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Main-Begg Farmhouse designated Historic Landmark in 2020
funding. It’s currently off-limits to guests due to safety issues.
The porch faces Hollister Avenue and is an important part of the farmhouse.
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“It (the grant) is not for maintenance, but for the preservation of the porch portion of the farmhouse,” said Ms. Brinkman.
The Main-Begg Farmhouse was built in 1911 by Robert and Jane Main, who immigrated in 1887 to the South Coast from Scotland.
The house was part of a 24-acre walnut ranch established by the Mains, and it’s where they raised six children.
Mr. Main was also the superintendent of the vast Thomas B. Bishop ranching empire in Santa Barbara County and was prominent in Goleta Valley agricultural, business, civic and cultural affairs.
The historical bond between the Main and Begg families was sealed in 1911 when a Main daughter, Carrie, married David A. Begg, the son of Peter J. and Jessie Begg, who had immigrated in 1885 from Scotland.
The Main-Begg Farmhouse was built in 1911 by Robert and Jane Main, who immigrated in 1887 to the South Coast from Scotland. The house was part of a 24-acre walnut ranch established by the Mains, and it’s where they raised six children.
David, like his father, was a farmer in Goleta.
David and Carrie, after raising eight children, moved into the Main-Begg Farmhouse in 1950. In 1957, Carrie, now widowed, sold the ranch to a housing developer, retaining only the present-day onehalf-acre property and the farmhouse.
Charles (Chuck) W. Begg, one of David and Carrie’s sons, and his wife Margaret and three children, occupied the farmhouse in 1970. Chuck pursued a variety of professions, but he was best known for his many years of volunteer activities on behalf of Goleta Valley community service organizations.
The nonprofit organization Main-Begg Farmhouse acquired the farmhouse in 2019. Its mission is to preserve and restore the farmhouse property, to share its history with the Goleta Valley, and to provide a special venue for community activities and educational programs.
The farmhouse was designated Santa Barbara County Historic Landmark No. 52 in 2020.
“The newest allocation for housing by the county is farmland in Goleta, which is the way we are losing farmland in Goleta,” said Ms. Brinkman. “That is why this farmhouse is so important.” email: kzehnder@newspress.com
