The Bauman House was built circa 1910 and the foundation it sits on stretches even further back. I look forward to covering all of that in future posts but today we are focusing on the present day story of this adorable bungalow located in Sonora, CA, A.K.A. The Queen of the Southern Mines.
I was born and raised in Southern California, and when I turned 18 my parents and younger siblings moved to northern California to be near family that lived there. A few years later they moved to a town called Sonora, a place none of us really knew anything about. To this day I say Sonora and everyone says, "Oh yeah, Sonoma, I love it there."
Side note, It is fun to run into anyone that has ever heard of a town anywhere near Sonora. The other day someone mentioned Mariposa and my eyes lit up. Sometimes, that is as close as we ever come to finding people that know about the region. Yet, this blows my mind because it is such an amazing place that one would think everyone would want to visit.
For years I'd hit the road for the 6.5-7.5 hour drive from Southern California to Sonora. I'm partial to the 99 freeway over the 5 anyday.The visits would fall round holidays, high school events for my siblings or just random times. During these visits we would watch the Christmas parade, eat downtown, go to the famer's market, and enjoy the weather.
One day my mom heard that the owner of her favorite shop was going to retire. Something in her heart made her stop to ask if she could take over and the owner was extremely generous and said that she would help her get started. My mom realized that she could continue this amazing service in town and eventually bring prosthetic fittings for mastectomy patients and utilize her loving nurse attributes in a new way.
She went on to purchase one of the historic downtown buildings and open a bra fitting and clothing shop called Fittin' Pretty. During this time I made MANY trips to Sonora to help put the shop together with her. We had fun on her first Second Saturday/Art Night event, passing out candy in front of the shop for halloween, and more. My kids and I have always loved frequenting the shops downtown and we tend to have a routine route each time we visit.
One day, a home on Washington Street came up for sale, I said to may parents that I would really like to own a home in Sonora and Washington Street would be PERFECT! The house that was on the market was neat but it wasn't exactly what I wanted in a place. However, the one next door was so stinking cute. I was told that it was about to hit the market for sale.
I got on the phone with my fabulous local agent and said I WANT THAT HOUSE!!! She chuckled at me, because she knows how driven I am, and said we will get you the first showing. Well, someone else gnabbed that house right after I got off the phone, unseen, made an offer, and it was gone.
I was bummed because I adored the little yellow house on the corner, but it was not meant to be. We then decided to pursue the original home next door and once again we we lost out. My Washington Street idea fizzled for a bit. I was not going to give up but these homes do not go up for sale everyday so I knew it could be awhile before our next opportunity. A week and a half later I get the call that the yellow house on the corner was back up for sale and I was determined to not let it get away this time around. Things are meant to happen the way that they do. Low-and-behold The Bauman House is now a part of our family.
Why The Bauman House name?
The moment we knew she was ours I reached out to the historical society to find out anything I could about her. They've been so helpful, poviding the historical survey, photos, and more. I've also spent time doing research and I've come up with recorded interviews at Columbia College. My findings will be a part of future blog posts.
While I'm not a historian or a Joanna Gaines rehabber. My goal is to create a great place to stay and support the amazing shop owners in town. I want to do my very best to share a piece of Sonora history with you, our guests. I want you to feel the love for Sonora that we feel each and everytime we visit.
Comments