Sunday, November 2, 2025

1 – 4 pm

Join us for Sigler Park Day at the Museum, hosted by Cipriano and Rosemary Hernandez. They will share stories of growing up in Westminster and the many memories made at Sigler Park. We will have a slideshow, refreshments, and snacks. As part of the celebration, we will also dedicate the beautiful diorama created by Cipriano Hernandez. We warmly welcome everyone, and especially anyone who remembers spending time at Sigler Park, to come and be part of this special day of community and remembrance.

Sigler Park is one of the oldest parks in Orange County, with roots dating back to the 1870s when Westminster was founded as a Presbyterian temperance colony. In 1872, Rev. Lemuel Webber submitted the first map of the town, and Stearns Ranchos Co. set aside about eight acres for a church, school, and central plaza. This land was intended to serve the community but went undeveloped for decades and was even mistakenly taken by the County of Orange for taxes that were never owed.

For years, the site remained Westminster’s central plaza—a kind of “no man’s land.” Yet it was still the heart of the community, home to the first school and surrounded by early churches. In the late 1920s, a branch of the Orange County Public Library was built on the property, and during the Depression and after World War II it became a lively gathering spot, hosting Boy Scout meetings, community worship services, and countless baseball games, including a thriving Mexican American league in the 1930s and 40s.Councilman Eldon Gillespie and guestsLibrary, most likely circa late 1940s

The turning point came in the early 1930s when, under the leadership of Charles Sigler, county funds were finally used to develop the plaza into a true park. After his passing in 1934, Westminster residents petitioned to name it Sigler Park in his honor. When the City of Westminster incorporated in 1957, it worked to acquire all of the subdivided land around the park, and in 1960 the County of Orange formally returned the property to the city.