The Lassie House

Is Timmy in the well?

The Lassie House: photo by Cliff Hutson

The Lassie House, located in Pomona, California, is the childhood home of Jon Provost, famously known as Timmy, from the television series "Lassie".

Built on 1/2 acre, in 1897 (or 1900 - sources vary), the house is an historic landmark and is said to be one of the largest and most beautiful homes in Pomona. It has under gone renovation over the years. The above photograph shows how it looks today, after work completed in 2018. It would have been quite different when the child actor lived there.  I can say that with a lot of confidence because I first encountered it about 35 years ago. Back then, it had a fence and hedge around it. While it was difficult to to get a good look at, one could tell that it was painted white and was tatty looking.

The new owners, one of whom is the president/founder of a construction company that specializes in historic restoration, certainly improved upon the property. Some of the changes were quite extensive. One example is the addition of a well - which actually seems to be a fountain.

Lassie House Well: photo by Cliff Hutson

I guess this was done in recognition of the popular belief that Timmy at least once fell down a well and his faithful collie fetched rescuers to save him from his predicament.  However, even though Provost titled his 2007 memoir "Timmy’s in the Well" he points out Timmy never once, in the show’s 571 episodes, fell in a well.