On Saturday, November 7th, from 10:00am-3:00pm, the Bardsdale United Methodist Church (BUMC) will sponsor a "Home Tour" of four homes and the 117 year old Bardsdale United Methodist Church! The BUMC Ministry has been serving Bardsdale for 123 years and relocated to the current Church in 1898! The cost of the Home and Church Tour will be $25.

On March 12, 1928 at two and half minutes after midnight one of the worse disasters to hit Los Angeles and Ventura Counties occurred when the nearly new St. Frances Dam experienced catastrophic failure sending an enormous amount of water into the Santa Clara Valley into Piru, Fillmore, Bardsdale and Santa Paula and onto the Pacific Ocean. The result was the loss of 431 lives and the destruction of many homes. Most of the homes were swept from their unsecured foundations and floated away only to be torn apart, or come to rest at locations far from their original placement.

One of those homes, according to the current owner, is featured on the BUMC Home Tour. This 1500 square foot home is located on one acre of land and now a working goat ranch. Built in 1927 the home was a fairly new home at the time of the St. Francis Dam Disaster. Although not known for sure, the home was and located someplace upriver in the Santa Clara Valley. The location was more than likely in the Bardsdale area not far from the current location.

The home was not originally the Craftsman style home that it is today. The he current owners indicate the previous owner, over the twenty-five years they lived in the home transformed the home to a Craftsman style home with many well executed construction features. The features include stain glass, a beautifully refurbished fire place and expert carpentry work throughout, an aluminum roof and solar power. Of note is the tile surrounding the fireplace that depicts the agricultural roots of the Bardsdale area. There also is a newly planted Family Orchard.

As mentioned this is a working goat ranch consisting of 18 French Alpine goats, a calf, three tortoises, four pet pigs and a few chickens. There is a Showroom that displays, for purchase, some of the many products made from the goats milk as well as a soap workshop to demonstrate how the soap is made. The website for the ranch indicates, “Raising our French Alpine goats and milking them twice a day is so worth the effort because their rich and nutritious goat milk is what makes our soap so moisturizing, nourishing and gentle. Each bar of soap is great for your face, body and hands and is especially designed for dry or sensitive skin.” The ranch is not open for walk-in customers, but is by appointment only. Visiting the Ranch as part of the BUMC Home Tour is an excellent opportunity to not only interact with ranch operations, but to see this very interesting home that is not open any other time of the year for viewing.

Pre sale tickets are available at the BUMC located at 1498 Bardsdale Ave, Bardsdale, 805-524-2070. And, the Fillmore Historical Museum, 340 Main St, Fillmore, 805-524-0948. Tickets will also be available at the BUMC, Fillmore Historical Museum and at each home on the day of the tour. In the event of rain the Tour will cancel and not be rescheduled. In that unfortunate circumstance the BUMC thanks you for your donation!