PIONEER BUILDINGS MAY FIND HOME IN PARK.

Byline: JIM SKEEN Staff Writer

PALMDALE -- Homes once occupied by two pioneer families and a former railroad building may return to Palmdale for a proposed historical park.

City officials have been offered the three buildings by 95-year-old historian Glen Settle, who acquired them decades ago and had them moved to a now-closed tourist attraction at the Tropico gold mine outside Rosamond.

Mayor Jim Ledford said he asked city staff to look into the possibility of relocating the buildings as part of an effort to develop a historical park at the site of the city's first settlement, Palmenthal. The settlement was founded in the 1880s by German and Swiss immigrants from Nebraska and Illinois.

``They are really going to need a lot of work,'' Ledford said. ``We need to analyze what it'll take to relocate and what will be needed to rehabilitate.''

The city has about 14 acres of land on 20th Street East near Avenue S it acquired from Los Angeles County in 2004 at no cost, with the provision that it be used for a park. City officials are interested in creating a historical park where residents see exhibits on the city's history, such as how the railroad affected the community's development, and possibly old buildings, such as the community's first schoolhouse.

The property sits adjacent to the 120-year-old Palmdale cemetery, and city officials are considering what level of involvement they want to have in cleaning up that site and whether it should be tied in with the historical park.

Ledford believes a joint historical park/cemetery project could help preserve the city's history for future generations.

``I think it's a rich story that has yet to be discovered,'' Ledford said.

The Munz and Ritter buildings probably both date to just before the turn of the 20th century. In addition to serving the families, Settle said he has been told the buildings both saw other uses: The Munz home was used as a post office and the Ritter home held church services.

The railroad building has a family connection for Settle. His father used to work out of the building, inspecting tracks for Southern Pacific.

``I was born in that building in 1911,'' Settle said.

The three buildings were relocated to Rosamond to be part of a tourist attraction called the Tropico Gold Camp that opened after the gold mine itself shut down in the 1950s. About a half million visitors went through the attraction before it was shut down in the 1980s, Settle said.

Both the Munz and Ritter buildings have been used for TV shows in the past. Since the camp closed, however, the buildings have fallen into disrepair.

``Vandals got into them and the weather hasn't helped,'' Settle said. ``With these old buildings, the first thing that goes is the roof.''

Vandals have broken windows and there is graffiti to be cleaned up, Settle said.

james.skeen(at)dailynews.com [phone]