Saving Merle Haggard's Boyhood Home

Merle Haggard's boyhood home started out as a boxcar and it came to life in the hands of Merle's father, James, who converted the car and added living space to it. Now, sisters Glenda Rankin and Dianne Sharman, are working to get the home restored and moved to the Kern County Museum.

Glenda Rankin already knows exactly where the home should go. She told The Bakersfield Californian, "By the Santa Fe caboose and the locomotive for the Southern Pacific, on the south side of the museum, next to the Bena train station. As we were looking at it, a train went by on the tracks. It tells the whole story."

Rankin believes that they will have to raise $120,000 to fund the entire project, which entails moving the structure, restoring it and building a new house for the current residents. When the museum foundation board voted to accept the house in October, they laid out a list of stipulations. They require that $50,000 be secured for restoration before the house is moved. The sisters are hoping the board will make allowances for donated materials and labor toward that sum.

Thus far, Sharman and Rankin have raised $5000. A fundraiser on March 7, 2014 will add to that total. A nostalgic dinner/dance featuring music by the Wild Blue Rose Band will kick off at at 6 p.m. at Kern County Basque Club, 2301 S. Union Ave. in Bakersfield. For $40, fans can enjoy dinner, music and great company.

So far, the sisters have not met Merle Haggard, but that will be changing soon. They hope to spend a few minutes with the legend on March 6, at his concert in Hanford. He'll also be in the area on March 8, as he is performing at the Bakersfield Fox Theater). According to Haggard's representatives, he will sign some guitars for a raffle that the sisters are organizing.

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Merle Haggard