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A visit to the historic Hill-Palmer Homestead Cottage next to the Chatsworth Museum unleashes the urge in some people to move in.

Once inside the 1911 bungalow-style ranch house surrounded by 1.3 acres of lovingly tended native California greenery, “a lot of people ask me if they can rent it,” said Virginia Watson, curator of the site.

It’s not surprising that this glimpse of old-California lifestyle set in the middle of urban sprawl provokes people into fantasies of making their visit a one-way trip.

“Mostly it’s [the reaction] of people in their 20s, hungry to go back to a simpler time, to nature,” Watson said.

The house will be open to the public Sunday from 1-4 p.m., as it is the first Sunday of every month. Admission is free. The house at 10385 Shadow Oak Drive in Chatsworth Park South is owned by the city of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.

Besides the monthly tours, the house is open to the public on “Pioneer Days,” an annual living-history event in October, and during the springtime “Garden Festival,” which celebrates native California flora.

Relaxing on the porch of the redwood bungalow in a swing or on a bench under a black walnut tree “you do get the feeling of the whole place and [can imagine] that you dropped out of the 20th century,” Watson said.

But life was not always easy for settlers 100 years ago, said Watson, a member of the Chatsworth Historical Society, which conducts the monthly tours.

“To get groceries was a three-day round trip to ‘Old Mr. Ralph’s’ in Los Angeles,” she said, referring to one of the county’s original storekeepers, who sold food and supplies that could not be produced on the farm.

“Doing laundry was a big thing then,” Watson said, pointing to an antique washer in the kitchen.

Made of galvanized iron, the machine had to be filled with water boiled on the wood-burning stove, and clothes were put through a hand-cranked wringer during the washing process.

Original owner Minnie Palmer, who was born in 1886, once told Watson that the greatest invention of her time was the electric washing machine, Watson said.

The tour begins with an orientation talk in the museum next to the bungalow, where a collection of historical photos and artifacts is on display.

Docents next take visitors through the Hill-Palmer home and the surrounding grounds studded with fruit trees and native vegetation from the Valley’s ranching period.

Docents encourage visitors to stop by nearby historical sites such as the 1880s-era Chatsworth Pioneer Church in Oakwood Memorial Park, 2260 Lassen St., and Stoney Point Park, along a former stage-coach route, that is now a Los Angeles city recreation area for rock climbers.

BE THERE

“Hill-Palmer Homestead Cottage” in Chatsworth Park South, 10385 Shadow Oak Drive, Chatsworth. Open to the public the first Sunday of each month from 1-4 p.m. Free. For details, call the Chatsworth Historical Society, (818) 882-5614.