meyer sees firsthand how preserving local history strengthens a community's connection to its past.
Yet perhaps the museum's greatest treasure isn't any single artifact. It's the knowledge being preserved before it disappears. "We're trying to get this stuff written down and documented, so future generations will know this stuff," explained Jack.
For Jack, that mission is about ensuring the city's history remains accessible long after today's historians are gone. That urgency drives much of the work happening behind the scenes. Memories fade. Documents deteriorate. People pass away. Every photograph identified, every artifact cataloged, and every story recorded becomes another piece of Redondo's history saved for future generations.
That responsibility is never far from mind. "Even the records and documents that we have are important for the people that gave them to us in order to preserve them and preserve the history of Redondo," Katrina said. "It was just so meaningful for so many people, and it is still so meaningful for so many people. It’s such an honor to be able to help preserve that and be a part of it."
The reward comes when visitors walk through the door and suddenly reconnect with a place they thought they knew. "We get a lot of customers that'll walk in the door and say, 'Oh, my,'" Tony recalled. "That's why we stop them at the first picture, so they get a little picture of what Redondo started as."
In those moments, the museum becomes more than a collection of artifacts. It becomes a bridge between generations—a place where longtime residents rediscover forgotten memories, newcomers uncover the stories beneath familiar streets, and pieces of Redondo's past find their way home.
Outside, the Southern Magnolia stands watch over Heritage Court, its roots stretching deep into the ground. Inside, Tony, Katrina, and Jack are doing much the same thing—ensuring that Redondo Beach's roots remain strong, visible, and connected to the generations that follow.
And thanks to their dedication, the stories that built Redondo Beach aren't being forgotten. They're being found again.
Plan Your Visit to the Redondo Beach Historical Museum
302 Flagler Lane, Redondo Beach
310-697-3137
Open Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, 11 AM–2 PM