HARD DAY’S WORK—Strathearn Historical Park director Pat Havens, above, stands in front of one of four murals painted on the sides of the Currier apricot pitting shed by muralist Frank Rock. Below, another mural depicts the work that went on inside the shed. Four murals recently added to the Currier apricot pitting shed in Strathearn Park have helped link Simi Valley to its agricultural past.

The murals were part of a $100,000-plus restoration undertaken by the Simi Valley Historical Society and the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District. Muralist Frank Rock was hired to complete the historical murals on the shed’s exterior walls.

“This restoration gives us ties to our agricultural past and makes everyone realize the good citizens and strong community that was had during rural life,” said Patricia Havens, museum director and city historian.

Havens said that from 1890 to 1960, apricots, citrus fruits and walnuts were farmed in Simi Valley. During the first half of the 20th century, apricot farming was especially prevalent.

Rebecca and Raymond “Doss” Currier lived in the middle of Simi Valley on Royal Avenue beginning in 1928, Havens said. 

The Curriers wished to donate their apricot pitting shed to the museum, and in 2000 the shed was moved into its new home in Strathearn Park.

During the restoration process, which began last year, the shed’s wooden walls were reinforced and the structure was earthquake-proofed for safety. 

Havens said photographs taken during Simi’s agricultural era inspired Larry Silverman, a member of the museum’s board of directors, to have the images depicted on the walls of the shed.

The task of creating the murals was given to Rock, who was paid $12,000 to complete four works showing the various stages of apricot farming.

“I always like depicting eras in art; it was definitely a history lesson,” said Rock, who hails from Santa Clarita.

Havens has firsthand knowledge of the farming of the fruit.

“It’s a very tedious process,” said the historian, who worked in a pitting shed as a teenager in the 1940s, making just enough money to pay for her school clothes.

First the apricots were picked by hand and brought into a shed. Most sheds were very simple, with poles, wood for stability and a crude roof for shade during the hot summers. 

Havens said the fruit was then laid on trays and cut in half, after which the apricot pits needed to be removed. Next the fruit went through a sulfuring process, and then it was dried outside in the sun.

Buyers would come to negotiate prices, and the Dried Fruit Association helped farmers with marketing.

Older residents who once worked in Simi’s burgeoning agricultural industry and have many fond memories of their past will take a great deal of pride in the murals, Havens said.

Valene Williams, Simi Valley High Class of 1948, had a job in apricot pitting when she was 15. She said she earned about 15 to 25 cents per box of apricots.

“I used the money I earned to buy my high school sweater,” Williams said.

With photographs of apricot farms as his inspiration, Rock began painting last month and finished in just eight days.

The murals begin with the first flowering tree and then proceed to the women and men working hard in the fields and in the shed. The final mural depicts a farming group taking a break from pitting to pose for a photo circa 1930.

Rock said his greatest challenge was working outdoors during the sweltering California summer.

“The hardest part was painting down on my knees in the hot sun,” Rock said.

With the murals complete, Havens said the museum will add more displays inside the shed, including faux apricots and drying trays. 

“People of all ages need to learn the importance of our farming background and realize the richness of past experience,” Havens said.

History Day is just around the corner on Sat., Aug. 22, and Havens encourages Simi Valley residents to visit Strathearn Park to view the newly renovated Currier apricot pitting shed. Strathearn Park is at 137 Strathearn Place.