History of Alameda County, California : including its geology, topography, soil, and productions, Part 56

Author: Munro-Fraser, J. P
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Oakland, Calif. : M.W. Wood
Number of Pages: 1206

USA > California > Alameda County > History of Alameda County, California : including its geology, topography, soil, and productions > Part 56

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Resolved, That the proposal of A. Borel, made through Messrs. Gilbert & Hunter, to sell to the town of Ala- meda, for the sum of five thousand two hundred and fifty dollars, cash, lots seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, and twelve, in the west half of block D, in the town of Alameda, county of Alameda, State of California, as said lots and blocks are delineated and designated on the map entitled 'Map of Lands adjacent to the town of Encinal, Alameda County, California, surveyed by James T. Stratton, May 1, 1867,' filed for record in the office of the County Recorder of said Alameda County, May 28, 1867, be and the same is hereby accepted, and that said lots be purchased for said sum, "

It was passed on the 17th September.

On the 28th February, a free reading-room and library was opened, with G. H. Stipp as librarian, in the Park Opera House, where it continued until handed over to the town authorities, the manner of accomplishing which was thus: On August 6, 1878, Doctors Gibbons and McLean addressed the Board of Trustees, stating that they, together with Mrs. A. P. Andrews, had been appointed by the directors of the Alameda Free Reading Room and Library Association a committee to wait upon the Board and inform it that the association desired to turn over its property to the town for the purpose of founding a Free Public Reading Room and Library, and requested the co-operation of the Board to that end, who appointed a committee of conference to prepare an ordinance for effecting such, which was, under the Act of the Legisla- ture, passed March 18, 1878, entitled "An Act to establish and maintain free public libraries and reading-rooms," accepted, the Board electing to take possession on, or about January 1, 1879, and voting that the institution should be maintained by a tax of one mill on the dollar upon the assessed value of taxable property in the town. This was duly effected; on January 7, 1879, W. P. Gibbons, Mrs. Elizabeth Green, Thomas A. Smith, J. C. Tucker, and George Mastick were appointed trustees, and on February 28th the Alameda Free Library was opened for the circulation of books.

397

ALAMEDA TOWNSHIP.

The taxes determined to be levied for the year 1878-79, were fixed as follows on October 7th :-

General Fund.

. 30 cents on the $100

.27

School Fund.

Street Sprinkling Fund.

.IO

School Bond Interest Fund (Act of 1874).

.05

School Bond Interest Fund (Act of 1878).

.03

90 cents on the $100

In the month of February, 1878, we find that the Park Opera House was opened. This building is described by the Encinal as the property of the Alameda Hall Asso- ciation, the land upon which it is built, on the southeast corner of Buena Vista Avenue and Park Street, having been put into the fund by Thomas A. Smith at its market value for stock in the association, and is therefore part of its assets. The first trustees were: Cyrus Wilson, Dr. J. C. Tucker, George W. Tyler, Thomas A. Smith, and W. B. Clement. On the 7th September the Bank of Alameda opened its doors to business, with Levi Jenks as President, and J. E. Baker, Cashier. This institution changed its name to the First National Bank of Alameda in October, 1879; and on September 14th the new hall of Encinal Lodge, No. 164, I. O. O. F., was formally dedicated.

1879 .- On February 1I, 1879, a resolution was adopted by the Board of Trus- tees granting to the Alameda, Oakland, and Piedmont Railroad Company permission to construct an extension of their road across Santa Clara Avenue and along Web- ster Street to the northerly line of Central Avenue in a similar manner as the said road is constructed and then in use between Railroad Avenue and Santa Clara Avenue.

At the election held May 5, 1879, the following town officers were elected to serve for the year 1879-80: D. T. Sullivan, J. M. Gray, William Whidden, W. B. Clement, Joseph Lancaster, Board of Trustees; G. C. Hall, Adolph Mayrisch, School Directors; E. Minor Smith, Assessor; N. W. Palmer, Treasurer; I. N. Chapman, Sur- veyor and Civil Engineer; John Ellsworth, Attorney; James Cook, Chief of Police; O. S. Ingham, Superintendent of Schools. John Ellsworth was appointed Clerk on the 13th May; and on 30th December C. A. Edson was chosen a Trustee vice Clem- ent, resigned.

