By AMY H. ROBERTS

Step through the historic Spanishinspired gate of Grapevine Arbor Park, and you just might find yourself in a whole new world, one steeped in a colorful and diverse past, offering charm and elegance for today’s modern world.

Grapevine Park, one of San Gabriel’s oldest parks, is home to the Grapevine Arbor and the Home of Ramona, formerly a popular inn.

The park harkens back to a period when wine production was a vital part of the San Gabriel Mission’s way of life. With portions of the original vine still intact, Grapevine Arbor remains a lovely and important destination, just as it was in its glory days.

The historical grapevine that gave the picturesque park its name was transplanted to the site in 1861. Historical accounts vary as to the grapevine’s origin. Some credit a cutting from the Mission’s “mother vine,” while official Parks and Recreation Department history follows a story in which a wild grapevine was dug up and then planted on a local property before finally being moved by the Hall family to its current location in 1861.

Regardless of where it came from, the grapevine thrived and set the stage for the beautiful yet varied story of Grapevine Arbor and today’s Grapevine Park. The grapevine grew until its trellised branches covered 10,000 square feet. The setting became a popular gathering place and a noted tourist destination.

When chronicling the history of the grapevine and the park it inspired, former San Gabriel city clerk Robert D. Jones once wrote: “The vine grew luxuriantly, serving as a summer kitchen for the Halls (the family credited planting the grapevine in the location it would later make famous). It was considered the largest grapevine in the world, covering the entire area and held up by wood scantlings.”

This historic grapevine was reported to have provided the grapes for the wine at the city’s first inn, Ramona’s Home, an important part of the site both in the past and today. The inn took its name from the heroine in Helen Hunt Jackson’s famous novel of the same name. It’s reported that Jackson began writing her epic work while staying at the inn and borrowing the title character’s name from a local resident.

Ramona’s Home itself helped solidify the reputation of San Gabriel and Grapevine Arbor as a tourist destination. The majestic grapevine provided shade for the inn’s popular beer garden before a storm flattened parts of it. Later, after the City of San Gabriel acquired the property, it was discovered that the vine had been attacked by serious disease, which resulted in its being cut back to its modern, smaller size.

Although the vineyard is gone and the once majestic grapevine is a shadow of its former self, Grapevine Arbor continues to serve as a centerpiece for San Gabriel. The iconic arbor gate was included as focal point in the City of San Gabriel’s award-winning float for the 2013 Rose Parade.

GRAPEVINE

The Grapevine Arbor’s beautiful Spanish-style architecture and lush garden right in the heart of the historic mission district make the park a lovely setting for parties, weddings, receptions and meetings. The once-famous inn is the current home to San Gabriel’s Adult Recreation Center.

Although the inn is no more and the grapevine may be less majestic than it once was, the historic grapevine still serves as centerpiece of the popular Grapevine Arbor Park and the many amenities it offers. And, in the spring and early summer, that grapevine is still a beauty to behold.