Move this house!
Move this house!
The Victorian-style home has housed several families in its 98 years. The people who lived in it came from different walks of life, all of them playing a role in Bakersfield's history.
Jose Jesus Lopez — better known as J.J. Lopez — built this house in 1909. His ancestors arrived in Alta California as early as 1769. One hundred years later, J.J. looked out over the vast San Joaquin Valley for the first time. He brought a band of sheep from the San Fernando Valley in 1873, and pastured them near Tejon Ranch, but he wasn't destined to be a sheepherder for long.
The following year, General Edward Beale, owner of Rancho El Tejon, hired J.J. to oversee his 90,000 head of sheep, and a few years later J.J. became the Majordomo of the 300,000 acre ranch, and was in charge of the entire cattle and sheep operation at Tejon. In 1909, Truxtun Beale sold the ranch to a Los Angeles company when his father died. J.J. retired and moved to Bakersfield, and built his home at 1203 Chester Avenue.
Soon, J. J. would return to Tejon Ranch — his vast knowledge of the ranch operations was invaluable — and he continued to work there in a consulting capacity until his death in 1939. J.J. played an important role in Kern County agriculture for 65 years, and was Majordomo of Tejon Ranch for 24 years. The Lopez home remained in the family until 1953 when Margaret Pearl, J.J.'s daughter, sold it to Otis Coppock who moved it from downtown Bakersfield to the present location on Rosedale Highway.
Coppock was a businessman, a member of the Kern County Board of Trade and a volunteer sheriff. His family only lived in the house for 2 1/2 years — fortunately, for the historic value of the house, Coppock's plan to convert it into a duplex for a rental never materialized. After the sudden death of his wife, Coppock sold the house to Keith Wheeler.
In 1966, Arlin and Lavern Hill purchased it and opened Hill's Upholstery. Like many other residents in Bakersfield, the Hills had migrated to California from Oklahoma after the devastating effects of the Dust Bowl in the Midwest, and they eventually settled in Kern County. Lavern loved her little Victorian house and worked long hard days in her upholstery shop. Working at home gave her the opportunity to be with her children which was very important to her, as was owning a home, the "American dream." Arlin divorced Lavern in 1971, so she went to work for the Salvation Army store in order to pay the mortgage. Her life would have been easier had she sold her house as Rosedale Highway became a commercial district, but Lavern continued to tell persistent realtors, "My house is not for sale." She lived in her home until her death in 2005.
These three very different individuals played roles in building, moving, and saving this piece of Kern County history. Now you have the opportunity to help preserve this house for all to enjoy. Your donation will help move this historic Victorian house to Pioneer Village at the Kern County Museum, and restore it for future generations.
Our very first community service project to restore and relocate the Lopez-Hill House began at Bimat Elementary School's traditional May Dinner celebration on May 17. The Norris School District gave us permission to set up a display with a pictorial history of the Lopez-Hill House. Parents and students alike seemed very interested in the project.
We loved meeting Dorothy Bimat, mother of the late William B. Bimat for whom the school is named. After visiting with her, it seemed quite appropriate that Bimat students be the first to join in the project to move the Lopez-Hill House since Dorothy Bimat and Joe Davis, grandson of Jose Jesus Lopez are very close friends. It truly is a small world. Nancy Tinnin, Joe's daughter, and Bill Bimat grew up together. Even though Bakersfield is one of the fastest growing communities in the United States, we are happy to say that we still enjoy "small town" people connections.
The following day, one of Bimat's kindergarten teachers, Mrs. Been — Lavern Hill's granddaughter who grew up playing in this house — showed a historical video presentation to the entire student body. It told about the history of the house and the people who have lived within its walls for the past 98 years. In addition, grade appropriate standard based lesson plans were designed by Mrs. Been and Mrs. Whitaker and made available to Bimat teachers. For the following week the students were exposed to local, state, national, and even a little world history that related to the house and its owners.
Bimat students now know that J.J. Lopez played a vital role in Kern County agriculture while working at Tejon Ranch for 65 years from 1874 to the time of his death in 1939. They learned that a "majordomo" is a superintendent or foreman. They learned that J. J.'s ancestors originally came from Spain — some went to fight in the Mexican uprisings — and his great grandfathers were involved in the founding of two California Missions. They learned a little about two devastating events that took place in the United States and changed the lives of so many Americans — the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl — both greatly affecting the life of Lavern Hill and her family, the last owner of the home.
Each student was given an envelope to take home and share with their parents and already the generosity of our community in supporting this project has begun. My heart was filled with excitement when I heard about the voices of Bimat kindergarteners chanting, "Move this house, move this house," as they left the assembly on May 18.
The students were so excited about the project. Some collected money from family members and friends, while others went to their piggy banks to find a donation. They completed lessons on the history of the house and the third graders even took a detour on their field trip to drive by and see the house. After a week, Bimat students and families had raised $1,541.84.
Many families from Bimat joined us at the Lopez-Hill House on June 2nd to see the house at its current location on Rosedale Highway. The families toured the house and heard stories about life at the house throughout the last 98 years.
Our family would like to thank Bimat students and their parents for being the first of Kern County schools to join our efforts to save the historic Lopez-Hill House. We know that in years to come, these students will visit Pioneer Village at the Kern County Museum and remember, “I helped save that house!”
We, as a community, have a unique opportunity to save this piece of Kern County history and preserve it for all to enjoy. Any donations of goods, services, or cash are welcome. No donation is too small. In fact, no gift is greater than one that comes from the heart. As stated before, several Bimat students went to their "piggy banks" to help out.
If you would like to help with the relocation and restoration of the Lopez-Hill House there are a couple opportunities to do so.
On July 7 at 5:30 p.m. there will be a Western barbecue held at Rankin Ranch in Walker Basin. Ticket prices are a $100 donation per person. Contact Glenda Rankin and Sarah Wilder by e-mail, rankinranchers@aol.com or by phone, 867-2511 for more information.
There will also be a drawing on September 30 for a chance to win prizes totaling $5,000. The grand prize is a family vacation at the Rankin Guest Ranch during the 2008 season. Other prizes include an antique oak Brunswick phonograph donated by Dianne and Mark Sharman, a beautiful Western photo by Greg Iger of Iger Studio and other great prizes. Tickets are available for $5 each or 5 tickets for $20. For more information or any questions about the Lopez-Hill House project, please e-mail rankinranchers@aol.com with the subject "Lopez-Hill House."
