Monterey State Historic Park Preview

In the years after Mexican Independence, much changed in Alta California. One of the more profound changes were the laws regarding trade. Under Spanish rule, ports like Monterey had been closed to foreign trade ships. Under Mexico, restrictions were relaxed and limited trade was allowed. As Monterey was the territorial capital, it was designated as the port of entry for all foreign vessels. To manage this newly established process, the Custom House or La Aduana Maritima was built in 1827. Trade laws required all trading ships to offload cargo into this building so that import taxes could be levied and trading permits issued. Then, ships could continue trading in other ports. Monterey’s main export was untanned cowhides for making leather goods and tallow– the raw material used for making soap and candles. Cowhides were often made into leather belts used to turn the wheels found in factories in Western Europe and the United States. In exchange, just about everything a Californio household needed was brought to this building by American, European and South American trading ships. Throughout the 1830s and 40s, trade with Monterey grew quickly. Many Europeans and Americans began settling in Monterey as a result. Soon Monterey had the highest concentration of foreign residents in Alta California, many of whom had business ties to the Custom House. In April of 1846, tensions between the United States and Mexico resulted in the outbreak of the Mexican-American War. By July, the United States Navy had its eyes set on California. The first landing of American soldiers in California occurred here on July 7th. The flagpole outside marks the site. The Custom House transitioned to the United State Customs Service and remained in operation until 1868. Today, the Custom House stands as California’s oldest government building, a National Historic Landmark, and State Historic Landmark Number One.

The Pacific House was built in 1847 on the property of American Thomas Oliver Larkin, who was also its architect. The style of construction, called Monterey Colonial, echoed the style of Larkin’s own home, just a few blocks south. Notice the American-style hipped roof-line with wood shingles, and exaggerated eaves designed to protect the adobe walls from rain. Originally, the United States military used it for office space and as a storage facility. Over the decades, the building served many uses, including as a County Court House and Clerk’s office, a jail, tavern, hotel, law office, and even a local newspaper office in 1858. A popular pastime were the weekly bull and bear fights that took place in the corral on the west side, pitting California grizzlies against bulls. Purchased in 1880 by land baron David Jacks, the building stored hay for his dairies as well as housing Presbyterian services on the second floor. By the 1920s ownership passed to Margaret and Vita Jacks who built the small store-front to the south as well as the landscaped tea garden known today as the Memory Garden. The Memory Garden is a popular place for weddings and occasions of all kinds. In 1954 the property was given to California State Parks and opened as a museum in 1957. Today the Pacific House Museum is a great place to start your visit to Old Monterey.

The Joseph Boston Store takes us back to the Early American period of Monterey. It was built in 1845 out of chalk rock by Thomas Oliver Larkin who was the American Consul at the time. Local legend has it that this was briefly used as a hospital for ailing seamen who were put ashore and placed under the care of Larkin and his wife, Rachel. Later it was used to quarter soldiers under the command of young Army Lieutenant William Tecumseh Sherman. In 1850, Joseph Boston signed a five-year lease with new owner Jose Abrego to operate a general store that offered everything from mining equipment to fabrics – anything that would interest a frontier homemaker. Eventually, locals would call the building Casa del Oro or House of Gold due to the gold dust stored there by miners returning from the Sierra’s during the California Gold Rush. The safe that protected that gold can still be seen in the store today. Land baron David Jacks bought the store in 1859 and the Jacks family continued to own the building for the next 80 years, eventually donating it to the state of California in 1939.

Prior to 1850, most buildings in Monterey were constructed of adobe and stone. Red brick was common on the east coast but scarcely used in California. This red brick building marks the first of its kind in the Monterey area. In 1846, a massive migration of Americans began pushing west across the plains to California and Oregon. Among the hundreds of families were the Dickinson’s. Gallant and Martha Dickenson along with their six children traveled over 2000 miles by wagon from Missouri to California. Amos Lawrey, a skilled brick maker and mason, had joined the Dickenson’s on the journey. The following year, the group arrived in Monterey and Lawrey began firing bricks for construction of this house. Despite the long journey and the labor of constructing the home, the Dickinsons abandoned their property during the California Gold Rush of 1848. While in the gold fields, Dickenson went into debt and the house was sold at public auction in August of 1851 to Patrick Breen for just over $1500. The Breen’s continued to own the house for 55 years, leasing or renting the building to tenants. The first tenants were Captain John Davenport and his wife Ellen. In 1854, Captain Davenport organized the Monterey Whaling Company, the first shore whaling operation on the Pacific Coast. Like many old homes in Monterey, it was sold and resold to different owners - It was purchased in 1915 for only $10 by Juan and Maria Garcia who operated it as a Spanish restaurant for many years. After a period of abandonment, eventually, it became a graphic arts gallery. In 1979, the Junior League of Monterey, aware of the building’s historical significance, signed an operating lease and spent many years restoring the old building, turning it over to California State Parks in 1995.

