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UTDOOR MUSEUMS on the order of Kern County's Pioneer Village have been popular in Europe for many years. Originating in the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden and Denmark, this type of memorial was adopted by neighboring nations where open-air institutions became a numerous and integral part of continental culture. The local institution's genesis dates from the early 1940s, when a group of history-minded citizens sought to restore the old mining camp of Havilah. Located in the Lower Sierra about 50 miles east of Bakersfield, California, it had served as Kern's first county seat from 1866 to 1873, when Bakersfield became the center of county administration. Due to Havilah's remote location, this original plan was reluctantly discarded. Then in 1950, the Kern County Board of Supervisors approved a subsequent proposal, and 11 acres were initially set aside on the old fairgrounds in Bakersfield for a Pioneer Village installation reminiscent of a typical early Kern community. The first acquisition in 1950 was the 28 Tom Barnes log house built in 1868 on the Canfield Ranch, a gift of the Kern County Land Company. Next came the tiny Southern Pacific railroad jail built in Delano in 1874 when the rail line was being constructed south to Bakersfield. That year also saw the arrival of the Southern Pacific narrow gauge boxcar and the St. John's Episcopal Mission from Rosedale. Another valuable gift was the 1882 Alphonse Weill residence in Bakersfield through the courtesy of the pioneer Weill family. In 1954 the Havilah Courthouse was opened to the public, representing a structure used to house Kern's first county government. The next year brought the Quinn Sheepherder's Cabin of 1906 to the Village. A forerunner of the modern trailer house, it was pulled from place to place on skids by teams of horses or mules. The year 1956 signalized the receipt of numerous important gifts. A large steam locomotive built in 1898 was presented by the Southern Pacific Co., and an historic wooden caboose was completely re- Pioneer by RICHARD C. BAILEY Desert/ April 1979
Opposite page: A century old newspaper office provides an air of nostalgia to Pioneer Village. The board and batten structure recalls Kern County's first publication in the town of Havilah. Above: This might be called "fraternity row" in the Village. The two-story structures each have a lodge room on the upper floor. Individual fraternities have their regalia displayed on the lower floor. Left: The Kern Valley Bank flanks the Wells Fargo station on Kern Street in the Village, with the photograph gallery and the Weller ranch house in the distance. Wooden buildings are a distinctive feature of Pioneer Village. Desert/April 1979 conditioned and delivered to the village by the Santa Fe Company. A firehouse building displaying handdrawn fire fighting vehicles was opened. A former carriage shed, this structure was built around 1889 by the Marion Carlock family. The Village Bandstand was converted from the original residence of Charles Jewett, a Civil War veteran,who had constructed it in Bakersfield during the 1880s. The Roscoe Martin stock corral was also erected with 90-year-old blue oak rails taken from Greenhorn Mountain near Glennville. Gifts during 1956 almost equalled those of the previous year. The Harness Shop with all its pertinent tools was opened. This building had once served as the Stonewall Woody carriage shed and was presented by H. Douglas King. The Drug Store, stocked with the innumerable medicines and herbs of an earlier day, was dedicated by the Kern Druggists' Association. The old-fashioned Doctor's Office was also opened. Donated by H. L. Goforth, this little structure 29
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