Embedded Files
HISTORY
The Blume House. Home to Heinrich [1837-1895] and Fredericka Johanning Blume [1841-1925], immigrants of Prussia (Germany). Heinrich immigrated to the United States from his village of Wingertshausen (approximately 49 miles from Frankfurt) in 1856 and married Fredericka Johanning from the village of Spenge (Prussia) in 1867. The Blume Family arrived in San Pablo in 1858 and purchased a large section of land. They were like many other farm families in Rancho San Pablo. Hay and grain were the main crops. They also kept milking cows and many chickens. However, the family raised both beef and dairy cows. Butter, made from the cows' milk and chicken eggs were sold. The cream, separated from the milk and turned into butter, was always sold at a much higher price than milk.
Farmers and their families had to be self-sufficient. The Blume family was often isolated from the town due to muddy roads from winter rains. They had to be able to do their own maintenance on the farm buildings and equipment.
After Heinrich died in 1895, Mrs. Blume kept farming the land, and in 1905 built this luxurious home where she raised her five sons while maintaining the 1,000-acre farm in San Pablo (in the Hilltop Mall area). By 1911 she had sold most of their land to Standard Oil but leased back 400 acres for farming and kept 36 acres around the home.
Heinrich "Henry" Blume 1837 - 1895
Illustration of Henry Blume
(Munro Fraser 1882)
Heinrich "Henry" Blume, an immigrant of Prussia [Germany] arrived in San Francisco in 1856. Henry first settled near Pinole but later purchased property and moved to San Pablo in 1858, consisting of three hundred and fifty acres where he engaged in dairying and farming. He married Fredericka Johanning, also an immigrant of Prussia in November 1867. The Agricultural census schedules of 1870 record Henry owning 350 acres of land valued at $3,200, producing 1400 bushels of wheat and 1200 of barley in the preceding year. In the 1880 Agricultural census, he is recorded having 500 acres of land and a farm valued at $10,000 which produced 1200 pounds of butter, 2000 bushels of barley and 2000 bushels of wheat in the preceding year. He was a prominent member of San Pablo Lodge No. 86 of the A. O. U. W. (Ancient Order of United Workmen). The AOUW was a fraternal benefits society providing financial protection to working class people at an affordable rate. It was the first of the organizations that would offer insurance as well as sickness, accident, death and burial policies. Henry Blume died in a runaway accident on 20 July 1895. His home previously located at the Hilltop area was saved from demolition when a shopping center was planned and is now maintained as a museum in San Pablo interpreting "agricultural era living" of the 19th century.
Lot No. 136 - 46 acres 1894
Lot No. 136 - 36 acres 1911
Fredericka Johanning Blume
1842-1925
Fredericka Johanning was born on 22 May 1842 in Prussia [Germany]. She arrived c1866 and married Heinrich "Henry" Blume in November 1867. Henry first settled near Pinole but sold out and moved to his residence and farm in San Pablo, consisting of three hundred and fifty acres where he engaged in dairying and farming. They had five sons, Henry, Frederick, William, Carl and Albert; and one daughter, Frederica who died as a child. Their home was host to many social events and celebrations attended by local pioneering farming families of the county. Unfortunately, Henry Blume died in 1895 at age 58.
Original Blume Ranch House c1875
Fredericka Blume c1923
After the death of her husband in July 1895, Fredericka, now a widow at age 54, kept farming the land. Their main cash crops were hay and grain, but they also had beef cattle, milk cows and chickens, from which they sold butter and eggs. An orchard and garden provided much of the family's food. She also has pigs, rabbits, guinea hens, pigeons, peacocks and bees on the farm. Left with five sons to raise, she took in boarders; in the 1900 Census, 2 are listed as farm laborers, and 2 others as well drillers. Fredericka purchased 996 acres of Rancho San Pablo for $29,000 from Elizabeth Emeric in November 1899.
In 1905, Fredericka built a new luxurious home while maintaining the now 1,000-acre farm in San Pablo with the help of her five sons. It was unusually large and luxurious for a farmhouse having seven bedrooms, a parlor, kitchen, dining room, two bathrooms and running water. The original house was used as a chicken house. The water was provided from a 6,000-gallon water tank and windmill. Heat was provided by the fireplace and the kitchen stove. The original lighting system, acetylene gas, was replaced by electricity in 1929.
