Happy Women’s History Month!
We are honored to spotlight Mrs. Lillian Child. Lillian came to Santa Barbara as a bride of a retired tea and coffee merchant in the early 1900s. She and her husband hosted social galas at their famous estate the Vegamar. Lillian gained national fame for allowing homeless men to live on her property, a self-policed community called “Shacktown” and later as “Jungleville.” Later in her life, Lillian gifted the Vegamar property to the Foundation. When she passed, she asked the Foundation to not alter Jungleville. Believing that her property belonged to the people, the Foundation presented the deed to the Child Estate to the city. The estate then became the Santa Barbara Zoological Estate in 1963.
To read more about Lillian and other women that have made a big impact on our community, visit https://bit.ly/sbf-womenshistorymonth
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