Almanac note · History and culture
Whittier's Bailey House keeps the city's first-settler story close
The Jonathan Bailey House is Whittier's oldest building, tied to the city's first settlers, early Friends meetings, and the local historic register.
Whittier has a lot of history packed into ordinary-looking streets. The Jonathan Bailey House is one of the clearest places to see it. The house, once known as the Old Ranch House, still stands at its original site on Camilla Street.
It is treated as the oldest building in Whittier. It was built around 1868 or 1869 by Jacob Gerkens, then became the home of Jonathan and Rebecca Bailey, Whittier’s first settlers, between 1887 and 1894. Early Friends meetings were also held at the house, which makes it part of the city’s Quaker-rooted beginning.
That is a lot of local memory in one building. Whittier’s story can jump quickly from Pio Pico and ranch land to Quaker settlement, citrus-era growth, schools, banks, railroads, and later public art. The Bailey House gives that early chapter an actual address.
The house was deeded to the city in 1975 and is operated with the Whittier Historical Society. It is also on the Local Official Register of Historic Resources. It is an old house people remember, and part of the city’s official historic fabric.
For someone trying to understand Whittier, this is a good small stop to pair with Uptown, the Whittier Museum, or the Bailey School House Bell at City Hall. Check tour details before planning around going inside.
Where to see it
Jonathan Bailey House at 13421 Camilla Street in Whittier. Tours depend on the Whittier Historical Society schedule.
Official sources
Official source trail
Reviewed July 5, 2026
California Porch explains the path. The official source is still the place to confirm the current rule, fee, form, map, deadline, or office decision.
Use the official page before you spend money, file paperwork, rely on a deadline, or change a property.
Connected places
Where it fits on the map
Open a place page for the county layer, nearby places, and other California entries tied to that local page.
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