The first family home on the Palos Verdes peninsula was established in 1894, when Harry Phillips built and occupied the first permanent residence, a small cottage near the present Rolling Hills City Hall. It was later replaced by a larger farmstead east of Rolling Hills Road, where the family lived until the 1920's. As foreman of the 16,000-acre Bixby Cattle Ranch, Harry Phillips found rare water sources, marketed livestock, introduced farm crops, and planted the present groves of eucalyptus and pepper trees.