IN THE PIPELINE:

The last couple of weeks I’ve been out talking about my recent book, “Vanishing Orange County,” which has been a learning experience for me, in that many people I’ve met have shared personal stories about the county they knew while growing up.

And while all the talk and focus on things that aren’t here anymore might seem melancholy, I’ve found it rather celebratory because there’s actually more that’s left from the past than you might realize.

The “Ebb and Flow” Centennial exhibit at the Huntington Beach Art Center held an opening night reception Friday and my son, Charlie, and I attended.

It was a packed house, with good food, and lots of familiar faces including many you may have read about in this column: Jack Clapp, Mayor Keith Bohr, Robert Carvouna, Billie Kennedy, Steve Bone, Laurie Payne and others.

The new Huntington Beach Centennial documentary was playing on several monitors throughout the center, which created a nice background texture to the evening (I’m also proud to have been asked to provide the voiceover for the documentary, which I did).

But I’ll tell you, I was very much caught off guard by what I experienced. One of things I tend to go on about is something I’d like the city to have at some point: a Huntington Beach history museum.

I’ve traveled to enough cities around the country that are smaller than Huntington Beach and many of them have dedicated repositories honoring their local history. What startled me so is that Director Kate Hoffman and Curator & Program Director Darlene DeAngelo seem to have created the basis for just such a museum with this fantastic exhibit, which runs through Feb. 22.

It may not hit you at first as you peruse the many mounted photos, themed by decade. Some good, rare images that steer you through what you might expect: Newlands, Oil, Boeing, surfing, etc.

There are some interesting maps, documents, a replica vintage police car, even scale models from Boeing, including the Boeing Delta II Rocket that launched the 1997 Pathfinder mission. But beyond these exhibit pieces, what left me reeling were the pieces from what we might call the “Lost City of Huntington Beach.”

The first of these relics I noticed was a brick (with some original blue paint) from the old Standard Market on Main Street; the chair Lyndon Johnson sat in while speaking at Boeing less than two weeks before JFK was assassinated; the actual bell they’d ring at the Saltwater Plunge to indicate that your time in the tank was up; and the dedication sign from the old Carnegie Library. These vestiges might not sound like much on their own, but taken together, the sum of their parts was powerful. This was the basis for the museum I’ve always imagined in my head.

Exploring the back room at the center we found more treasures: the original cornerstone from the first concrete pier. A ticket from the old Surf Theater, and stunningly, the actual S-U-R-F letters that were mounted on the theater!

Rounding the corner was my favorite part of the exhibit, the artifacts from the Golden Bear. Dozens of rare photos, tickets, the original door knob, the original exterior sign and large, ornate pieces of the building facade, and more (and on this night, members of the Babairacki family, who guided the Bear through its last era — and they were even wearing their vintage, rust-colored Golden Bear satin jackets).

For anyone who wants to connect, or reconnect with the history of Huntington Beach, and also to get a sense of what a future history museum might feel like, this exhibit is a must-experience.

The Huntington Beach Art Center is open from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday at 538 Main St. It is closed Monday and Tuesday. Call (714) 374-1650 or visit www.surfcity-hb.org/visitors /Art_Center/.

On another note, I’ll be signing “Vanishing Orange County,” and others at the Author’s Festival Day book signing from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Central Library. Hope to see you there.

CHRIS EPTING is the author of 15 books, including the new “Vanishing Orange County.” Write him at chris@chrisepting.com.