The taxes fixed for the year 1879-80 were :-

General Fund.

. 30 cents on the $100

School Fund.

Street Sprinkling Fund.

.IO

Bay Farm Island Road Fund.

.02

66 66

Free Public Library Fund.

.04

School Bond Interest Fund of 1874.

.04.14

School Bond Interest Fund of 1878

.03

79 4 centson the $100

On March 22, 1879, a new Baptist church was dedicated, the cost of the build-

.05

Bay Farm Island Road Fund.

Free Public Library Fund.

€¢

398

HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.

ing being three thousand seven hundred and four dollars. On March 30th the Kohl- moos Hotel was opened, while on the 5th December the Royal Soap Factory, located near the shore line, between the narrow-gauge landing and Alameda Wharf, com- menced active operations. The company was incorporated in May, 1878, with a capi- tal stock of two million dollars, much of it being held by prominent capitalists of San Francisco, and a considerable amount by residents of Alameda. The building is three stories high, one hundred feet front and one hundred and seventy-two feet deep. This enterprise was opened under the management of A. W. Griswold, of Alameda, but it is for the present unoperated.

Under the caption "A Quadrupedal Romance." the Encinal, of October 18, 1879, has the following, with which we purpose closing our chronicles of that year: "For several years past a noble-looking, coal-black stallion has been the sole tenant of the block of well-wooded land, bounded by Railroad and Pacific Avenues, Grand and Minturn Streets, directly facing Fasking's Park. Citizens and strangers, on stop- ping at Encinal Station, have wondered, month in and month out, why an animal of such evident excellence should be perpetually shut up within the fence that surrounds this property. We feel that this common curiosity should be gratified. A recital of the whole story would fill several columns of our paper. Briefly, the tale may be told and the moral elucidated: An elderly gentleman-Mr. Brocken-was the owner of the horse for several years and prized him very highly. Once upon a time, being out at night, in a comparatively new country to him, he lost his way, and, but for the intel- ligence of his noble steed, would have perished. The horse intuitively appreciating the situation, finding himself free to follow his own instincts, boldly pushed forward in search of civilization. In his path lay a deep gorge, over which had been thrown a miserable apology for a foot-bridge. Across this bridge the intelligent animal lit- erally felt his way, step by step, each advance reducing the chances of a retrograde movement, and, finally, with the sweat dripping from his flanks, with a mighty neigh he planted his feet squarely upon the solid earth and saved his master's life-for, just in front of them, through the deep darkness of the wood, a beacon-light was seen, and soon after horse and rider were carefully domiciled for the night. This noble act by one of 'man's unselfish friends' was never forgotten by Mr. Brocken. A few years ago the old gentleman died, and in his will was found an item providing that his black stallion should have a life-lease of the block of land described above; that he should do no more work, and that he should be carefully fed and groomed as long as he lived."

1880 .- Up until the election of May 3, 1880, no item of importance is to be found in the records. On that occasion the following Town Officers were elected: H. B. Herbert, Joseph Lancaster, William Whidden, J. M. Gray, C. A. Edson, Board of Trustees; Henry Michael, John Barton, J. W. Mastick, Isaac Ayer, School Direc- tors; E. Minor Smith, Assessor; N. W. Palmer, Treasurer; I. N. Chapman, Surveyor and Civil Engineer; John Ellsworth, Attorney; James Cook, Chief of Police; O. S. Ingham, Superintendent of Schools. On December 4th, F. K. Krauth, Jr., was elected Chief Engineer of the Fire Department; W. T. Valentine, Assistant Engineer of District Number One; C. Sturm, Assistant Engineer of District Number Two; and

399

ALAMEDA TOWNSHIP.

on December 7th, Dr. W. P. Gibbons was chosen to be Health Officer, and Doctors W. L. Twichell, J. T. McLean, and Alexander Jones, the Board of Health. The trustees of the Free Library for the year 1880-81 were, Mrs. A. B. Andrews, W. P. Gibbons, D. T. Sullivan, George K. Mastick, T. A. Smith.

