History: The Homestead Acre is the name given to a 1.3 acre site within Chatsworth Park South containing a quiet, old-fashioned redwood bungalow surrounded by gardens, many fruit trees and fragrant rose bushes. It is all that is left of a once 230 acre California ranch. Owned by the Los Angeles City Department of Recreation and Parks, it is maintained by the Chatsworth Historical Society as conservators.
The only remaining homestead cottage in the San Fernando Valley, it is the Los Angeles Cultural Historical Monument No. 133 and is named to the nation Register of Historic Places as the Hill-Palmer Cottage. In the spring of 1886, James David and Rhonda Jane Hill settled on the land. Their daughter, Minnie Hill Palmer, the seventh of their eight children, was born on the property in the fall of that same year.
She spent almost her entire life on the ranch, preserving her pioneer ways. The Homestead Acre remains virtually the same as it was in 1911 when the present cottage was built. Saved and restored by the Chatsworth Historical Society as a small part of the San Fernando Valley's past, it is now a much sought-after location for weddings and private parties. Bridal parties may use the bedrooms for dressing or small weddings and receptions may be held in the house. Available also for private parties, The Homestead Acre is a fine example of a circa 1910 American home and is also rented as a movie location.
