The Bacon Homestead is part of Pinnacles National Park, a quiet area in the bottomlands where visitors will be able to learn the significance of this property through the story of Ben Bacon, his way of life, and other early settlers of south San Benito County.
In 2015, Community Foundation for San Benito County awarded a Pinnacles Partnership grant in the amount of $7,680 to help fund the design, fabrication, and installation of interpretive signs, leading visitors to Pinnacles National Park along the old country road, over Bear Creek bridge, and onto the Bacon homestead. The ribbon-cutting ceremony dedicating that new signage, hosted by the Pinnacles Partnership, was held Saturday, Sept. 24.
The signage will tell the story of the early people and their settlement in Bear Valley, discuss native plants and animals utilized by the settlers, as well as building restoration highlights.The Bacon Homestead had been abandoned for nearly 75 years (except for a few grazing cattle) but the house, barn, and other out-buildings still hold many secrets to a way of life no longer necessary in today’s modern world. In the 1890s, Ben Bacon, and his new bride Orea, grew everything they needed to survive or trade, and surplus was loaded into a wagon for the day-long trip to Tres Pinos for market. See the BenitoLink story on Elizabeth Quigley Bacon.
"The Bacon Family Homestead is important to the cultural history of San Benito County, and the Community Foundation is proud to recognize the Bacon family with this grant," organizers said.