Upon the retirement from office of the Board of Trustees last serving, the follow- ing resolution was unanimously adopted :-

WHEREAS, The retirement of our esteemed citizen, Daniel T. Sullivan, from the office of President of this Board, presents a suitable opportunity for expressing the esteem in which we hold bim as a faithful and courteous public servant. Therefore be it

Resolved, That the thanks of the members of this Board are due to Daniel T. Sullivan for the able and impartial manner in which he has uniformly performed his public duties, and that we sincerely regret his retirement as a member of this Board.

On May 25, 1880, minors visiting saloons was declared to be a misdemeanor, while the same ordinance made it a punishable offence for those under age to loiter about railroad-depots, or jumping on and off cars when in motion. June 8th, the numbering of houses was ordered, twenty-five feet frontage being allowed for each building.

On July 27, 1880, a Board of Health was created to be composed of a health officer, who, together with the President of the Board of Trustees and one other person appointed by the Board, all except the President aforesaid to be licensed practising physicians; Dr. W. P. Gibbons and Dr. J. T. McLean being, August 30th, appointed Health Officer and member of the Board respectively. November 16th, the ordinance was amended to appoint "three other persons," instead of one.

The taxes fixed on October 4th for the year 1880-81, were as follows :-

General Fund ..

.30 cents on the $100

School Fund.

.17

Street Sprinkling Fund. .IO

Free Library and Reading-Room Fund. .05 031% 66

School Bond Interest Fund of 1874.

School Bond Interest Fund of IS78.

.021/2 66

Total 68 cents on the $100.

In the year 1880 two lodges under the auspices of the Ancient Order of United Workmen were instituted, namely, Ashler Lodge, No. 165, and West End Lodge, No. 175, on March 24th and June 2Ist respectively. On May 4th the Long Branch Hotel was destroyed by fire, entailing the death of Miss Spaulding and a monetary loss of thirty thousand dollars to the proprietors, Messrs. Pearson & Co., and three thousand dollars to the keeper of the restaurant; while on July 3d, the corner-stone of the " Water-Tank Building," was laid with masonic honors and much ceremony.

1881 .- On May 2, 1881, the following corporate officers were elected: W. G. Marcy, Joseph Lancaster, J. M. Gray, William Whidden, C. A. Edson, Board of Trust- ees; Henry Michaels, J. E. Baker, James Hunter, School Directors; E. Minor Smith, Assessor; N. W. Palmer, Treasurer; I. N. Chapman, Surveyor and Civil Engineer; John Ellsworth, Attorney and Clerk; James Cook, Chief of Police; O. S. Ingham, Superintendent of Schools; Mrs. A. B. Andrews, George H. Mastick, W. P. Gibbons, T. A. Smith, D. T. Sullivan, Trustees Free Library.

The apportionment for railroads of the county for the year, relating to the Town

400

HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.

of Alameda, by the Judiciary Committee of the Board of Supervisors, was: Number of miles, 6.08; rate per mile of road-bed, right of way, rolling stock, and franchise, $2,500,000; total value in district, $152,000, which was attempted to be reduced, but to no avail.

On July 19th the Clerk was directed to transmit to the Board of Supervisors the following preamble and resolutions:

" WHEREAS, The Alameda, Oakland, and Piedmont Railroad Company, on the 16th day of December, 1872, · obtained a franchise by grant from the city of Oakland, by virtue of which the company was authorized to and did lay down rails upon the bridge across San Antonio' Creek, and into and upon Webster Street, and maintained a railroad over the same, and said road extended from Park Street in Alameda to Broadway, Oakland, and has been operated for nearly nine years last past ;

" That by reason of the substitution of a new bridge for the old one the rails were taken up with the expecta- tion that they would be relaid, and said road operated and maintained; and

" WHEREAS, The Supervisors of this county now object to said rails being relaid, and to the railroad being maintained over said bridge; Therefore

" Resolved, That said Board of Supervisors be and hereby are respectfully and urgently requested not to object, but to consent to the said rails being relaid, and to the road being maintained over said bridge for the following reasons among others :

" First-The said railroad is a great public convenience and necessity, and the discontinuance of it in whole or in part would seriously inconvenience many of the citizens of Alameda and of Oakland.

