Balboa Island Museum & Historical Society

Balboa Island Museum & Historical Society Mission: To collect, preserve and promote the culture and history of Balboa Island and Newport Beach. Vision: Inspiring our community. A place to gather.
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Celebrating our heritage. Balboa Island, with all its allure and charm, has been a favorite California location for locals and vacationers alike. Now residents and visitors can discover all sorts of interesting and fascinating facts about this magical Island by visiting the Balboa Island Museum & Historical Society. Visitors will be fascinated by the display of Island memorabilia, including classi

c photographs that depict the Island’s captivating history. The Museum was founded in 2000 after local Pat Buderwitz had the idea of turning the old Fire Station into an Island Museum. Pat and a group of Island neighbors started meeting regularly and formed an organization, the Balboa Island Museum & Historical Society (BIMHS). On May 13, 2000, a reception was held at the Newport Beach Yacht Club to introduce the BIMHS to the Island residents. When the fire station option fell through, the BIMHS decided to rent a space until a more permanent location could be found. They moved into their first location across from the ferry during March of 2002. In the spring of 2011, the Board of Directors made the decision to relocate the Museum to 331 Marine Avenue, becoming part of Balboa Island’s “Main Street.” This charming vintage cottage is the perfect site to showcase the Museum’s artifacts and it is the hope and desire of the committee that this location will also provide a meeting place for the local community. (Coincidentally, the new location is very close to the old Fire Station, their original chosen spot!)

Locals and visitors are welcome to check out the new location and learn a little bit of Balboa Island’s enchanting history.

09/02/2026

Remembering our beloved veteran, Staff Sergeant William S. Stewart. 🇺🇸

In this interview, Bill shares how he became a radar mechanic during World War II and reflects on the technology that helped transform modern warfare.

His stories gave us something no textbook can: history told by someone who actually lived it.

Bill has since passed, and we’re grateful the Newport Beach Museum had the opportunity to preserve his memories and his voice for future generations.

What question would you have asked Bill if you had the chance to sit down with him?

09/01/2026

Part 3 of The Girl Most Likely, with Newport Beach playing a starring role.

After Dodie jumps from the Balboa Island Ferry, Pete pulls her from Newport Harbor and offers to help.

She thinks she has just engineered the perfect meeting with millionaire Neil Patterson Jr.

Instead, she has accidentally met Neil’s boat mechanic, Pete, played by Cliff Robertson.

And that mistake becomes a major part of the movie: Dodie eventually finds herself juggling three marriage proposals while trying to figure out whether money or love matters more.

Meanwhile, these scenes preserve an amazing color snapshot of the Balboa Island Ferry and Newport Harbor in the 1950s.

Tag someone who would love seeing old Newport Beach like this.

08/31/2026

Part 2 of The Girl Most Likely, filmed in Newport Beach. 🎬

So why does Jane Powell’s character suddenly jump off the Balboa Island Ferry?

Dodie spots a man leaving a millionaire’s yacht and thinks he’s wealthy Neil Patterson Jr. So, in true 1950s romantic-comedy fashion, she impulsively jumps into Newport Harbor just to create a chance to meet him.

There’s only one problem...

The man who rescues her is actually Pete, played by Cliff Robertson, and he’s the millionaire’s boat mechanic. 😅

Would you jump into Newport Harbor for a chance at romance?

08/30/2026

Vintage Hollywood on the Balboa Island Ferry. 🎬

This footage is from"The Girl Most Likely" (1957), a romantic comedy filmed in part right here at the Balboa Island Ferry in Newport Beach.

Nearly 70 years later, the ferry is still carrying people across the bay.

Share this with someone who loves old Newport Beach.

08/29/2026

John Wayne’s performance as Stryker helped make the 1949 film one of the defining war movies of its era.

08/27/2026

John Wayne’s 1949 war classic "Sands of Iwo Jima" was filmed around Southern California, with local history sources reporting that some scenes were shot on Linda Isle, then known as Shark Island.

This clip shows the brutal training scenes that helped make the film one of Wayne’s defining roles.

Share this with someone who loves Newport Beach history or classic Hollywood.

08/26/2026

Before John Wayne became one of Newport Beach’s most famous residents, he starred in the 1949 war film *Sands of Iwo Jima*.

The movie was filmed around Southern California with extensive production at Camp Pendleton, and local Newport Beach history sources report that some scenes were also filmed on Linda Isle, then known as Shark Island.

The film became one of Wayne’s defining roles and earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

Newport Beach would later become a major part of his life, making this an interesting early connection between the city and one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

Share this with someone who loves old Newport Beach or classic Hollywood.

08/25/2026

Before celebrity couples had Instagram, there was Bogie & Bacall.

Humphrey Bogart was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, known for classics like Casablanca. Lauren Bacall became an icon of Hollywood’s Golden Age after meeting Bogart while filming To Have and Have Not in 1944.

Away from Hollywood, Newport Beach became part of their story. Bogart was a serious sailor and kept his yacht Santana in Newport Harbor, where he was a member of the Newport Harbor Yacht Club. He and Bacall spent time sailing here during the 1940s, escaping the Hollywood spotlight.

Santana even competed in the first Newport-to-Ensenada race in 1948 with Bacall aboard.

08/24/2026

Hollywood royalty on Newport Harbor.

Humphrey Bogart kept his beloved yacht Santana here, and he and Lauren Bacall spent many weekends sailing Newport in the 1940s.

08/23/2026

Presumed lost at sea for 3 days during the 1939 storm.

Newport yachtsman Porter Sinclair rode out the storm, sailed more than 100 miles toward the Channel Islands, then returned safely to Newport.

Share this piece of Newport Beach history.

Address

210 Marine Avenue, Ste B
Newport Beach, CA
92662

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+19496753952

Website

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