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THE STORY:
"As
the story goes, Augustus thought it improper for dances to carry on all night at
the school house, and that the growing town needed a place to serve that purpose
as well as a library."
The Ramona Town Hall was donated to the town people of what was then Nuevo
on Washington's Birthday, February 22, 1894,
by
Augustus and Martha Barnett. Construction on the
two story edifice began on July 11, 1893 on two lots donated by realtor
Milton Santee, and was completed in February 1894 at a cost of $17,000. (Later that year, at the insistence
of Mr. Santee, the town was renamed Ramona, to capitalize on the popularity
of the fictional character from the best seller by
Helen Hunt Jackson.)
The Barnett's established an unpaid five member board of
trustees in perpetuity to administer the operation and upkeep of the Town Hall.
For the past 114 years, the Ramona Town Hall has operated solely on private
donations, fundraisers, grant moneys, and rent collected for use of the
building. The Ramona Town Hall is not owned by the Town Hall Board of Trustees,
nor is it a public agency. The restoration work that has taken place in
the past 20 years has been funded by county administered C.D.B.G. and P.L.D.O.
funds, along with private donations. The work completed to date includes a
complete seismic retrofit of the entire front portion of the building,
installation of new plumbing and electric wiring in the front, a new roof over
the entire building, façade replacement, and fire sprinklers throughout the
entire building.
IMPORTANT
FACTS:
The California Landmarks Advisory Committee approved the Ramona Town Hall as a
Point of Historic Interest on January 26, 1973
The San
Diego County Board of Supervisors designated the Ramona Town Hall as a Historic
Landmark on November 10, 1991
The Ramona Town Hall celebrated its 100th Anniversary on February 22, 1994.
The
"Save our Heritage Organization" presented the Ramona Town Hall Board of
Trustees with the
prestigious “Civic Restoration Award” on May 10, 1994, the Centennial Year of
the completion of the Town Hall
The
Ramona Town Hall was placed on the
National Register of
Historic Places
on September 26, 1994.
The John P. Squibob Chapter 1853 of E Clampus Vitas dedicated a historic marker
plaque for the Ramona Town Hall on April 25th, 2009 (The Chapter also
presented a plaque that recognizes the Ramona Town Hall's place on the
National Register of
Historic Places .)
The 115 year old
Ramona
Town Hall is one of the oldest and last original Town Halls in California, and is
registered as a State Historic Landmark.
The Ramona Town Hall is one of the largest and oldest adobe structures in the
entire Southwest, and features an Romanesque/Mission Revival architecture, a style unique to its architect,
William Sterling Hebbard
(1863-1930)
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Current Effort
A
renewed interest in completing the seismic retrofit and restoration of the
Ramona Town Hall is currently underway, new
committees are being formed, and plans are being made. What truly promises to
be a community project that every citizen of Ramona can take pride in is taking
shape.
YOUR
HELP IS NEEDED.
Now that we have covered the back taxes, we are seeking donations to help
cover the
approximate annual cost of $12,000 for insurance. Material and monetary
donations for the completion of the finish work is required to open the west
wing. The current estimate to complete the entire front portion of the Town
Hall is approximately $250k for materials and labor. (Qualified Volunteer labor
will greatly reduce this estimate.)
Until a fire destroyed a portion of the front section in 1995, the Town Hall
served as a community focal point, provided by and for the people of Ramona. It
is the goal of the Ramona Town Hall Board of Trustees, and Friends of the Town
Hall, to make this
historic landmark available again to the people of our community. Send us
an e-mail, or call the Town
Hall at 760-789-8696 (TOWN) to have your name placed on our volunteer
contact list.
Donations Can Be Sent To:
Ramona
Town Hall, Inc.
PO Box 1954
Ramona, CA 92065
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'Sleeping Beauty' Awakens…
There is a
Sleeping Beauty
On the Main
street of town…
Stately she
rests, her history profound…
The sleep
has been long;
the doze has
been deep,
much in
disarray, The legacy a heap…
How to wake
her, what went wrong?
The slumber
continues,
the nap is too long
From
Chambers to classes
to
celebrations and such…
She is
missing, oh so much
The coffers
are empty; the well has run dry…
The snooze
continues…
And we all
ask why
So the
people assembled, uniting as one…
Plans were
made, ideas begun
How to wake
the Sleeping Beauty,
Questions
abound…the drowse seems endless…
The 'Jewel
of our Town'
The people
spoke both timid and bold…
Should we
let her sleep, is she too old?
''Not
as long as I'm alive''…
''we'll find the money dime by dime''
The course
was set…the plans were made…
At last we
have a small brigade
The interest
is high the attachment is deep...
But how to
end this long long sleep?
The task is
arduous the labor abounds…
She's rare
and unique among American towns
We honor the
care takers from yester year
And thank
them abundantly for holding her dear…
As the
Sleeping Beauty awakens,
I think I hear a sound…
Society
prevails, the people are crowned
So let's
celebrate together the rest is now done,
Awakening a
spirit…
There's work
to be done
by: Sharon Davis
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RAMONA
TOWN
HALL
