Kolb House  

Kolb House in spring at Heritage Park

Kolb House Historic Home Museum

  • 1910 Craftsman Bungalow-style house owned by George Kolb, Jr., and his wife Wilhelmina.
  • The home was built by Charles Bruce of Pleasanton. Plans for the house came from Wilhelmina’s sister, Augusta, who had one built in Beverly Hills.
  • This house was finished in December 1910 and George, Jr., Wilhelmina, Edwin (11) and Harold (10) moved in January 1911.
  • The home was furnished with Arts & Crafts Mission style furniture. 
  • The house had state-of-the-art running water and eventually electricity.
  • In 1933, George, Jr., died and Harold, his wife Elsie, and their two children (Donna and Bill) moved in with Wilhelmina. Daughter Carol was born in 1938.
  • When Carol Kolb donated the buildings to the City of Dublin, she also donated everything in this house.  Most of what is in the house today was used by the family that lived there.
  • The doghouse by the back porch and even the gates in front of the house were all used on the Kolb ranch.
  • The home was moved to the Dublin Heritage Park in 2010.

Home of George Kolb

The Kolb House was the home of George Kolb, who came to Dublin from Germany in 1880, and soon after bought Dublin's General Store. In 1900, Kolb purchased 300 acres and began his family farm that operated in Dublin for over 100 years. 

Kolb House Furnishings

The Kolb home, a 1911 craftsman bungalow, features original period-style rooms with the family's own Mission and Arts and Crafts furniture, family photographs, and many personal items that tell the story of this inspiring family.

black and white photo of the Kolb house in summer

The Kolb Family

  • The north half of the park is dedicated to the Kolb Family, and displays what life was like for the families that settled this area.
  • The Kolb Family arrived in this area in 1884.
  • George Kolb, Jr., arrived in California in 1884; worked a short time at Phillip’s store in Pleasanton; bought the Green General store in 1894; and then married Wilhelmina. They lived in a small cottage behind the store. They had two sons – Edwin and Harold. In 1904, George purchased 350 acres of land from the Dougherty Family and began ranching. Harold married Elsie and took over the ranch. They had 3 kids - Donna, Bill, and Carol.
  • The Kolb Family lived and worked in Dublin through many generations. They farmed the land; raised cattle, sheep, and chickens; and were an important part of the community.
  • The Kolb Ranch is a well-preserved example of the farm origins of Dublin and Alameda County.
  • The buildings were located on the original site of the Kolb Ranch at the base of Dublin Canyon on the west end of Amador Valley, just on the other side of Dublin Creek.
  • Highway 580 cut across the Kolb’s land, as seen in the photo below.
  • In 2010 the Sunday School Barn, the Hay Barn, the Old House, the Pump House, and the Kolb House were moved from their original location on Dublin Ranch Road to become part of the Dublin Heritage Park & Museums.

The Hay Barn


  • The hay barn was built around 1900.
  • It was used by the Kolb family to store hay, grains, and the dairy cows.
  • Today, it’s used to store the Kolb family tractor -  a 1940’s Ford N Series.  It was an all-purpose row-crop tractor.
  • Originally the tractor didn’t have rubber on the tires. Since WWII was still happening, materials such as rubber were all going to support the war efforts and were not available until after the end of the war in 1945
  • The Hay Barn was also moved to the Dublin Heritage Park & Museums site in 2010.

​​The Sunday School Barn
  • It is believed that the Sunday School Barn was built sometime around 1870.
  • The Sunday School Barn was originally located across from the Kolb's General Store, originally the Green Store (across the street from Heritage Park on Dublin Boulevard and Donlon Way).
  • George Kolb bought it from Charles Dougherty (son of James Witt Dougherty) in 1905 for $25.00 and George used it to store supplies.
  • The barn got its name because it was used by Dublin's Protestant community as a Sunday school for their children. 
  • The Kolb family was not Catholic, so they most likely attended the Protestant church services in the Sunday School Barn.
  • In 1912, George Kolb moved the Sunday School Barn to his ranch, where it stayed until 2010 and was primarily used for storage.
  • In 2010, it was moved to Heritage Park, very close to its original location. 

The Old House 


  • In 1904, George purchased 350 acres of land from Charles Dougherty and the Old House was already on the property. They moved from the small cottage located behind the general store to this small house.
  • George and Wilhelmina and their two sons, Edwin and Harold, lived in this little house for six years until their Craftsman Bungalow was built.
  • This little house encompassed just two rooms, a bedroom and a small kitchen.
  • The Old House was also moved to the Dublin Heritage Park & Museums site in 2010.