Farmhouse Gives Insight to Local History
By Susan Wiesner, August 2014

The site of 2014’s neighborhood picnic has special significance as it is one of the very early farmhouses built on Cement Hill. Tracing the history of the land is a slow process but becomes meaningful through the stories that arise. The current farmhouse sits on a 10 acre parcel which includes two outbuildings, a pear orchard and a small cottage. For many years it was part of larger 80 acre tract of land and included what is now River Hill Farm and another adjacent property.

The first transfer record identified for this property was for land earlier claimed by the DeBernardi Quartz Mine but later abandoned for mining. When J. DeBernardi (a Nevada City charcoal dealer) passed away in 1883, the “ranch” and other acreage was inherited by his widow Catherine who then sold it to Manual Jose Bernardo (M.J.).

M.J. Bernardo immigrated to the U.S. in 1864 at age 27 from the Portuguese Azore Islands. After his Portuguese wife, Mary, joined him in 1881, they chose to settle and raise a family on Cement Hill. They may have learned about property from the other Portuguese settlers who lived in this area: Anton Costa, Manuel S. Davilla and Manuel Ignacio. M.J. Bernardo bought the subject land for $300 in “gold coin” in 1886. In this same transaction for 80 acres, he acquired the water rights of “that certain Ravine called Know Nothing Ravine, and that certain ditch known as the Kistle Ditch.” The ditch and flume system, first built for mining purposes, had been extended and expanded to allow for agricultural uses. Above the house you can still see the remains of a ditch and pond used to store water for household use.

The Bernardos raised five children on the property: Manuel, Joseph, Mamie, Annie & Francis. On official documents, M.J. showed his occupation at times as a miner and at other times as a farmer. He probably cleared much of the land for agricultural purposes constructing some of the rock walls and cairns which stand to this day. The family most likely built the original farmhouse or expanded an existing building to accommodate their family as it grew. M.J. also acquired adjacent land to the south, increasing his holdings to over 160 acres by 1897. County assessment records from 1906 cite that his land had “improvements” valued at $150. That was in addition to the value of a wagon $20, harness $10, 2 horses $50 and 2 cows $40! In 1914 M.J. transferred title of the primary 80 acres to his son Joseph.

By the time M.J. Bernardo died in 1922 the land had passed to Astiace Luigi Silicani. Born in Lucca, Italy, Astiace immigrated to the U.S. in 1899 and lived for several years in Humboldt County operating a “donkey” steam engine in the logging industry before he moved to Cement Hill with his wife Carolina and their three children: Arnold, Messalina (“Lena”) and Homer (“Tito”). Their ranch was described as a dairy farm and he considered himself a farmer on census records but he also worked as a mine superintendent. The Silicanis must have felt quite comfortable joining the Orzallis, the Agostinis, the Garesios and other Italian families who had previously settled in the area. It was not uncommon to have gatherings for holidays or celebrations. One such occasion turned to a tragedy and has been recounted over the years by several descendants of the original Italian families.* The Silicani family and friends had gathered under the large fig trees (still growing near the farmhouse) for a picnic. Carolina decided to bake cookies for the group and crossed the field below to gather fresh eggs from the chicken house. A bull she had raised like a pet unexpectedly turned on her and trampled her to death. Shocked neighbors later gathered to mourn her passing and Mary Morales recalls as a child carrying two large platters of ravioli to the farmhouse with her mother, May E. Orzalli.

Astiace Silicani continued to live in the area but moved to a smaller cabin on Cement Hill near the Applewood area. In 1942 the ranch property was sold to Mervyn N. Robinson (M.N.) and his wife Ann who arrived from Niland, California, with their adopted daughter, Elizabeth (“Betty”) Ann. Betty Ann loved to ride bareback through the lower fields on her Palomino horse named “Tom” holding only the mane as reins – no saddle, no bridle! The Robinsons farmed on a larger scale than the other Cement Hill neighbors. In addition to the local acreage they owned farmland in the Imperial Valley where they grew cantaloupes, tomatoes and squash. While many neighbors grew grapes and made wine each year for personal consumption, the Robinsons outdid everyone else with a huge tank in the basement for processing grapes and storing large quantities of wine. On the local property they also had a sizeable pear orchard and in late summer the pears and grapes were hauled to Colfax for sale. A large rock and masonry outdoor oven was constructed near the house for baking. To help with farm work and act as caretakers, a Mexican couple from the Imperial Valley lived in the nearby cottage.

Since those times, the house and property have passed through several other owners. Parts of the extended property were sold off and during one period the house fell into neglect. More recent additions and major renovations to the original house have been made to increase the size, modernize the kitchen and add an office. While the original stone foundation work, the wrap around covered porch and the hefty original wooden beams keep the “flavor” of the historic home, the added rooms and modern amenities allow the current owners to continue a tradition of welcoming guests to the property.

*The author appreciates the oral histories and some of the stories provided by Mary Morales (previously Mary Orzalli Peard) and her son Burnell Peard.