Santee Historical Society has been keeping very good records of the history of Santee, and its historical location at the Edgemoor Barn. Museum hours are Tuesday, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and every 3rd Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The Edgemoor Barn may look big from the outside, but once inside, the past is as relevant as the present and future. There are many maps, old photographs and local relics that tell the story and history of Santee and the Edgemoor Barn.
Santee Historical Society has been keeping very good records of the history of Santee, and its historical location at the Edgemoor Barn. Museum hours are Tuesday, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and every 3rd Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The Edgemoor Barn may look big from the outside, but once inside, the past is as relevant as the present and future. There are many maps, old photographs and local relics that tell the story and history of Santee and the Edgemoor Barn.
At its holiday Open House on Dec. 6, people from Santee had the opportunity to visit the historic Edgemoor Barn, learn more about Santee’s history and get a glimpse into what it takes to retain and impart Santee’s rich history.
Edgemoor Farm was built in 1913. Inside Edgemoor there are exhibits that paint an image of its rich history of the dairy farm and the history of Edgemoor Geriatric Hospital. Edgemoor was part of a Spanish land grant to Maria Antonio Estudillo who married Miguel de Pedrovena, a native to Madrid. In 1913,Walter Hamlin Dupee purchased Edgemoor Farm and built a national award winning dairy farm.
With difficult times on the rise in 1921 after a misfortune Dupee sold Edgemoor to Godfrey L. Strobeck. In 1923 the county of San Diego purchased the property from Godfrey L. Strobeck to use as a “last resort” home for the aged and indigent. As history tells it was one of the poor farms established in the nation prior to the Great Depression and the introduction of Social Security. By the mid-1920 the Edgemoor cared for 520 people. In 1955 the Edgemoor farm was changed to the Edgemoor Geriatric Hospital.
Santee Historical Society’s job is discovering family histories and finding old photographs that are scanned and filed for future projects.
Santee Historical Society Secretary Rita Lee said with its current archives, the Edgemoor Barn is a treasure in itself and will continue to be for a long time.
