Many sights of San Benito County during the late 1800s and after
remain, preserved, in a collection of homes near Bolado Park
– the Historic Village – that will re-open for five months on
May 31.
Many sights of San Benito County during the late 1800s and after remain, preserved, in a collection of homes near Bolado Park – the Historic Village – that will re-open for five months on May 31.
The Historic Village, previously called the Historic Park, has been operated by the county Historical Society since it opened in the late 1970s, according to Historical Society President Peter Sonne.
The 4-acre museum of homes and other historic memorabilia adjacent to Bolado Park closes each year from October to May because the state removes a temporary bridge over the Tres Pinos Creek, blocking access to the Village. Many of the homes in the Village were dismantled at their original locations in Hollister and reconstructed at the site.
“I would just like to invite the community in general to come out and walk around and get a feel for what life was like,” Sonne said.
He said about 400 to 600 people toured the Historic Village in 2002, many of whom “wandered over” from other activities at Bolado Park. He also said members of the Historical Society and other volunteers worked between 4,000 and 5,000 hours to maintain the site last year. There are no paid employees of the Village.
Plans are moving along for the construction of a permanent bridge over the creek. Sonne said work should begin sometime during May 2004, and after the bridge is completed the Village will be accessible the entire year.
“The loose ends are being tied up,” he said, regarding permits and other legal formalities.
The idea for the park originated around 1977, Sonne said, when the Hollister Fire Department was planning to perform a practice burn on the Sullivan home, which was built in 1868. The Historical Society saved the building, which turned out to be the oldest wooden structure house in Hollister, Sonne said. Since, the society has gradually added to the stock, which includes a one-room school from the 1870s.
The Historical Society has contacted numerous schools in the region as notification of the Village’s re-opening. In the coming years, the society hopes to post more signs and add to the educational experience of the Village, Sonne said.
“We’re kind of a historical society on the move,” Sonne said. “We hope to create a real gem for the county that the whole community will be proud of.”
