Where King and Story roads meet in East San Jose, a working dairy farm once stood among the orchards of the "Valley of Heart's Delight." Today it is Emma Prusch Farm Park, a city park that many Bay Area residents have never heard of.
Who was Emma Prusch?
Emma Prusch was born on Feb. 12, 1876. Her family ran a dairy farm on the land, according to the park's historical marker. She took over the dairy after her father died in 1949. In her early 80s, after watching the valley turn from farmland into a busy city, she chose to give the farm to San Jose to keep it as an agricultural park.
She left 87 acres to the city in 1962, and the park is made up of the remaining 47 acres, the City of San José says. The deed asked that the park keep "a rural county character and atmosphere."
What's there
- The original Prusch farmhouse and other historic buildings
- A barn the city calls one of the largest free-standing wooden barns in California, with cattle, sheep, goats and pigs cared for by 4-H youth. Elsewhere the city calls it San José's largest free-standing barn
- Heritage and rare fruit orchards, two community gardens, and pollinator and butterfly gardens
- A farm-themed playground and lawns for picnics
- Chickens, guinea hens, ducks, geese and peafowl roaming freely
The park is also home to Veggielution, an East San Jose nonprofit that connects people through food and farming, the city says.
Visiting
The park's historical marker is at 647 S. King Road in San Jose. The city describes the farm as a reminder of a time when the Santa Clara Valley had "more trees and animals than freeways and sprawling tech campuses."