Glendale's new historic site, the Verdugo Adobe, has been fully
furnished with furniture and items from the 1850s to the 1900s and is
ready for visitors.
Although it is not open to the public on a regular basis, Ann
Denis, president of the Days of the Verdugos Heritage Assn., says
groups of at least six people can make an appointment to visit the
house at 2211 Bonita Drive.
The heritage association, formerly the Days of Verdugos, has been
working with the city's Parks, Recreation & Community Services
Department to create a living museum at the adobe. Their plan is to
take visitors back to the time of Teodoro Verdugo, who, according to
his daughter, Dora, built the adobe in about 1860 and lived there
until his death in 1904.
By filling the house with furnishings from that time period, the
association hopes visitors can visualize the lifestyle of the Verdugo
family. Teodoro was the grandson of Jose Maria Verdugo, who received
a huge land grant that later included the city of Glendale.
The furniture and decorative items in the adobe have come from
many sources. The last owners, the Bashors, left some there, local
residents donated some, and others were purchased with funds raised
by the organization and with a grant from the Glendale Community
Foundation. A Fiesticita in September was the major fund-raiser.
The doors of the adobe were opened to the public for the first
time in January and nearly 200 Heritage association members and
friends toured the dwelling.
Recently, the Occidental Women's Club visited and donated a bench
for the porch in memory of Jane Bashor, who owned the property with
her husband, Ernest, as a summer home from 1946 until it was sold to
the city of Glendale in 1989.
Denis and the other docents use the furnishings in the two-room
adobe to tell visitors about the Verdugos and others who lived in the
region at the time.
The final stop is in front of a painted cabinet, which, once
opened, reveals some of the several hundred dolls collected by the
Bashors in their travels. The dolls, which have been stored at Brand
Library for many years, are from all over the world.
The site has 10 docents, Denis said, adding that finding the
furnishings, editing the newsletter and dusting has turned into a
full-time job for her.
"There's so much potential here," she said, listing garden tours
and regularly scheduled public and school tours as her goals for the
future.
But first, she's off to Tlaquepaque, Mexico, with the Sister City
Committee, looking for more items for the adobe. To make reservations
for a group tour of the adobe, call 548-2184.
* KATHERINE YAMADA'S column runs Saturdays. To leave her a
message, call features editor Joyce Rudolph at 637-3241. For more
information on Glendale's history, contact the reference desk at the
Central Library at 548-2027 or visit the Special Collections Room at
Central. It is open from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Saturdays or by
appointment.