" Second-The said railroad is one of the three prominent means of communication between the inhabitants .of the city of Oakland and Alameda, and ought to be maintained and fostered.

" Third-The railroad company, in good faith, has invested in this railroad over thirty thousand dollars, and if not allowed to maintain the road across the bridge it would be greatly damaged to the extent of almost confis- cation.

" Fourth-That the refusal of the Board to allow said road to be operated deprives the inhabitants of Oak- land and Alameda of the cheapest means of communication, as fare on this road is five cents, while on each of the steam roads the fare is ten cents.

" Fifth-This road is the only direct route from Oakland to the Alameda Baths."

This demonstration, however, would not appear to have stricken the County Supervisors with terror, for they maintained their position, which still further brought the wrath of the Board of Trustees upon their devoted heads, as the following pream- ble and resolution, passed May 30, 1882, will testify:

" WHEREAS, In surrendering our Webster Street Bridge into the hands of the County Supervisors an abiding faith in their sense of justice made us secure in the belief that none of the nses and conveniences of that structure would be lost to the town of Alameda; and

" WHEREAS, In the subsequent action of this Board of Alameda Town Trustees, in granting a certain franchise to the South Pacific Coast Railroad Company, it was confidently believed that no rights or advantages would be lost to the town; Therefore be it

" Resolved, That a denial of the County Supervisors to the Alameda Horse Railroad of the privilege to cross the Wehster Street Bridge is in violation of the spirit of these contracts and against the wishes and interests of the people of Alameda, and that these facts be fairly presented to the County Board of Supervisors, under the authority of this Board, with a respectful request that such action may be taken as will restore the service of the road."

Upon receipt of the news of the death of President Garfield the following resolu- tions were passed by the Board of Trustees, under date September 20, 1881 :

" WHEREAS, It hath pleased Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, in His Infinite Wisdom and Divine Providence, to call home our late Chief Magistrate, James A. Garfield; Therefore be it

" Resolved, That we feel most deeply and sincerely the loss the people of the United States have sustained in his death; and that the bereaved widow, the fatherless children, and stricken mother have our heart-felt sympathy ..

401

ALAMEDA TOWNSHIP.

" Resolved, That in token of respect to his memory we request our fellow-citizens to drape their residences and places of business in mourning, and that all public business be suspended on the day appointed for his funeral."

On October 3d the taxes to be levied for the year 1881-82 were fixed as under :

General Fund.

.30 cents on the $100.

School Fund. .IO

.0834

School Bond Interest Fund of 1874.

0312

School Bond Interest Fund of 1878.

.0234

60 cents on the $100

1882 .- On January 14, 1882, there were elected : F. K. Krauth, Jr., Chief Engi- neer Fire Department; W. T. Valentine, Assistant Engineer, District Number One; and C. Sturm, Assistant Engineer, District Number Two. The regular corporation officers for the year 1882-83 were: William Simpson, J. M. Gray, C. A. Edson, William Whidden, Louis Meyer, Board of Trustees; H. V. Herbert, Adolph Mayrisch, School Directors; E. Minor Smith, Assessor; N. W. Palmer, Treasurer ; I. N. Chap- man, Surveyor and Civil Engineer; John Ellsworth, Attorney and Clerk ; James Cook, Chief of Police; O. S. Ingham, Superintendent of Schools; Mrs. A. B. Andrews, W. P. Gibbons, George H. Mastick, D. T. Sullivan, T. A. Smith, Trustees Free Library.

