Ramona Town Hall - Ramona, CA
N 33° 02.663 W 116° 51.862
11S E 512663 N 3656215
ECV plaque on the front of Ramona's Historic Town Hall.
Waymark Code: WM8YWZ
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 06/01/2010
Views: 9
Text from the plaque:
"RAMONA TOWN HALL
DEDICATED ON WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1894, THIS BUILDING WAS GIVEN TO THE TOWNSPEOPLE OF NUEVO (AS RAMONA WAS THEN KNOWN) BY A RANCHER AND FINANCIER AUGUSTUS BARNETT AND HIS WIFE MARTHA. FEELING THAT THE LOCAL SCHOOLHOUSE WAS NOT A PROPER PLACE TO HOLD DANCES AND OTHER SOCIAL EVENTS, BARNETT DONATED $17,000 IN GOLD COIN TO ERECT A BUILDING THAT COULD SERVE AS THE SOCIAL CENTER FOR THE COMMUNITY AS WELL AS HOST A LIBRARY.
RAMONA TOWN HALL WAS DESIGNED BY NOTED SAN DIEGO ARCHITECT WILLIAM S. HEBBARD. BUILT OF ADOBE WITH BRICK VENEER IN THE ROMANESQUE / MISSION REVIVAL STYLE, IT IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE LARGEST FREESTANDING ADOBE STRUCTURES IN THE SOUTHWEST.
THE BUILDING WAS ERECTED BY T.O. SAMUELS ON TWO LOTS DONATED BY REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER AND SURVEYOR MILTON SANTEE. SANTEE SOON THEREAFTER SUCCESSFULLY LOBBIED THE TOWN TO CHANGE ITS NAME TO RAMONA IN ORDER TO CAPITALIZE UPON THE POPULARITY OF HELEN HUNT JACKSON'S LITERARY CHARACTER OF THE SAME NAME.
DURING ITS LONG HISTORY, THIS BUILDING HAS SERVED THE COMMUNITY AS HOME TO THE TOWNS LIBRARY, MOVIE THEATER, HIGH SCHOOL, BANK, DANCE HALL, JUSTICE COURT, AND ANNUAL TURKEY DAY CELEBRATION. NUMEROUS ORGANIZATIONS - INCLUDING THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, MASONIC LODGE, VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT AND RED CROSS - FIRST ASSEMBLED HERE.
PLAQUE PLACED IN COOPERATION WITH THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF RAMONA TOWN HALL INC. BY THE ANCIENT AND HONORABLE ORDER OF E CLAMPUS VITUS, JOHN P. SQUIBOB CHAPTER #1853
APRIL 25, 2009"
The address is 729 Main Street, Ramona, CA.
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