On Saturday, April 27 at 11 a.m., the San Bernardino County Museum will host an open house at the María Merced Williams and John Rains House to celebrate highly anticipated improvements, including a new roof, interior paint, entrance monuments, and parking lot improvements.
The historic site’s transformation will be highlighted with a red ribbon ceremony and open house which will showcase the significant investments that will ensure this site is protected and relevant for years to come. The open house will run until 1 p.m. and include site tours, frontier arts and crafts, historic demonstrations, and more.
The María Merced Williams and John Rains House, built in 1860, has a history as colorful as the property’s gardens. Namesakes Rains and Merced, granddaughter of the prominent landowner Don Antonio Maria Lugo, built the home to withstand the hot inland Southern California climate, and of course to entertain. The home featured multiple large rooms and guest quarters as well as an open flume that carried water from springs through the kitchen and into the patio under the house to the orchard, providing water to the plants and cooling the home.
The María Merced Williams and John Rains House is located at 8810 Hemlock Street, at the Vineyard Avenue exit from Interstate 10 in Rancho Cucamonga. The historic site is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free to the public.
The San Bernardino County Museum’s exhibits of regional, cultural and natural history and the Museum’s other exciting events and programs reflect the effort by the Board of Supervisors to achieve the Countywide Vision by celebrating arts, culture, and education in the county, creating quality of life for residents and visitors.
For more information, visit museum.sbcounty.gov or follow us on Facebook or Instagram.