[1][2] The site of the Folger Estate was a Redwood forest occupied by the Ohlone Native Americans, prior to the arrival of Europeans.

[1] A large part of the land (including the site of Folgers Estate) was sold in 1846, to Charles Brown, a lumberjack who built the city's first sawmill and named the property "Mountain Home Ranch".

[1] After Brown heavily logged the land (specifically near Folgers Estate) he abandoned the property and it changed ownership more than nine times.

[1][4] In 1956, the stable and adjoining 940+ acres of land were sold to Martin Wunderlich, who later donated it to the county for a public park.

[citation needed] Starting in 2003, large scale fundraising efforts by "Friends of Huddart and Wunderlich Parks" were made in order to repair the structures, form an endowment, and receive the National Register of Historic Places recognition, which included early donations by locals Bill Lane and Bill Butler.