Formerly known as "The Old Ranch House", the Jonathan Bailey House is a historic site in

Whittier, California Whittier () is a city in Southern California in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, part of the Gateway Cities. The city had 87,306 residents as of the 2020 United States census, an increase of 1,975 from the 2010 United States ...

. The Bailey House was built around 1868–1869 by Jacob Gerkens. In 1887, the house was occupied by

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

s Jonathan Bailey and his wife, Rebecca. It is the oldest remaining building in Whittier. The first

Quaker meetings Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...

in the area were held on the front porch of the Bailey House. In 1975, the Jonathan Bailey House was deeded to the City of Whittier and now operates as a museum by the Whittier Historical Society with maintenance by the City of Whittier Park Department with special help from volunteers. The property was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1977.

Jonathan Bailey

Jonathan Bailey was born in

Prince George County, Virginia Prince George County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,010. Its county seat is Prince George. Prince George County is located within the Greater Richmond Region of the U.S. stat ...

, in 1819. When just a boy, the Bailey family relocated to Ohio along with many other Quaker families. As an adult, Jonathan Bailey married Rebecca Frazier, owned a successful mill, was a farmer, became a church and community leader, and at the age of 68, he and his wife moved to

. The first permanent settlers and original native people of Whittier where actually the Tongva tribe. The Tongva (/ˈtɒŋvə/ tong-və) are Native Americans who inhabited the Los Angeles Basin and the Southern Channel Islands, an area covering approximately 4,000 square miles (10,000 km2).Lepowsky, M. (2004). "Indian revolts and cargo cults: Ritual violence and revitalization in California and New Guinea". In Harkin, M. E. ''Reassessing revitalization movements: Perspectives from North America and the Pacific Island''. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press. pp. 1–61. . Retrieved 19 August 2013.

References

External links

Whittier Museum: Bailey House
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Jonathan, House Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in California Houses in Los Angeles County, California Houses completed in 1860 Museums in Los Angeles County, California Historic house museums in California Whittier, California Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles County, California