A View to Walk With

The Husband and I have been walking again. The days have been beautiful for it, that's for sure. It's not until I'm walking that I'm reminded again that Hollister is not flat and we are surrounded by gorgeous mountain ranges.

So, what do you think? On which road do you think we were walking eastward:
a) Hillcrest    b) Meridian   c) Lone Tree   d) Santa Ana?

By the way, the mountains really aren't as close to those structures as they look in the photo.

See ya Thursday.

Where am I?

I feel like a guessing game today. On what road am I standing when I snapped this scene? Yes, it's in Hollister.  I was a few miles from the center of town, but I'm not saying in which direction. That would make it too easy.

Here's a hint: What business sells its products in blue-colored tanks?  Hmm. Did I just make it too easy?

See ya on Thursday.

Dear Take 25 to Hollister Readers,

Thanks so much for hanging out with me for as long as you've been coming by. It's been fun for me. Hope it has been for you, too.

No, no, this is not a good-bye. Just a note to let you know that because my work schedule is changing (for the better), I will eventually have less time for blogging.

So that means no more Tuesday in Hollister. Yes, I know how much some of you look forward to the feature. But, maybe later, I'll bring it back.

For a long time, I've been thinking about doing a daily photo post, or one every other day. . .or two. 

Hmmm, looks like I have a plan a brewing. Now, I make no promises as to how often or when I post.  I suggest you subscribe to my feed, if you haven't already. Otherwise, come by when you feel like it.  Okey-dokey.

Yours truly,

Su-sieee! Mac

Researching History

Let's say you have a question about local history, such as: What was life in Hollister like in 1937 when your grandparents were kids?  What businesses operated on San Benito Street 50 years ago? or Who founded the town of Hollister?

How and where do you begin researching your question?

Probably the best source in town for Hollister and San Benito County history is the research room at the San Benito County Historical Museum (also known as the Wapple House Museum) on Fifth Street, next to the county library.  How many guessed that was where the brown door lead to in this week's Tuesday in Hollister?

Take it from me, the research room holds a gold mine of facts and figures about local people, places, events, and other matters.  The last time I was there, I learned that:

• Jacob Watson was the first American to settle in Hollister in 1854
• in 1880, the population in Hollister was 1,181 and in 1960, it was 15,396
• in 1916-17, the principal county roads from Hollister were the Balsa (that's how it was spelled), Bird Creek Road, Fairview Road, San Juan Road, Santa Ana Road, and Tres Pinos Road.

Both the research room and museum are under the direction of the San Benito County Historical Society.  The research room holds a a collection of business directories, family histories, assessment rolls, property records, incarceration information, educational registrations, school year books, and local history books, among other resources. It also carries copies of the Hollister Free Lance and Hollister Advance from years past.

The research room is open to the public once a month—every second Monday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  For a small fee, you can make an appointment to use the facility on another day. For more details, visit the historical society Web site and click on the "Research" tab. 

Sheila, Research Room Curator

Tuesday in Hollister: Where to Go for History?

If you want to learn about the history of Hollister or San Benito County, one of the doors you may want to enter is that brown one in the photo. Do you know where that building is? Do you know who holds the key to that door?

The photo to your right is your hint. This house belonged to Dr. George Wapple, one of the local pharmacists in the olden days. It was built in 1909. Until the 1990s, it was the residence of the Wapple family. The home now houses local history.

Be sure to come back on Thursday for the answers and a look at what's behind that brown door.

Hollister City Hall

This week's Tuesday in Hollister question was: Do You Know Where City Hall Is?

No doubt you all know that it is located at 375 Fifth Street between Monterey and San Benito Streets, across from the Granada Theater. You can pay your city water bill in the basement. The door is on the east side of the building.

The City Hall building was originally the San Benito County Free Library. In 1910, the county received a $10,000 grant from the Andrew Carnegie Library Foundation to construct a library for the community. Two years later, the library opened and was located there until 1959 or 1960 when it moved to its current place.  Before the city of Hollister moved its government offices into the building, it was used by the San Benito County Superior Court and the county probation department.


A few buildings to the east of City Hall is a tan brick building that proudly wears a sign that identifies it as CITY HALL. That building, designed by William H. Weeks, was erected after the 1906 earthquake. Along with once housing City Hall, the building used to be home to the city's fire department.

For info about the Hollister city government and its building, check out these links:

• Hollister City Government
• Hollister City Council
• Carnegie Libraries of California—Hollister, California 

Tuesday in Hollister: Do You Know Where City Hall Is?

Got a grief about which you want to fight City Hall?

No.

Do you want to pay your water bill in person? You can pay that down at City Hall.

Feel like checking out a City Council meeting? City Hall is where you want to go.

But, do you know where City Hall is?

Don't know what the building even looks like?  Here you go.

Recognize it? Where is it?  You have until Thursday to figure it out.

Tuesday in Hollister: Standing Beneath Time

No guessing games today. We all know where we are, the northeast corner of Fourth and San Benito Streets. We're standing in front of the Eastern Star Masonic Temple Building, which is 102 years old. The clock tower is just as old.  Over the summer, the building got a new colorful look. Click here to see what it looked like before. Nice, huh?

