In celebration of Independence Day, guests who take guided tours of Fern Cottage on July 4 will be treated to ice cream from the gazebo in the garden of the 142-year-old home built by Humboldt County pioneers Joseph and Zipporah Russ.

Fern Cottage is on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of very few California homes occupied by the same family for over a century and furnished entirely with furniture and accessories original to the family and the house, according to Irene Harville Hannaford, chairwoman of the Heritage Committee of the Fern Cottage Foundation, the non-profit organization that owns and operates Fern Cottage.

Visitors will see how this large Victorian-era family ived in its 31-room house (the Russes had 13 children) and will learn about the pioneers’ far-flung ranching and business enterprises. Tickets are $7 per person (There is no charge for children seven or under). Fern Cottage is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., including Friday, July 4.