During that time, there was speculation of oil on the Blume property and the surrounding land. In November 1911, the Standard Oil Company purchased 127 acres of land from Fredericka Blume for $125,000; equivalent to $4 million today. Although she had sold most of the land to the Standard Oil, she leased back 400 acres for farming and kept 36 acres around the home with her sons continuing to farm the land. After that, a series of renters raised horses and sheep on the property.
By November 1913, Standard Oil was in negotiations with A. C. (Carl) Blume to purchase 800 acres of the ranch at $210 per acre for the purpose of establishing an enormous "tank farm." By now, Fredericka had also become a stock owner in the Central National Bank and the Central Savings of Oakland.
Fredericka died on 15 December 1925 at age 83, and unfortunately, she had no proper Will in place. Half of her estate was valued at $140,000 in cash on deposit in various banks in Richmond and Oakland. In addition to the cash, the estate consisted of $40,000 in stocks in the Central National and Central Savings Banks of Oakland; $7,000 in Liberty Bonds; $47, 570 in promissory notes and $3,000 in incidental assets totaling $237,570 ($4M today). Her four surviving sons, Henry, Fred, William and Carl inherited and shared in her estate equally and continued to run the family farm until the late 1940s.
"Standard Oil already had numerous tanks dotting the San Pablo hills and began purchasing Blume Ranch property after oil had been struck and a large deposit of asphaltum had been uncovered." (The San Francisco Examiner 15 November 1911:5)
The remaining ranch property, consisting of 700 acres, was purchased by the Standard Oil Company in 1913 to be used as a location for oil tanks. (The San Francisco Call 24 November 1913:3)
The 1900 Census for San Pablo's Supervisor's District No. 1 shows Fredericka, a widow, whose occupations is listed as Farmer, with five sons and several boarders who were also working and living on the Blume farm. Two are farm laborers, another two are well drillers, and one with no occupation listed. It's quite evident it took a lot of hands to manage the Blume household and ranch property.
This 1910 Census for San Pablo's Township No. 10 shows Fredericka's sons still living with her, including a hired hand, Oscar Jacobson. Although Henry was married and living in Oakland, he is shown listed here since he still would return to help out with the daily chores on the farm. He is also shown on a 1910 Census for his home at Oakland in Alameda County.
This 1920 Census for residents of San Pablo shows three of Fredericka's sons still living with her, including the hired hand, Oscar Jacobson. It also shows that her second-born, Frederick is living there with his wife, Henrietta O'Neill.
Henry George Blume was the first-born child of Heinrich Blume and Fredericka Johanning born on 10 July 1868 at Blume Ranch in San Pablo. His parents owned over 1000 acres of the northern portion of Ranch San Pablo. He received his education at the “Big School” in San Pablo located on San Pablo Avenue. When his father died, he and his brothers continued helping his mother run their large farm; a farm life of tending to beef cattle, milk cows, chickens, pigs, and rabbits, including the hay and grain crops. Their social life revolved around occasional wagon trips to the town of San Pablo to visit the local Post Office and the general stores for provisions. In 1896 Henry married Mary Ellen Rose and moved with his new bride and settled in Oakland. And although he was married and living in Oakland, he still made trips to San Pablo and helped out on the farm. In 1914 he was appointed for the Grand Jury of Supervisor District No. One for Contra Costa County. When his mother died in 1925, he became administrator of her estate valued at over $237,000.
Blume Family Tree courtesy Ancestry.com
Frederick "Fred" August Blume [1870-1956]
Frederick, son of Heinrich "Henry" and Fredericka Blume lived on a section of property south of his parent's original ranch which bordered San Pablo Creek. The California & Nevada Railroad ran through the outer edge of his property. Some obituaries for the sons of the Blume's indicate they were "born in the family ranch house which was located on 'Fairmead' Road No. 24, which extended from Tank Farm Hill to El Sobrante. The family home stands behind a hill near what was once a golf club."
The Blume House Museum
Photo courtesy Stephen Breazeale.
"This lovely farm house stood in a green valley near a hilltop with a view of the ocean. It had been built in 1905 by the Blume family, immigrants from Germany. In the 1970s it was still a working horse ranch, and was threatened by development. Hilltop Mall was about to be built on its idyllic hill. The house was slated for demolition. This property was originally part of San Pablo, but had later been incorporated into Richmond." ~San Pablo Historical Society archives (moving day 1974).
The Blume House Museum is refurbished and furnished to represent the Blume's early 19th century farmhouse. The most popular room with visitors is the kitchen, with its original cast-iron stove and gadgets of the period.
Kitchen area.
Bedroom area.
Bathroom area.
Page updated
Report abuse