Hancock's Resolution Offers Historical Insight to Pasadena

The opening of Hancock's Resolution yesterday gives Pasadena residents a chance to experience a slice of local history.

Hancock's Resolution is a 26-acre park that was formerly a farm owned by the Hancock family. The main house on the farm was built in 1785 and has remained largely preserved since then. The park offers a unique historical perspective.

Hancock's Resolution is staffed every Sunday afternoon by volunteers from the Friends of Hancock's Resolution, a volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation and caretaking of the park. The head of the organization is President James Morrison, who started caring for the park after his retirement in 1987.

"We have an agreement with the county to operate this park," said Morrison. "This is a 26-acre historic county park, but the county does not staff it. We have an agreement to staff it and run the programming for it."

The park hosts a variety of programs during the spring and summer, such as a sheep shearing exhibition, but Morrison said that days without programming are equally valuable.

"You get a lot more personal treatment on days when there's no programming going on because you can get personal attention," said Morrison, who added that this gave the docents a chance to share their historical knowledge.

Volunteer docents at Hancock's Resolution come from all walks of life. As an example, Morrison said that retired schoolteachers tend to make excellent docents.

"Because they have dealt with questions from their classrooms for many years, their ability to handle this is better than folks who don't have that kind of a background," said Morrison.

"I've always loved history," said docent Dolores Reuter. "I gradually watched (Hancock's Resolution) deteriorate over time. When (Morrison) contacted me, my ears lit up and it just went from there."

Hancock's Resolution is open Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. April through October.