For over a year, Visalia Heritage, the non-profit group dedicated to preserving historic structures, has been hosting tours of interesting vintage homes and buildings.
Their next venture is a tour of the 8,000 sq. ft. Dudley home at 1300 W. Main St. from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, March 22.
The beautiful mansion at Main and Giddings streets was the far west entrance to the little town of Visalia when it was completed in 1917 by prominent businessman Benjamin Dudley for his bride, Helen Brown. It was impressive with stained glass windows, mahogany inlaid floors, big fireplaces and a dazzling dining room completely paneled, including the ceiling.
Kitty corner from Visalia (Redwood) High School and adjacent to Visalia’s famous “Smallest Park in the World,” the Dudley House was the scene of many social events. There are even stories that the Dudleys hid Japanese Americans through an opening in the basement during World War II to keep them from being sent to internment camps.
Visalia Heritage is in the process of creating a museum cultural center in the old Depot Restaurant, which was originally Visalia’s Southern Pacific train depot. The organization will be inviting the Visalia community to help with this endeavor.
Limited tickets for the tour are available at www.visaliaheritage.org/local-history.
