Hubert H. Bancroft Ranch House
Encyclopedia
Hubert H. Bancroft Ranch House is a historic structure in Spring Valley, California. The property also contains a natural spring, named El aguaje de San Jorge (St. George's Spring) by the Spanish, after which the community of Spring Valley is named.
It is the first Anglo-American structure in Spring Valley and was built by Augustus Ensworth in 1856 out of timbers salvaged from a shipwreck in San Diego Bay. Upon Enworth's death, the property was sold in 1865 to Rufus King Porter, son of the founder of Scientific American. Porter added a kitchen, a dining room, and two bedrooms. He later sold the property to historian Hubert Howe Bancroft
in 1885. Bancroft built a more comfortable home up the hill from the adobe ranch house and a rock school house for his children, now located across the street.
The building is now a museum and storehouse for artifacts of Spring Valley history. The property was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1962.
Hubert Howe Bancroft
Hubert Howe Bancroft was an American historian and ethnologist who wrote and published works concerning the western United States, Texas, Mexico, Central America, British Columbia and Alaska.-Biography:...
in 1885. Bancroft built a more comfortable home up the hill from the adobe ranch house and a rock school house for his children, now located across the street.
The building is now a museum and storehouse for artifacts of Spring Valley history. The property was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1962.
External links
- Bancroft House, 9050 Memory Lane, Spring Valley, San Diego County, CA: 4 photos, 7 data pages and supplemental material, at Historic American Building Survey