NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Strolling along picturesque Marine Avenue on Balboa Island, with its towering lemon-scented eucalyptus trees and quaint mom-and-pop storefronts, one can find an unexpected delight—the Balboa Island Museum and Historical Society. Sandwiched between an olive oil store and upscale bathing suit shop, the museum was founded in 1999 as an institution dedicated to documenting, preserving, and presenting the culture of Orange County, with a focus on the coastal communities of Balboa Island and Newport Beach. Exhibits and displays showcase everything from local surfing greats, to seafaring movies stars, to World War II heroes, and to exquisite maritime ship models. Visitors and locals alike are welcome to experience the evolution of a sleepy beach town, harkening back to a simpler time when the beaches and shores of the Orange County coast were a place to get away from it all. The original museum started off humbly in a rented upstairs …