Looking back over the history of the town of Alameda we see that it has made wonderful progress. From a cattle ranch, over which there was a continual squatter war, it has come to be a town of over six thousand inhabitants, who are of the very best to be found anywhere. It has been sought as a place of residence for many reasons. It has a warm, genial climate, different from that of either Oakland or San Francisco. It has better communication with San Francisco than any other town about the bay, and yet, owing to its peculiar situation, does not catch so many peddlers, beggars, tramps, and other social abominations as towns which are on main-traveled railroads or thoroughfares. It has good schools, thrifty church societies, sewered streets, plenty of pure water, gas, and good police protection, and, above all, taxes are low, and the law protects the tax-payer from being plundered by the tax-eater. Under these circumstances the growth of Alameda has been of the most stable and satisfactory character. It has not gone ahead too fast at any time. Its progress has been at all times healthy and permanent, and owing to natural causes. Alameda is not a town of accident. Its settlement and prosperity are mainly due to the causes we have named, and its future is bright and promising for the same reasons.

SCHOOLS .- Having thus far carried our readers through a general history of the town-township of Alameda we will now consider the special subject of her schools, of which she is most properly proud. To the older residents of the town a running history of her public schools cannot fail to be interesting, while to the later-comers it will furnish a chain of evidence of the growth of her educational system from its germ to the proud position of the peer of any and the superior of most of the School Departments outside of the large cities of the State.

Street Sprinkling Fund. Free Library Fund. .05

402

HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.

ALAMEDA SCHOOL DISTRICT .- The public school system in Alameda dates back to July 12, 1855, at which time C. C. Breyfogle, the first County Superintendent of Public Instruction, appointed James Millington, E. M. Taft, and James T. Stratton, Commissioners of Alameda School District. The Board organized July 16th and made arrangements for the purchase of a building and lot from A. Schermerhorn, for the munificent sum of one hundred and fifty dollars. On the 27th of the same month Mrs. A. S. Page was engaged to teach the school at a monthly salary of seventy-five dollars and board. This engagement continued until October 31st, when the pay was fixed at one hundred dollars, without board. July 21, 1859, W. W. Brier, County Superintendent, appointed as Trustees Messrs. C. L. Fitch, Jas. Millington, and Dr. Henry Gibbons, who, the majority favoring the appointment of a male teacher, engaged .W. W. Holder, who occupied the position until January 9, 1860, when he was removed and M. A. Lynde substituted. Funds being low, it was found necessary, in order to pay the teacher's salary, to establish rates of tuition, as follows: Children under ten years of age, one dollar per month; under fourteen years, one dollar and fifty cents; over fourteen, two dollars. Mr. Lynde taught for one term, when he was removed, and Henry Gibbons, Jr., temporarily placed in charge. At this time Trustee Fitch gave notice of a petition to divide the district. June 22d, A. M. Crane, Nahum Poland, and Dr. H. Gibbons, were elected Trustees, and they continued Mr. Lynde as teacher. They also gave notice of an election to decide whether the tax-payers of the district were willing to be taxed two thousand dollars for the purpose of building a new school house. Thirty-three votes were cast at this election, of which thirteen were in favor of the tax and twenty against it. Not satisfied with the result, a second election was held, August 4, 1860, to levy a tax of eighteen hundred dollars. The result was twenty-eight votes-sixteen for, and twelve against the levy. The assess- ment-roll of the town at that time footed up one hundred thousand dollars, making the rate of taxation one dollar and eighty cents on each one hundred dollars. Sep- tember 15th, A. M. Crane resigned, and S. A. Hastings was appointed Trustee in his stead. Rev. A. H. Myers offered to sell to the Trustees two lots in block ninety-two for sixty dollars, which offer was accepted and the property (now occupied by the Alameda school) purchased. June 10, 1861, A. S. Barber, Jas. Millington, and H. S. Barlow were duly elected Trustees, and qualified as such. This Board appeared to have differed from their predecessors, as they appointed as teacher, Miss Eliza Webb. Non-resident pupils were then charged two dollars per month. Under Miss Webb's care, the school was run until October 14th, when she retired, and Orlando T. Hopkins was placed in the position, which he filled up to November Ioth, when a Mr. Dexter received the appointment. The School Marshal, M. W. Palmer, reported October 29th eighty-two children in the district. April 4, 1863, Jas. Millington, N. W. Palmer, and S. S. Saul were elected Trustees, and on the 11th of May they placed Miss S. S. Benedict in charge of the class. At the time fixed by law for the election of the next Board of Trustees no election was held and the County Superintendent appointed James Millington, N. W. Palmer, and M. S. Crane, who, January 13, 1864, deposed Miss Benedict and appointed Miss. E. St. John, who taught until December 12th, when she was removed and the Trustees elected Rev. J. A. Burlingame; they also formed a primary class, which was given in charge of Henry Burlingame. These