In 1847, Scottish immigrant David Wight built this house similar in style to that of his family’s old stone house back home. He was assisted in the construction by his neighbor and owner of the First Brick House next door, Gallant Dickenson. That same year, Wight was contracted by Thomas O. Larkin to provide carpentry work on the nearby Pacific House. Like others who had come to Monterey in 1847, Wight left the following year when gold fever sent dreamers and prospectors northeast to the Sierra Nevada mountains during the Gold Rush. He never returned to live in Monterey. The house was bought by an Italian tinsmith named Albert Trescony. In 1855, Trescony leased the house to Portuguese whalers who formed the Old Whaling Company and used the house as their headquarters. For several decades, whaling was prosperous in Monterey Bay. However, low whale oil prices and the scarcity of whales caused this and most other whaling companies to be abandoned by the 1880s. One sign of the old whaling days can still be seen today. Notice the unusual paving material that forms the sidewalk in front of the house. Those are not stone blocks, but sections of whale vertebrae cut into diamond shaped pavers. At one time this may have been a popular paving material in Monterey, but today, this is the last remaining whale bone sidewalk. If you have a moment, walk into the garden behind the building to see the old iron try-pot that was used during the 19th Century to boil the whale blubber into oil for lamps and lubricants. Through the first half of the 20th Century, the house had a string of owners, including Arctic explorer Lincoln Ellsworth and Allen Griffin, the founder of the Monterey Peninsula Herald. By 1979 the Monterey City Council offered the home to California State Parks, and, in partnership with the Junior League of Monterey the building was restored.

California’s First Theater came by its name since most historians believe that this was the first building in California where plays were performed and admission was charged. However, it didn’t start out as a theater at all. In 1843, while Monterey was still part of Mexico, an English sailor named Jack Swan settled here, building the small, wood-framed cabin which became a barroom and bowling alley in 1845. Eventually, he would build the adjoining one-story adobe that became his lodging house. In 1848, Col. Stevenson’s New York Volunteers, part of the American military assigned to Monterey, convinced Swan to use the building as a theater to entertain the locals. Boards and barrels were used for seating and whale oil lamps lit the stage. The first performance sold out with patrons paying five dollars each, an expensive ticket at the time. Originally, men were the only players, using scarves to portray female characters. In that era, women were rarely seen in theaters, and the fact that there were five women in the audience on opening night caused quite a scandal. During the Gold Rush, Jack Swan closed the theater to seek his fortune. Soon after, John Davenport from the Monterey Whaling Company, used the building for his headquarters. You might have already spotted the two whale ribs over the entrance that advertised the business that once operated here. In 1876, Swan returned from the gold fields almost penniless. In his last years, he loved to tell stories of old Monterey if you put a coin in his cup. By 1906, the Hearst foundation purchased the building and donated it to the State of California. In 1937, the theater was reopened and theatrical performances continued until its closure due to structural problems in 2000. In recent years, construction and restoration work have resumed as the building moves closer to reopening.

In many ways Casa Soberanes is a typical Mexican-Era residence with a mix of Californian, Hispanic, and Mediterranean styles. Notice the symmetry of design – each lower floor opening has a window or door centered above it. This reduces weight from the upper walls and roof from the supporting walls below. You may have noticed the roof has both tile and shingles, and there is a good reason. Since the second floor balcony has no posts to support the eaves, heavy clay roof tiles were used only up to the three-foot thick adobe walls. The discovery of original stone foundations extending far to the north, suggests that this building was almost twice as large as we see it today. This adobe was built by a Custom House official, Rafael Estrada, in 1842. In 1860, he sold the adobe to his cousin Esequiel Soberanes who was in need of a town home away from his remote rancho in Big Sur. Esequiel and his wife Maria, used the home for business meetings, lavish parties, and raised most of their thirteen children here. Eventually inherited by later generations, the Soberanes family owned the house for almost 62 years! The last private owners were Bill and Mayo Hayes O’Donnell who first leased the house in 1941. Mr. O’Donnell passed away eight years later, but Mayo remained. Mrs. O’Donnell, a well-known columnist for the Monterey County Herald Newspaper, worked to save many historic adobes in her hometown. In 1954, Mrs. O’Donnell gifted the property to the State of California, and, through special agreement, remained in the house until 1977. Two years later, the building opened as part of Monterey State Historic Park and was shown by guided tour. Inside, visitors saw it much the way she left it in the 1970’s. Today it stands as a testament to efforts by her and many more like her to preserve Monterey Adobes for many generations to come.

