4/13 Bright future for Redman House

By TOM RAGAN
Sentinel staff writer

WATSONVILLE

There was a chance that the field could have gone neglected, like the old Redman House behind it.

Although the soil is great and the land is about as level as any farmer could want, there was a chance this perfect farmland could have turned into the typical vacant lot with nothing but overgrown weeds — an eyesore for motorists zipping by on Highway 1.

But today some of the farmland is starting to come to life with colorful cut flowers. Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and coastal vegetables are on their way.

In a few weeks, a produce stand will crop up, luring hungry motorists like some sort of gigantic Dairy Queen billboard in the middle of the Arizona desert, the nutritious version of The Blizzard.
Steve Pedersen, 40, of Watsonville, is the farmer behind the farmland. He started sowing in August and September, and he couldn’t have done any of it without the help of the Redman Foundation, the owners of the property and the two-story Queen Anne Victorian that came along with it — all purchased for $1.9 million late last year.

To get a sense of how old the property is, the house was built at a time when horse and carriage ruled the region, oxen were the beast of burden who bore the brunt of the plow and apple orchards reigned supreme. It was 1887. But over the years and through the decades and on into a new millennium, it’s obvious that time has taken its toll on both the house and the farmland.

Not anymore.

Dale Skillicorn, Watsonville city councilman and president of the Redman Foundation, was instrumental in acquiring the property for the sake of history.

Plans to renovate the Victorian, which could pass as a haunted house on Halloween, are in the works, he said. And it’s only a matter of time before the age-old edifice, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, becomes an agricultural museum. But for now, first things first, he said, namely Pedersen working diligently, turning the land into a demonstration farm.

Anybody who’s interested in learning about the inner mechanics behind the old profession called farming need only exit Riverside Avenue, hop on Lee Road and drive to the property. Pedersen says soon school children will be invited to see just how a farm operates.

"It’s a very good piece of farmland, the soil is Class A, and it’s got a good strong well on it," said Pedersen, the perfect fit of a farmer, who grew up in Ventura County and has been working the land in Santa Cruz County for almost a decade.

Pedersen knows something about the agri-tourism business. He owns a 40-acre farm on the outskirts of Watsonville, where school children today can go to get a glimpse into what the life of a small farmer entails.

Skillicorn said he’s happy Pedersen is subleasing the land, putting the farmland to good use, the first in a series of steps to resurrect the property.

"We’re going to get together and bang out some sort of long-term lease," he said.

Photo: Brilliant flowers are an amazing feature on the Redman property. (Shmuel Thaler / Sentinel)