Information on the New Oil Exhibit
Kern County Museum

How will the story be told?

A standing committee of the Kern County Museum Foundation, made up of local oil industry representatives, and Museum Arts, a designer of innovative museum displays, have developed a story of Kern County's fascinating oil history. By combining existing facilities and artifacts with video and "hands-on" interactive displays, the story of the oil industry in Kern County will be told from early man right up to the present.

Why tell the story?

Considering the magnitude, the importance, and the impact that oil has had on Kern County, it is a story that needs to be told in a manner which we can be proud of. That is why it will be told in a style that will inform, educate, and entertain the public of all ages.

Who will benefit?

Over 70,000 people a year visit the Kern County Museum. Many of these visitors are from out of state and many from out of the country. The installation of a multimedia, interactive exhibit on the history of the Kern County oil industry will allow the general public and thousands of school children to be educated in the important role that petroleum plays in their everyday lives.

Where to tell the story

The Kern County Museum encompasses 16 acres with 50 historic structures and over 500,000 objects in its care. The museum grounds feature

• a 1930s gas station
• a 1912 working jack plant
• a turn-of the-century wooden cable tool drilling rig
• a 1911 hotel typical of boom town architecture from the oil town of Fellows, CA

Current plans call for adding

• a modern pumping jack
• a 1940s metal drilling derrick

The museum holdings also include hundreds of oil-related photographs, fossils, tools, vehicles, and equipment. Located on the grounds is a 9,900 square foot building waiting to house a state-of-the-art exhibit on the oil industry in Kern County.

How will this be funded?

The oil exhibit is being funded in part by a $3.5 million grant from proposition 12, but additional funding is needed. We hope to raise these additional funds by a variety of means including foundation grants, fund raisers, donations, and in-kind services from the industry and all aspects of the public and private sectors. Recognition is awarded to donors for different levels of support. To date, we have raised over $300,000!

• A donation of $1,000 or greater is recognized by your name on a brick of Sierra White Granite in our Donor's Plaza.
• A donation of $500 or greater is recognized by your name on a brick of Black Granite in our Donor's Plaza.
• A donation of $100 or greater is recognized by your name on a red masonry brick in our Donor's Plaza.
• A donation of less than $100 is recognized by a certificate.