Fresno Flats (aka Oakhurst) today looks very different from its beginnings in the 1850s when it was located along Road 425B (aka Fresno Flats Road) next to China Creek.  In case you are curious as to why Oakhurst had its name changed in 1912, it was due to the efforts of Charley Meyer's wife.  Charley was accused of robbing the local stage in 1885 but never convicted.  His wife, Kitty, resented the lingering stigma so she (behind the backs of old timers) began a campaign resulting in a post office and a name change.  The rest, as they say, is history.

So, whether it's called Fresno Flats or Oakhurst, you can recapture more of the life and times in the area by visiting the Fresno Flats Historic Park and Museum in Oakhurst thanks to the efforts of the Sierra Sites Historic Association.

A donation of antiques in 1968 by Marge Lyman was the foundation.   The care of this donation fell to the newly formed Sierra Sites Historic Association (1968).  In 1975, Wilma Ely generously donated the 3 acre site where the Park is located.  More donations and strong community support followed.  The Laramore-Lyman House was moved from its location at 425B & Road 426 near China Creek to the Park in 1975. In 1980, the Cunningham School was donated by Walter Maxell.  In 1981, the Taylor Log House was saved from demolition and donated by Steven Woodsworth and Theodore Boussiere. In 1983, the Jail and the Library (Cedar Brook Cabin) were donated by Kathy Whitehead Musacchio and Charles Pashayan, Jr.  In 1990 Peter Pierre donated the Dupzyk Barn. These efforts plus even more donations as well as thousands of volunteer hours have resulted in a very special place.

Let's meet some of the buildings on site.  The first home that catches the eye is the beautiful, yellow two story Laramore-Lyman House.  Built in the 1870's and lived in by three different families until 1973, the home was sold to Dr. and Mrs. H. H. Baxter who donated it to the SSHA.  The home was moved to the Park in 1975 and restored. In spite of being built without studs (and other methods designed to give today's building inspectors gray hair), this home has stood for more than a century and a quarter!

Our second home is the Taylor Log House which is the oldest building (1869) in the museum complex.  It is a design which originated in the Ozarks and referred to as a "two-pen, dog trot" design common in William Taylor's home state of Kentucky.  Made of Sugar Pine logs, this design became common throughout Northern California wherever timber was readily available. Volunteers have recreated the office of the region's first forest ranger, Boot Taylor, in the eastern room of this home.  He used this as his office between 1902 to the 1920s.  "Boot" was one of the five children of William and Margaret Taylor.  You will also be able to find some tools of the type used to build this type of home as well as being used in the actual restoration.

Both the Laramore-Lyman home and the Taylor Log House have been designated by the State of California as Points of Historical Interest for their unique construction styles.  Once common throughout Northern California, these styles are almost unknown today.

We are very fortunate to have this collection of buildings, as some, like the Cunningham School and Taylor Log House came very close to being destroyed.  This school was built in 1913 and located in Nipinnawasee twelve miles north on Highway 49.  It was one of the few buildings that survived the Harlow Fire of 1962.  Firefighters felt that 50 years of children running around the playground had worn the area around it bare so it escaped this devastating fire.  The Taylor Log House had been modernized in the 1930s by the youngest Taylor daughter.  She covered the logs with siding concealing the original log house.  The home was scheduled for demolition in 1981 and "uncovered and re-discovered" resulting in the house being saved and generously donated to the SSHA!

The second schoolhouse located to the right of the Cunningham School was built in 1874.  After its many lives, it is currently the Nathan Sweet Museum.   The Nathan Sweet Museum offers many exhibits and artifacts from this earlier era.  Children will be amazed when they compare present day classrooms with the actual desks used in earlier times.  A general store, doctor's office, late 19th and early 20th century clothing, tools, games and more round out the displays as well as the Museum Gift Shop.  When the Museum is open, a knowledgeable, enthusiastic volunteer is there to share even more information about the history of the buildings and Fresno Flats.  Museum hours are generally 10 am - 2 pm daily (closed in January and February).  Park grounds are open year round.  Arrangements for Tours or to reserve the park for an event may be made by calling (559) 683-6570. 

More buildings are on site and ready for you to come and discovery their pasts as well including:

·           The Raymond Jail built (1890)

·           A section of the flume that carried lumber from 

            Sugar Pine to Madera

·           A log barn from the Dupzyk family homestead

             (1914)

·           A recreated print shop with a 1903 press with

             foot throttle and paper counter

·           Tack Room and adjacent wagon shed with

             horse-drawn vehicles

·           Old Fashioned Garden and more

If your visit inspires you to know even more about the fascinating history and the people who lived it, please call and make an appointment to visit the Fresno Flats Historical Research Center and Library.  A collection of journals, early photographs, old maps, oral history recordings of members of pioneer families and so much more are available to call you back again and again!  Visit soon!