Hubert H. Bancroft Ranch House facts for kids
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Hubert H. Bancroft Ranchhouse
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The house in 2007
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 Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Location | 9050 Memory Lane, Spring Valley, California |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1856 |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000227 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | December 29, 1962 |
The Hubert H. Bancroft Ranch House is a special old house in Spring Valley, California. It was built in 1856, making it the oldest Anglo-American building in the town. From 1885 until he passed away in 1918, this house was the home of Hubert Howe Bancroft. He was a very important historian who wrote many books about the history of the western United States, Mexico, and Central America.
Today, the house is a historic house museum run by a local history group. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 1962 because of its connection to Bancroft. It was also recognized as a California Historical Landmark in 1958.
Contents
About the Bancroft Ranch House
The Bancroft Ranch House is located in Spring Valley, near Bancroft County Park. You can find it on Memory Lane, a short street off Bancroft Drive.
What the House Looks Like
The house is a single-story building made partly of adobe (a type of sun-dried brick). A wooden addition was later built onto it. Both parts of the house have a sloped roof covered with wooden shingles. The adobe section's roof extends over an open porch area, held up by square wooden posts.
The oldest part of the adobe house has curved wooden pieces built into its walls. These special timbers came from a ship called the Clarissa Andrews. This ship was a coal freighter that crashed in San Diego Bay.
The Spring and the Town's Name
On the property, there is also a natural spring. The Spanish explorers called this spring El aguaje de San Jorge, which means "St. George's Spring." This spring is actually how the community of Spring Valley got its name!
History of the House and Its Owners
The house was first built in 1856 by a man named Augustus Ensworth.
Early Owners and Changes
After Ensworth died, the property was sold in 1865 to Rufus King Porter. He was the son of the person who started the famous magazine Scientific American. Porter added more rooms to the house, including a kitchen, a dining room, and two bedrooms.
Hubert H. Bancroft's Home
Later, in 1885, Rufus King Porter sold the property to the historian Hubert Howe Bancroft. Bancroft bought more land around the house, eventually owning over 500 acres. He used this large property as a "gentleman's farm," which means he managed it for pleasure and profit, but didn't do the hard farm work himself.
After Bancroft passed away in 1918, his family divided up the large estate. The part with the house was bought in 1940 by the Spring Valley Chamber of Commerce. The house was fixed up in 1962 and opened as a museum the next year.
Bancroft's Schoolhouse
Near the house, in the park, there is a rock building that Bancroft built in the 1880s. He used it as a schoolhouse and also as a safe, fireproof place to store his important historical papers and books.
Bancroft's Famous Work
Hubert H. Bancroft is most famous for his huge 39-volume history series. These books were published between 1882 and 1890. His history covered all of western North America, from the coast of Alaska down to Mexico and Central America.
Bancroft collected more than 60,000 books and documents for his research. This amazing collection is now kept at the University of California, Berkeley.
See also