403

ALAMEDA TOWNSHIP.

gentlemen were brothers of the late Hon. Anson Burlingame, well remembered as the author of the famous Chinese Treaty. On the 30th of the same month an election was held and a tax of two dollars and fifty cents on each one hundred dollars levied for school purposes, there being no opposition to the tax on this occasion. April 30th, the Board advertised in the Alameda County Gazette, published at San Leandro, for proposals to erect the new school-building. No satis- factory plans or bids being received, they adopted plans and specifications drawn by James Millington, and the contract for the building was awarded to Dr. H. Haile, for the sum of two thousand six hundred and twenty-six dollars. The old school-build- ing was sold to H. S. Barlow for fifty dollars, and was moved away, and is a portion of the cottage now standing on Railroad Avenue, about two hundred feet east of Park Street, and formed originally the nucleus of the present Loyal Oak Hotel. The building was duly completed, and, in September 1864, was dedicated to school pur- poses with W. W. Holder as teacher. The ladies of the district joined in getting up a grand festival to raise funds to furnish the school-house, the receipts being, as returned by Mrs. J. N. Webster, Treasurer, three hundred and four dollars and fifty- five cents. Captain J. D. Farwell presented to the school a magnificent American flag, which floated over the building at the time of its dedication. Mr. Holder's tenure of office was but short, for, in February 1865, he gave way to W. M. McFadden, who held on till July 13, 1867, when Mr. Holder again came to the front, and all charges for tuition were abolished, the district being now able to pay the necessary expenses out of the public funds at their disposal ..

Titles to property in those days were intricate, and in October, 1866, a payment of three hundred dollars is recorded to Prince Fisher to quiet title to a portion of the school property. May 23, 1867, F. Pancoast was elected to serve as Trustee three years; C. H. Háile two years, and James Millington one year. At this date the Census Marshal, James Millington, reported one hundred and ten children between the ages of five and fifteen years. December 28th, Mr. Holder again stepped out, and Mr. McFadden was reinstated. July 8, 1868, Asaph Cleveland was elected Trustee to succeed James Millington, term expired. A District School Library was inaugu- rated, and the teacher appointed librarian. July 18th, Mr. McFadden was again appointed Principal, and Miss Mary B. Robinson, Assistant, for the term ending December 20th. Mr. McFadden, School Marshal, reported one hundred and twenty- seven children between the ages of five and fifteen years. The new term of school commenced the first Monday in January, 1869, with a Mr. Adams vice McFadden, removed, as Principal, and Miss Mary E. Bannister, as assistant. December 12, 1869, an election was held to decide the question of levying a tax of nine hundred dollars to liquidate the District School debt and paint the school-house. Sixteen votes were cast in the affirmative and none in opposition. The assessment-roll at this time footed up three hundred and forty-one thousand four hundred and seventy-five dollars, making the rate thirty-seven cents on the one hundred dollars. Again it occurred that no election was held for Trustees, and the County Superintendent appointed Messrs. C. H. Haile, Asaph Cleveland, and S. A. Wood to serve for one year from July Ist. The new Board elected Miss Robinson as Principal, and Miss Bannister, assistant. July 2, 1870, Henry Robinson, F. Boehmer, and James Mil-

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History of Alameda County, California : including its geology, topography, soil, and productions, Part 56

Author: Munro-Fraser, J. P Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Oakland, Calif. : M.W. Wood Number of Pages: 1206

Author: Munro-Fraser, J. P
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Oakland, Calif. : M.W. Wood
Number of Pages: 1206