Larkin House is unique, not only for its style, but also because it was once the American Consulate and home of Thomas Oliver Larkin. At the age of 29, Larkin came here to Alta California from the U. S. to help his half brother, Captain John Rogers Cooper, with his import/export business. Within a year, Larkin was in business for himself and married to Rachel Hobson Holmes,whom he had met during the seven-month voyage to Monterey. They raised their large family here and diversified business interests. During that time, Larkin made many friends and political connections. The adobe is perhaps the best example of the Monterey Colonial style. Notice the hipped shingled roof and the double hung glass windows. Many other features made this house different from other Monterey adobes, including exaggerated eaves, a central staircase, and upper floor fireplaces. It was also one of the first two-story buildings in Monterey. In 1843, President Tyler appointed Larkin to serve as the first and only Consul of the United States to Alta California. His decision was, no doubt, influenced by stories from the many travelers who enjoyed Larkin’s famous hospitality. Three years later, the U.S. was at war with Mexico. The occupying American forces used Monterey as their headquarters and Larkin House housed military governor Richard Mason. With the Gold Rush of 1848, Monterey was nearly deserted, so the Larkins traded the house for some land in San Francisco and settled there. By 1920, after the house had been owned by several different occupants, the Larkin House was purchased by Thomas and Rachel’s granddaughter, Alice Larkin Toulmin. Alice and her husband Harry were world travelers and antique collectors. Many of their best pieces are displayed in the Larkin House. After living in the house for 35 years, Alice gave the adobe to California State Parks as a memorial to her grandparents. State Parks has kept the house and furnishings just as they were in her day.

Sherman Quarters.

This one-room stone and abobe building was built by Thomas Oliver Larkin in the late 1830s. It was one of several out-buildings on the Larkin property, however its initial use is unknown. During the Mexican American War, it was used as the quarters of William Tecumseh Sherman. Sherman was a Lieutenant in the 3rd US Artillery assigned to California during the war. He arrived in Monterey aboard the USS Lexington on January 26th 1847. Initially he was assigned as quartermaster of the commissary, with his office and living quarters in the Custom House. By late spring, Sherman was assigned as adjutant-general or chief administrative officer to Colonel Richard Mason. Colonel Mason was the military governor of California, and Monterey was his headquarters. It was about this time that Sherman began living in this building. He was housed here for about a year. By the summer of 1848, news of the discovery of gold was spreading throughout California. Sherman was sent to the gold fields to compile a report to confirm the discovery. For the rest of his military service in California, Sherman would travel extensively and lived elsewhere in town when returning to Monterey. Sherman resigned from the Army in 1853 but rejoined at the start of the American Civil War. He would rise to the rank of General and gain fame while serving with General Ulysses S Grant.

Although the author, Robert Louis Stevenson never owned the house that bears his name, he is said to have rented rooms here in 1879 when the old adobe was operated as the French Hotel. The adobe was originally built as a family home by Custom House official Rafael Gonzales, in 1840. As a high ranking government official Rafael entertained innumerable guests in the sala, or living room. Today the sala is one of the few unaltered rooms in the house. During the Mexican-American War of 1846, the house played host to Walter Colton, the first American Alcalde of Monterey. By 1856, Juan Giradin, an immigrant from France, moved his family into the house and converted the ground floor into a carriage repair shop. As you face the Houston Street entrance, notice the large double doors on the left that would have provided access for carriages. Just before Giradin died in 1879, he had remodeled the building into a rooming house. His widow, Manuela Perez Giradin continued to operate it as the French Hotel. It was in the fall of that year that Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson is said to have stayed. Stevenson had come to Monterey to pursue a romance with American Francis Van de Grift Osbourne. Fanny, as she was known, was staying with her sister nearby. The author, whom friends called Louis, had met Fanny while she was studying art in France and trying to escape an unhappy marriage. While in Monterey, Stevenson could be seen at a nearby restaurant playing chess with the proprietor, Jules Simoneau. Stevenson wrote about his experiences in an essay titled The Old Pacific Capital. Fanny and Louis were married the following year in San Francisco. Over the years the couple and Fanny’s children, Lloyd and Isobel, visited many South Pacific islands before settling in Western Samoa where today, side-by-side gravestones mark Fanny and Louis’ final resting places. In November 1950, during a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Stevenson’s birthday, Cecilia Tobin-Clark, who with the late Edith van Antwerp had purchased the Stevenson House, presented it to the state of California as a memorial to the author who once stayed here.

In the mid-1800s, whaling ships from Boston followed migrating whales across the Atlantic to the Azores, Portugal. The whales were plentiful, and so were the Portuguese men looking for work. As American whaling expanded from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, some of the Portuguese whalers settled in Monterey, where they could make a living working for the California shore whaling companies.

When Andrew Silveria arrived in Monterey in the 1870s, there was already a thriving Portuguese community here. Silveria, whose name was changed to Perria after immigrating, joined many other Portuguese immigrants working at the whaling company operating out of the Old Whaling Station. Shore whaling in Monterey declined by the 1890s due to a drastic drop in the value of whale oil. Perria left the industry but remained in Monterey. He worked as a laborer and a gardener and raised a family. The Colonial Revival style home he built leaves a record of his success as an immigrant- a working class man who made a comfortable life for himself and his family.