Santee Historical society: First Annual Barn B Q

Aug. 20, 2012 - PRLog -- The Santee Historical Society (SHS) held the first annual Barn B Q on Saturday, August 11th 2012. The event was a general membership function for current SHS members, and their families. Tickets sold for $10.00 per person and granted members a delicious barbecue lunch and a tour of the newly renovated museum.  

The Santee Historical Society http://www.santeehistoricalsociety.com was established in the early 1950s by Harriet Wade. She has the distinction of saving the 1913 Dairy Barn from destruction. The Dairy barn is now a federal historic landmark, museum, and office of the SHS board members. Elaine Murphy A recent winner of the 2012 Woman of the Year for the 77th Assembly District helped re-establish the Santee Historical Society. Harriett Wade had became ill in 2001 and the SHS disappeared for almost six years. When Wade died in 2006 Murphy and volunteers reopened the society in the city’s historic dairy Barn. Elaine Murphy is the current president of the Santee Historical Society's board of directors.

The Edgemoor Farm Dairy Barn was built in 1913. Walter Hamlin Dupee a wealthy Chicago business man purchased Edgemoor Farm in 1913 and built it into a national award-winning dairy farm, polo pony ranch and early tourist attraction. Following Edgemoor's glory days as a commercial dairy, the County of San Diego purchased the property from Godfrey L. Strobeck for use as a "last resort" home for the aged and indigent in 1923. Edgemoor eventually became a geriatric hospital, and the historic barn was turned into a living facility. The decision to build a new modern hospital resulted in the destruction of all historic building on Edgemoor except the dairy barn.


Over 20 members and friends attended the Barn B Q helping to add much needed money to the SHS treasury. Scotty D, a volunteer and member for the Santee Historical Society said, "It is good to see the museum full of people excited about its long rich history."According to Scotty Plans are already in the making for the 100 year anniversary which will take place in 2013. That event is planned to be open to the public and expected to draw a much larger crowd of Santee residents.