Ardenwood Historic Farm
Encyclopedia
Ardenwood Historic Farm is a Regional Historic Landmark in Fremont
, California
.
includes a farm
, a large forest
and a mansion
now called the Patterson House which was first constructed in 1857 by the farm's original owner, George Washington Patterson.
Patterson called his estate "Ardenwood", after the forested area in England
mentioned in Shakespeare
's play, As You Like It
. There were two subsequent additions to the house. The largest was in 1889 when Patterson and his wife Clara added the Queen Anne Victorian
section to the House. The second addition came in 1915 when Patterson's son Henry and his wife remodeled the old farm house section, and added rooms including the kitchen, a large bedroom above the kitchen, the sun porch, nursery, and a bathroom with indoor plumbing.
A feature of the park is the Railroad Museum at Ardenwood which operates a horse-drawn railway
, a recreation of a historic local branch of the South Pacific Coast Railroad
. The museum has a collection of narrow gauge railroad cars and other artifacts of 19th. century railroading.
The park hosts many events, a Celtic festival, an Independence Day celebration, the Washington Township Railroad Fair on Labor Day, a Renaissance Faire in September, The Harvest Festival in October, a Zydeco concert, and many Halloween
celebrations, complete with a haunted railroad. Among other crops, in the fall the farm harvests a large pumpkin
patch.
land and dairy
production, and gradually became increasingly dedicated to wheat
and vegetable
production.
A review of available aerial photographs by Earth Metrics reveals that the area immediately to the south was used for agricultural purposes from at least 1960 until some time in the late 1970s cultivated with a grain crop. No discrete rows are visible in the aerial photographs of that time. The Alameda family was a prominent occupant in the area for much of the period of agricultural land use. Mel Alameda of The Alameda Company confirmed to Earth Metrics that while cauliflower
has been the dominant historic crop for the area, hay and grazing were the primary use later and until the late 1970s. Based on the lack of visible rows on the aerial photos, it is most probable that the area to the south was used for hay production rather than cauliflower.
37.55798°N 122.04944°W
Fremont, California
Fremont is a city in Alameda County, California. It was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Description
Officially opened to the public on July 28, 1985, the entire parkPark
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
includes a farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
, a large forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
and a mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
now called the Patterson House which was first constructed in 1857 by the farm's original owner, George Washington Patterson.
Patterson called his estate "Ardenwood", after the forested area in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
mentioned in Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's play, As You Like It
As You Like It
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
. There were two subsequent additions to the house. The largest was in 1889 when Patterson and his wife Clara added the Queen Anne Victorian
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
section to the House. The second addition came in 1915 when Patterson's son Henry and his wife remodeled the old farm house section, and added rooms including the kitchen, a large bedroom above the kitchen, the sun porch, nursery, and a bathroom with indoor plumbing.
A feature of the park is the Railroad Museum at Ardenwood which operates a horse-drawn railway
Horsecar
A horsecar or horse-drawn tram is an animal-powered streetcar or tram.These early forms of public transport developed out of industrial haulage routes that had long been in existence, and from the omnibus routes that first ran on public streets in the 1820s, using the newly improved iron or steel...
, a recreation of a historic local branch of the South Pacific Coast Railroad
South Pacific Coast Railroad
The South Pacific Coast Railroad was a narrow gauge steam railroad running between Santa Cruz, California and Alameda, with a ferry connection in Alameda to San Francisco. The railroad was created as the Santa Clara Valley Railroad, founded by local strawberry growers as a way to get their crops...
. The museum has a collection of narrow gauge railroad cars and other artifacts of 19th. century railroading.
The park hosts many events, a Celtic festival, an Independence Day celebration, the Washington Township Railroad Fair on Labor Day, a Renaissance Faire in September, The Harvest Festival in October, a Zydeco concert, and many Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
celebrations, complete with a haunted railroad. Among other crops, in the fall the farm harvests a large pumpkin
Pumpkin
A pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae . It commonly refers to cultivars of any one of the species Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita mixta, Cucurbita maxima, and Cucurbita moschata, and is native to North America...
patch.
Historic area agricultural usage
The Ardenwood Farm today is a working farm producing grain and vegetables. The local area was in agricultural usage beginning sometime in the 1850s. The Ardenwood Farm locale was characterized first for its use as grazingGrazing
Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
land and dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
production, and gradually became increasingly dedicated to wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
and vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
production.
A review of available aerial photographs by Earth Metrics reveals that the area immediately to the south was used for agricultural purposes from at least 1960 until some time in the late 1970s cultivated with a grain crop. No discrete rows are visible in the aerial photographs of that time. The Alameda family was a prominent occupant in the area for much of the period of agricultural land use. Mel Alameda of The Alameda Company confirmed to Earth Metrics that while cauliflower
Cauliflower
Cauliflower is one of several vegetables in the species Brassica oleracea, in the family Brassicaceae. It is an annual plant that reproduces by seed...
has been the dominant historic crop for the area, hay and grazing were the primary use later and until the late 1970s. Based on the lack of visible rows on the aerial photos, it is most probable that the area to the south was used for hay production rather than cauliflower.
External links
- Ardenwood Historic Farm
- City of Fremont Ardenwood Historic Farm Events
- Ardenwood History Time Line
- Ardenwood Forge
- Society for Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources
- 2007 Civil War Reenactment
37.55798°N 122.04944°W