Preservationists Seek to Save the Fruits of History

Members of several Glendora groups are trying to stop progress long enough to preserve a bit of the city’s citrus history.

The city has approved plans to create an historic site in its South Hills Park for several orange trees and a ranch house threatened by a housing project.

Preservationists originally had hoped to establish a memorial grove at Boal Grove, one of the few remaining orange groves in the city but fell far short of the $120,000 needed to buy a lot there. Now they have set their sights on raising $20,000 to move the ranch house and a few trees to the park.

Members of the Glendora Preservation Foundation have collected about 750 smudge pots used in the 1930s and 1940s to keep the fruit from freezing and are selling them for $15 each.

The pots will be sold on weekends outside of Boal Ranch on Mauna Loa Avenue and from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Glendora Historical Society, 314 N. Glendora Ave..

“We lost three groves in 1986,” said Rick Negley, a member of the Glendora Preservation Foundation. “Now two more will be plowed down next month. We want to make the public aware of what is happening to last bit of heritage left in Glendora.”

The preservationists have have raised only about $8,000 toward moving the house. If they cannot raise the $20,000 by March 15, when site clearing is scheduled to begin, the house will be demolished.

“The possibility of moving that house becomes more remote every day,” said John Cashion, a member of the Glendora Preservation Foundation.

Photos by ROBERT St. JOHN/ Los Angeles Times