I like looking into the store windows as I go by there to see what new dresses are being showcased. The dresses look like something Cinderella's fairy godmother would whip up for her.  They make me wish I was going somewhere fancy so I could buy one of those dresses to wear.

When I was a kid many years ago, the storefront was a grocery store owned by the Lum family. Anyone else remember the grocery store? Anybody know what other businesses came before or after the grocery store? Please share. All I know is the antique store that was there before the dress store.

If anyone is curious about the Order of the Eastern Star, check out this site. And, if you want to read something about the clock tower, check out "Happy Birthday to Time!"

The Hollister Mural

Really? You haven't seen this mural in person?

What are you waiting for? If you want an idea of what downtown Hollister was like during the 1950s and 1960s, go check out this beautiful mural. You'll find it in the small public parking lot on Fifth Street, between the Vault and the Granada Theater.  The mural was painted by Ernie Valles, a local artist.

Here's a closer look of part of the mural. Click the photo for a larger image.

Tuesday in Hollister

How many of you figured out what is now standing where the Hartmann Hotel (later the Dabo Hotel) was?

The hotel once stood at the northeast corner of 6th and San Benito Streets. It was torn down after being damaged by a 5.6 earthquake in 1961.

Standing on that corner today is the Wells Fargo Bank. The previous occupant was the Wachovia Bank. Before that, the World Savings Bank occupied the building. And, according to Marie at the "Take 25" Facebook page, the Monterey Savings Bank was there before that bank.

Tuesday in Hollister: What is There Now?

Photo is courtesy of the Wapple House Museum Research Room,
San Benito County Historical Society.

This photo shows the Hartmann Hotel around 1922. Several decades later it became the Dabo Hotel. According to the California Tourist Guide and Handbook by Wells and Aubrey Drury, which was published in 1913, lodging at the Hartmann Hotel was $2.50 A.P. (a person?). We'll never see those kind of lodging prices again!

The Hartmann Hotel was located on San Benito Street. Do you know what business is on that corner today? Can you bank on it?

For a sharper view of the Hartmann Hotel in the 1920s, click here.

Click here to see how the hotel, now known as Dabo Hotel, looked in 1961.

Tuesday in Hollister: Where Did You Shop?

This building stands on the northwest corner of Sixth and San Benito Streets. It has been home to three department stores, at least. How many can you name? If you have no memory of any department stores, because you're just too young, then what shops do you recall being in this building?

Come back on Thursday to compare your answers with mine.

Dunne Park

What spire is that? That of Sacred Heart Church.

On Tuesday, who had memories of playing as a kid at Dunne Park again? Perhaps you were recalling yourself flying high on the swings or splashing in the wading pool, rolling down that slight slope from Sixth Street, hitting tennis balls or chasing them down, catching a fly ball or rounding the bases, or. . .?

That's where this week's Tuesday in Hollister should've brought you: Dunne Park! 

Dunne Park was named after James F. Dunne, a well-known rancher who died in 1925. His ranch was on San Felipe Road, just north of Dunneville Corners, where Shore and San Felipe Roads meet.  Dunne's widow, Viola, who died in 1930, willed $75,000 to the city of Hollister to build a memorial auditorium. How did the auditorium become a park instead? Anyone know?

The beautiful rose beds that have been at the park since I can recall is described as being a memorial rose garden. I always wondered who we should be remembering. Perhaps it is for James F. Dunne.

Dunne Park was dedicated in 1941, according to "The Historic Downtown Walking Tour" pamphlet (by the San Benito County Historical Society, I believe). Before the grounds on Seventh and West streets became the downtown community park,  Sacred Heart Church was located there. Anyone have photos of the church there?

Recently, the Hollister Youth Alliance received a $100,000 grant to develop a plan for restoring Dunne Park that would increase its use. For more details, read the article Restoring a Neighborhood Treasure  at the Weekend Pinnacle Online.

Okay, one more look at Dunne Park. This was taken during the "Music in the Park" concert last month. Click on it for a larger view.

Tuesday in Hollister: Where Are You Hanging?

How many of you, Take 25 readers, know that Hollister has its own fragrant rose garden?

Go ahead, tell the others: Where is it? And, while you're at it, tell about your fun memories of the place?

What's that spire up ahead?

Hallowed Halls of Hollister High

This photo is courtesy of Bradley Baxter. Thanks, Bradley.

How many of you dear Take 25 readers are graduates of San Benito High School, aka Hollister High School, also once known as San Benito Joint Union High School, or attended it for some part of your high school life? How many of you did not recognize the doorways at the high school in this week's Tuesday in Hollister?

That's okay, you don't need to raise your hands. School is out. I'm sure you have a perfectly good reason for not remembering where those doors lead. In my day, the doors in the top photo lead to the English and history classrooms on the first floor of the main building. the doors in the bottom photo lead to the biology and general science classrooms. No doubt the doors open to other types of classrooms or administrative offices today.

Baler alumni, give yourself a pat on the back for remembering where you went when you opened those doors. Now, here are some links to check out about our glorious high school:

• San Benito High School
• San Benito High School District
• Baler Backers Athletic Organization

Tuesday in Hollister: Where are These Doors?

