Fontana Farms Company Ranch House, Camp No. 1
Also known as: Pepper Street House
Why it's listed
Built in 1905-1906, this one-story concrete block house at 8863 Pepper Street in Fontana served as Camp #1, the central field headquarters of the Fontana Development Company's farming operation. It measures about 25 by 34 feet and has a hip roof, small curved dormers, an eight-foot front porch with square block columns, and a small brick-lined cellar. The pitched stone-face block may have been cast on site from nearby river sand. It was the first permanent structure in the settlement of Rosena, later Fontana, and housed the managers who oversaw some twenty other farm camps across 18,000 acres. Camp #1 itself cultivated 3,000 acres of barley and oats, alongside beef, hog, chicken and citrus production. By the 1940s, steel mill construction and housing growth ended the area's rural character. The house remains on its original site, now on a city lot among postwar homes, and stands as a reminder of that earlier agricultural period.
Significance in brief: The house is significant for its association with the agricultural development of Southern California from 1905 to 1944. It was the first permanent building in the settlement of Rosena, which became the city of Fontana in 1913. It served as field headquarters and manager's residence for a farming operation of about 18,000 acres, and it remains a reminder of the area's agrarian era before steel mill-driven urbanization.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 82000982, listed November 1, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 8863 Pepper St., Fontana |
|---|---|
| County | San Bernardino County |
| Listed | November 1, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82000982 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1905-1944 |
| Architect / builder | Fontana Development Company |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in good condition and on its original site, with the original fireplace removed; the form lists the property as unoccupied with work in progress and a museum use. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 34.09282, -117.44186 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 82000982.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q20714664
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.