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

Whittier, California Whittier () is a city in Los Angeles County, California, and is 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 census, 2010 census figure. Whittier ...

. 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 the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

s Jonathan Bailey and his wife, Rebecca. It is the oldest remaining building in Whittier. The first Quaker meetings 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 Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

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. sta ...

, 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 Whittier, California.

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 Buildings and structures in Whittier, California Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles County, California