Forest Home Farms facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Forest Home Farms
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The David Glass House
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 Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Location | 19953 San Ramon Valley Blvd., San Ramon, California |
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| Built | 1850 |
| Architect | Rider & Connor |
| Architectural style | Colonial, Italianate |
| NRHP reference No. | 02000677 |
| Added to NRHP | June 28, 2002 |
Forest Home Farms is a special park in San Ramon, California. It covers about 16 acres (that's like 12 football fields!). In 1997, a kind woman named Ruth Quayle Boone decided to give this land and all its buildings to the City of San Ramon. She wanted it to be a park and a historical place to remember her husband, Travis Moore Boone. After Ruth passed away in 1998, the city also honored her. They wanted to remember her generosity and the important work women did in farming in the San Ramon Valley.
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History of Forest Home Farms
This 16-acre farm sits at the bottom of the Dougherty Hills. A stream called Oak Creek flows right through the middle, splitting the farm into two parts.
The Boone Family Homes
The northern part of the farm has most of the buildings the Boone family used. These include two houses and 14 smaller buildings, plus two garden structures called pergolas. The houses show how homes changed over nearly a hundred years in the valley.
The main Boone House is a large, 22-room home built around 1900. It's in a style called Dutch Colonial, which means it looks a bit like old Dutch houses. This house has been updated many times. Today, it's used for offices, meetings, and fun programs.
The 14 smaller buildings are all different sizes and ages. One barn was built way back in the 1850s or 1860s! There's also a huge building, about 7,000 square feet, for farm equipment and cars. Plus, there's a three-building plant that was used to process walnuts.
The David Glass House
The southern part of the property is home to the David Glass House. This house was built in the late 1860s or early 1870s in a style called Victorian. It was actually moved here from another farm called Lora Nita Farm.
The Glass House has two stories and a smaller back part that might be even older. There's also a two-story building called a tankhouse, which used to hold a water tank. This tankhouse was probably built a little after the main house.
Soon, the outside of the Glass House will be fixed up to look just like it did originally. After that, the gardens around the house will be redone to match an old photo from the 1890s. That photo shows a windmill behind the house, and a windmill from another old farm will be placed there to make it look just right!
Visiting Forest Home Farms Today
Forest Home Farms Historic Park is open to everyone from Monday to Friday, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. You can take a self-guided tour using a special app called Otocast.
Educational Programs
The park also has two amazing educational programs: Farm Life Education and Victorian Life Education. These programs were first made for third-grade students, but they work well for kids in second through fifth grades too.
In October 2020, the Farm Life Education Program became available online. This meant teachers and students could still learn about farm life from their homes during the time of COVID-19. When there are no restrictions, the park also hosts many group tours and free programs on Saturdays.
What's Next for the Farm?
There are big plans for Forest Home Farms, and projects are always being worked on as part of the city's plan for big improvements.
Since it opened as a historic park, the David Glass House has been restored. It's now a historic home museum where you can learn about life in the past. The old barn from the 1850s has also been fixed up. It's now a new learning space for the educational programs. The park staff works hard to keep everything in good shape. They have many projects planned to make sure these old buildings last for a very long time.