Here are two sets of doors. Where are they located? Where do they lead? What stories do you have about going through them, hmm?

Hollister, CA History: The Porter House

How did you do with this week's Tuesday in Hollister? Did you figure correctly as two commenters did?

"Monterey and 6th. Grace Bible Church seen kitty-corner where Wells Fargo used to be," wrote Cindy at Facebook.

"Hint: sounds like the name of a large type of steak," stated Anonymous at the original post.

I was standing at the Porter House on the northwest corner of Monterey and Sixth Streets. This Queen Ann style house was built around 1880. It is no longer a residence. It has been divided into office suites and today rents out to several local business people and to the Redevelopment Agency. My favorite aspects about the house is its wrap-around front porch and the cute tower where I wouldn't mind having my office.

The "Porter" in Porter House refers to one of the first, if not original, residents of the house, Dr. George and Olive Pond Porter. Dr. Porter immigrated from England in 1873, eventually settling in Hollister in the 1880s.  A druggist, Dr. Porter and brother-in-law Hiram Pond were co-owners of a drugstore in town. Porter went back to school to earn his medical degree and obtained his medical license in 1890. He returned to Hollister and more than likely practiced medicine. Dr. Porter died in 1905. Here's a link to his obituary. Mrs. Porter continued to reside at Monterey & 6th until her death in 1938.

Here are some interesting notes about Mrs. Porter's life, which I found at the San Benito County Historical Museum.  She was born Olive Pond in April 1860 in Placer County.  She was well-educated, having attended the Napa Collegiate Institute, the College of Pharmacy in San Francisco, and the Women's College of Medicine in Philadelphia. The notes did not mention if she graduated from the last two schools. She and Dr. Porter married in 1881.

How the Porters came to settle in Hollister is unknown. Did they come first or Olive's brother Hiram? While her husband was at medical school, Mrs. Porter took care of the business. According to the family notes, Olive was the owner of a 500 acre ranch on Cienega Road. She was also a past Noble Grand Matron of the Rebeka Lodge in Hollister.

There you go. Now you know a bit of who the Porters were at Sixth and Monterey a long time ago.

Tuesday in Hollister: Do You Know Where You Are?

Yes, this is in Hollister. The location is a block west of San Benito Street. I'm not giving any cross streets. That's your job to figure out. I will give you these hints:

• You're standing in a front yard.
• A church is nearby.
• The newspaper office is down the street. (Ah, I made it too easy now.)
• The house from which the photo was taken was built in the late 19th century.

Forget about looking at the photo's file name. I misnamed it. I took this photo a couple of years ago, but the perspective is still the same.

So, do you know where you are yet? Leave a comment here or at the Facebook page. Be sure to come back on Thursday to find out if you're right.

By the way, here's what it looks like on the other side of all that darkness.

Coming Up: E-Waste Drop Off Day in Hollister

Do you have computers, televisions, cell phones,  keyboards, and other unusable or unused electronics lying around the house because you don't know how to get rid of them? Do you know how to dispose of them properly but don't want to pay for it?

Then this Saturday is your chance to get rid of your electronics for FREE in Hollister.

The Accelerated Achievement Academy and Western Recycling is sponsoring a Free E-Waste Drop Off Day. You can bring your unwanted electronics to the Calaveras School parking lot at 1151 Buena Vista Road between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. For more info, call (831) 634-4963.

Answers to "Tuesday in Hollister"
Click here if you need to refresh your memory of this week's "Tuesday in Hollister" and click on back to this page.

Okay, how many of you said A & W, which is on the corner of South and East Streets and up a bit from the tomato cannery (San Benito Foods)?  Yep, I see a whole slew of hands in my magic mirror. No, sorry. I won't be distributing any yummy burgers at this time. But, how about a "Well done, dear readers!"

Now, how many of you guessed the name of the establishment across the street from A & W? Good for you all!

Here's a photo of the front entry for McKinnon Lumber on 7th Street.  Did you know that it has been around since 1872, possibly even earlier?

Tuesday in Hollister: Where Are You Standing?

Let's say you're taking this photo. Where are you? What would you want to order?

Hint: Down the street from where you're standing (as you take this photo) is another long-standing company. It spits forth a lot of steam and aroma 24/7 during the summer. 

Was this too easy for you? Okay, across the street is a pile of blue things. What establishment stores and sells those things?

Come back on Thursday for the answers.

Tuesday in Hollister: Where is This?

This week, I present you a photo of a photo of past times in downtown Hollister. Be forewarned that the image is distorted. The buildings in the photo look like they are happily and crazily leaning as they might in a 1930s cartoon. The image is part of a longer one in a display case at the Wapple House Museum, run by the San Benito County Historical Society.

That said, take a look at the photo, circa 1900s. Where do you think this is?

Click on the photo for a larger view.

Do you know which street that is between the two buildings?

Here are a couple of hints for you: School bells. Order in the court.

Okay, one more: The photographer would be looking down from a grand vista in town.

Go ahead, leave a comment with your guess below or at the Facebook page. I double dare you.