O.C. day trip: Step back in time at Heritage Hill

Here’s a trivia question: If you want to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in its original form, which words do you have to take out?

If you answered “under God,” you’re only partly right. Those words were indeed added in 1954 during the first decade of the Cold War, but the American flag salute got more than one amendment after its first draft in 1892.

That version, written by Francis Bellamy, reads, “I pledge allegiance to my flag and the republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

And for proof of that, you can visit a schoolhouse in Orange County — though probably not the one your children attend.

Rather, head for the restored wooden building on the grounds of Heritage Hill Historical Park, a 4.1-acre property in Lake Forest that encapsulates 200 or more years of regional history. (The “or more” part comes courtesy of a mini-Acjachemen settlement, which includes a hut and amenities such as a grinding stone and drying rack.)

On these grounds, located behind a modestly marked entrance in a shopping center parking lot, a massive pepper tree planted in the 19th century still provides shade. An outdoor cooking area shows how families made do before modern kitchens.

The old church retains its organ from the 1890s. A water pump stands outside the schoolhouse, where President William McKinley’s portrait hangs over the teacher’s desk and the original pledge appears in neat cursive on the blackboard.

When school groups visit the park, officials sometimes put on a turn-of-the-century reenactment, according to Bradley Flynt, a historic resource specialist for OC Parks.

“We take a class of kids and put them in those desks, and then we have one of our docents dress as a teacher from the 1890s and run them through a day of classes,” he said. “She’ll actually give them lesson plans from that time period. They’ll practice their penmanship with slates and chalk.”

When a visitor enters the grounds at 25151 Serrano Road, the first major building is the one built by the street’s namesake. In the 1840s, Don Jose Serrano and his family acquired a plot of land through grants from the Mexican government, and in 1863, the family built the adobe home that now serves as a museum of ranch life over the years, complete with a chamber pot in the bedroom, an old metal fruit press and a room where children can try on period costumes.

In 1974, the county took over ownership of the Serrano site, and the Saddleback Area Historical Society soon began raising funds to bring other historic buildings onto the property. Heritage Hill Historical Park finally opened in 1982. In addition to the adobe home, church and school, the park features the Harvey Bennett Ranch House, which dates to 1908.

For that matter, there’s another historical site of interest on the property, though it will take until 2041 to see it. In 1991, to celebrate Lake Forest’s incorporation, a group of community members filled a time capsule with items and pledged to keep the container underground for 50 years.

Among the capsule’s contents are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toys, UC Irvine catalogs, high school yearbooks and a letter of congratulation from President George H.W. Bush.

“One of my favorite things on the list is ‘unopened junk mail,’” Flynt said. “I guess that’s representative of the time period.”

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IF YOU GO

What: Heritage Hill Historical Park

Where: 25151 Serrano Road, Lake Forest

When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; tours given at 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturdays

Cost: Free

Information: (949) 923-2230 or ocparks.com/heritagehill