Sharpsteen Museum

A map of Calistoga from 1871. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

This diorama depicts a typical scene with the stagecoach found nearby in the museum. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

Bernice Sharpsteen was a talented artist in her own right. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

A timeline of Napa Valley history. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

Original booklet from 1871 promoting Sam Brannan's resort, Calistoga Springs. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

Biography of Sam Brannan, the founder of Calistoga's original hot springs resort. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

This interactive display illustrates Calistoga's geothermal features. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

Copies of antique photos are available for purchase. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

A stagecoach used for transportation to and from Calistoga in the early years. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

Photo of Ben and Bernice Sharpsteen at the museum's entrance. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

Photos from the Sharpsteen family's own history. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

Original drawings from Ben's animation work. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

The illumination table used by Ben in creating drawings for animated films. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

The bottom photo shows Ben with Walt Disney in the 1960s; the top photo shows Ben in the 1970s. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

The Oscar awarded to the documentary film "Ama Girls" produced by Ben Sharpsteen. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

Photos and memorabilia from Ben's 30-year association with Walt Disney. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

A collection of cultural artifacts from the Wappo, the Calistoga area's indigenous people. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

Detail of the hot springs diorama. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

The extensive diorama depicting Sam Brannan's hot springs resort. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

The last surviving cottage from Sam Brannan's hot springs resort was moved to the museum and restored. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

The museum entrance. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

Proclamation signed by President William McKinley in 1899 appointing Calistoga's postmaster. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

Two paintings by Ben Sharpsteen depict scenes typical of his childhood in Calistoga. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

One of the dollhouses built by Bob and Ruth Durbin, residents of Calistoga who helped create the museum's dioramas. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

Depiction of a turn-of-the-century Calistoga kitchen. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

Original cast-iron chairs from Sam Brannan's hot springs resort. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

The restored cottage from Calistoga Springs is attached to the museum and contains many period furnishings. Martin (Atlas Obscura User)

Founded by retired Disney animator Ben Sharpsteen and his wife Bernice, the Sharpsteen Museum showcases the history of the town of Calistoga in Northern California’s Napa Valley.

The Sharpsteen family’s relationship with Calistoga spans several generations. Ben’s father, William, first came to Calistoga Hot Springs in 1874 when he was just 11 years old. Ben’s first visit to Calistoga was in 1903 at age seven. His grandparents had just purchased about 300 acres north of town, and Ben would spend his summers there for the next 12 years.

In 1919, Ben was discharged from the Marine Corps in New York and he was looking for work. He was hired by the Hearst International Film Service as an animation apprentice and he was promoted to animator six months later. He went on to work for several other animation studios in New York including Max Fleischer’s studio. In 1929, Ben received a letter from Walt Disney, who was pioneering animated films with sound, asking to meet him in Hollywood. Ben was impressed by what Disney was doing, and he began working for Walt as an animator. As time went on, Ben took on more of a supervisory and directorial role at the studio. He worked on more than 50 films for Disney as either an animator, director, or producer, and in all his work won 11 Oscars. After working for Disney for 30 years, Ben retired in 1959 and moved with his wife, Bernice, to their family property in Calistoga.

Ben was passionate about education and the appreciation of local history, and of course he had a particular fondness for Calistoga, having spent so much time there in his youth. In 1976 he began to build the Sharpsteen Museum, and in doing so he drew upon the skills that he had learned at the Walt Disney Studios as an artist, storyteller, and producer.

The museum is packed with displays, artifacts, and dioramas that illustrate the history of Calistoga. One of the core exhibits is a 30-foot-long diorama depicting Sam Brannan’s Calistoga Hot Springs resort. Brannan was an entrepreneur who had numerous business interests in San Francisco. He opened the resort in 1862 and subsequently established a railroad line to Calistoga which brought in visitors from San Francisco and other cities, and these were major factors in the development of the area. Attached to the museum building is the last surviving cottage from the resort, which now houses displays of period fashion and furniture. Also on display at the museum is an original stagecoach which once ferried visitors to and from Calistoga before the establishment of the railroad line.

In addition to the permanent exhibits, the museum features two special exhibits each year. The museum also pays tribute to Ben and Bernice Sharpsteen themselves with a founders’ room, which displays artifacts from Bernice’s family history and from Ben’s animation career, including one of his Oscars (yes, it’s real).

The Sharpsteens gave the museum to the City of Calistoga in 1978. It is staffed entirely by dedicated volunteers.

Ben passed away in 1980 and Bernice followed in 1982, but their legacy lives on in the Sharpsteen Museum.