Learn about a piece of Carson City history at free open house Jan. 21

Curious about the stone house on the east side of Mills Park across from Carson High School? It’s the historic Wungnema House, accessible off Saliman Road. Anyone who wants to look inside and learn about the Hopi stonemasons who built it and other distinctive structures in the area are welcome at an open house on Jan. 21.

Hosted by the Foundation for Carson City Parks and Recreation, the event will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For information about the event, email David Johnson at dstewartj@aol.com.

The house was built in 1948 by Burton and Pearl (Talas) Wungnema and served as the family home until the early 1970s. After the family moved from the house, it fell into disrepair and was subject to ongoing vandalism until it was rescued by Carson City in the late 1990s and restored to serve as a meeting place for small community groups and organizations. Notable, in addition to the house’s exterior masonry, is the fireplace and hearth that feature a Hopi clan symbol as well as stone from north-central Arizona, near the Hopi homeland.

The Wungnema House is managed by The Foundation for Carson City Parks and Recreation (FCCPR) under a lease from Carson City. FCCPR is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

FCCPR’s mission is to provide an umbrella under which various organizations and citizens can come together to explore innovative ways to promote, facilitate and fund their activities. It assists these organizations and individuals with similar goals to promote and meet foundation objectives by acting in a fiduciary capacity to help manage and protect monies raised for their projects. Member projects, past and present, facilitated by the foundation include the Carson City Tennis Club, the Eagle Valley Disk Golf Club, the Lone Mountain Cemetery Headstone Project, Carson City Gun Range improvements, dog park improvements (formerly “Parks 4 Paws”) and the Wungnema House.

FCCPR welcomes new members and is interested in individuals who can assist with fundraising, newsletter, publicity, special events, recruitment, and park clean-up. Basic annual membership is $25, and higher categories of membership are encouraged. For information, visit the foundation’s website at http://CarsonCityParks.org.