USA > California > Contra Costa County > History of Contra Costa County, California, including its geography, geology, topography, climatography and description; together with a record of the Mexican grants also, incidents of pioneer life; and biographical sketches of early and prominent settlers and representative men > Part 45
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After the year 1852 the town commenced to assert itself and has so con- tinued, it will therefore be unnecessary to follow step by the step the progress made. We have, in our chapter on the Legislative History of the county shown the progress of its public buildings, and noticed the estab- lishment of the first newspaper in the county, at Martinez, on September 18, 1858, a red-letter day in the annals of the town. On October 30th the Contra Costa Gazette passed into the hands of Charles Bonnard and B. E. Hillsman, who continued it until February 14, 1859, when W. Bradford assumed charge, who had associated with him R. R. Bunker, the latter gen- tleman, March 23, 1861, being joined by W. W. Theobald, on the secession of Mr. Bradford. On September 14th it issued its last number in Martinez, and brought out that of the 21st at Pacheco, the cause of removal being asserted to be the more central position of the latter place. On July 1, 1865, Mr. Theobald disposed of his interest to R. R. Bunker and C. B. Porter. On April 15, 1869, the Gazette was made the official organ of the county, and on November 15, 1873, the last issue of the paper occurred at Pacheco,
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whence it returned to its native Martinez, where it now flourishes, the pro- prietors being Messrs. Bunker, Porter and Foster. A more extended history of the publication will be found under the head of " Newspapers," at the end of this chapter.
It would appear that in the month of November, 1858, Martinez was actually without public instruction, for we find a notice of the engagement of a teacher, with the remark : " A good school ought to be kept in opera- tion in Martinez during the whole year, and a stranger would hardly believe that such is not the case." On December 4th, Mr. Bushnell was appointed Principal and the tuition of the young afterwards flourished.
On November 6, 1858, W. K. Leavitt was awarded the contract for building the Roman Catholic Church, already mentioned, the structure to be of frame twenty-eight feet wide, by fifty-two long, and nineteen feet high. April 8, 1859, Martinez and Benicia were first joined by telegraph ; June 6th, a stage line between Oakland and Martinez, passing through Rodeo valley, Pinole and San Pablo, was established by Mette & Co.
The jail of Martinez has many a tale to tell, but perhaps none more curious than the following : Two prisoners, Isaac Greenaugh and C. Cadell made their escape on July 20, 1860, leaving the accompanying polite note for Deputy Sheriff Henry Hunsaker, thus worded: "Henry : you must not think hard; our friends came after us with a good horse and we could not Resist the temptation." The two worthies were incarcerated, the first for stabbing a man at Alamo, and the other for stealing a suit of clothes at Pacheco.
On September 17, 1860, Martinez Engine Company, No. 1, was organized, and the following officers chosen: Foreman, L. C. Wittenmyer ; First Assistant, J. L. Swaney ; Second Assistant, D. W. Swain ; Treasurer, W. K. Leavitt ; Secretary, J. T. Alsop.
At the trial of Ramon Ruiz, indicted for murder, which came up at the January Term, 1861, of the District Court, this case was submitted to the the jury at four o'clock on the afternoon of Wednesday, January 16th, and they immediately retired for deliberation. They found it a difficult matter, however, to arrive at the requisite unanimity in regard to what the verdict should be, and daylight on Thursday morning found them still in a state of disagreement. At this time one of their number wearied, probably with the night's labor in the jury room, and hungry from long fasting, and, more- over, not having the fear before him of the pains and penalties in such cases made and provided, quietly slipped out of the window and made quick time to a hotel, and after procuring some refreshment, coolly went to bed. His absence was soon discovered, and an invitation he did not feel at liberty to decline compelled him to leave his comfortable quarters and return to his post of duty. Failing to agree the jury were discharged on Thursday at noon ; not so, however, the juror aforesaid : He was imprisoned for three
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days and fined two hundred dollars. On September 17th, of this year, an attempt was made to burn the Morgan House, but the combustible material was found in time to prevent a conflagration or do any damage.
On February 15, 1862, the ladies of Martinez raised a subscription to the amount of four hundred dollars to fence the cemetery, which was much needed, and which has added much to the beauty of the very beautiful piece of land overlooking the prettily situated town of Martinez.
It no doubt will be remembered by some that on January 16, 1864, thirty-seven camels passed through the town, on their way to Los Angeles. These were the only animals of the kind ever seen by many of the residents and the circumstance was looked upon as a "nine days' wonder." On the 20th June, of this year, a presentation of a silver goblet was made by the chil- dren attending the Martinez Sunday school, to Captain O. C. Coffin, on his retirement from the management of the institution, which he had main- tained for four years. On the gift was engraved the name of the receiver, by whom presented, with the date of presentation, and the following simple tribute, "a token of love."
Sometime in the month of May, 1867, Messrs. Coffin & Standish erected a flour mill in Martinez, which was completed on the 11th of that month. It is described as an excellent building, forty by one hundred feet and stood near the line of the railroad-the same is now used as Black's Cannery.
Martinez, unhappily, has not been without periodical visits from the Fire Fiend. July 18, 1867, the mansion on the " Gift Place " was consumed, but since September, 1856, when the Union Hotel, Blum's, Lazar's, and Hook's stores were destroyed, no fire of importance had hurt the town. On Tuesday, December 12, 1876, a group of fine buildings on the southwest cor- ner of Main and Ferry streets, opposite the Morgan House, belonging to H. M. Hollenbeck, together with a sixth building belonging to John McCann were destroyed, which, however, he repaired, and by the 30th December, occupied. On March 16, 1877, the residence of Mrs. Jane E. Chase became a prey to the devouring element, while, on January 6, 1878, the Granger's restaurant, owned by F. D. Briare, was destroyed ; and on March 8, 1880, the Alhambra school-house succumbed to the like fate.
The earthquake of Wednesday, October 21, 1868, caused considerable damage in Martinez. Two of the walls of a new stone building at the Al- hambra Hotel were thrown down; Blum's, Lazar's, Colman's and the Fish Brothers' brick buildings were also much cracked by the shake. The most serious damage, however, was that sustained by the Court House, a portion of the top and rear walls of which were thrown down, and the structure otherwise much damaged.
On September 5, 1871, the certificate of incorporation of the Martinez Water Works Company was filed, the capital stock being one hundred thousand dollars in shares of one hundred dollars each. The officers for the
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first three months were, Simon Blum, L. C. Wettenmyer, V. B. Russell, Charles Sherman, and Gabriel Blum.
During the month of October, 1872, the large, heavy-framed stable that stood for many years on the corner of Judge Brown's lot, east of his office, in Martinez, was moved to the outskirts of the town, under the supervision of George Sanford and Charles Woodford.
On Wednesday, January 15, 1873, George W. Bailey suddenly disappeared in San Francisco. Mr. Bailey had been a resident of Contra Costa county for about eight years, and for the last six or seven had resided in Martinez, where he married and practiced law, a portion of the time in association with Judge Brown, and for a year or more with L. B. Mizner of Benicia. The Gazette, of January 25th, thus accounts for the mystery : "It seems, however, to be generally believed by those best informed respecting his cir- cumstances and obligations, that embarrassments arising from an inability to meet an engagement for the investment of some trust funds, in his hands as receiver, has occasioned his disappearance. The money he held in trust is the rental revenue of property the title to which is now in litigation, and, except what has already been invested or properly accounted for, the amount, as we are informed, does not exceed four or five thousand dollars. An opportunity for investing the larger portion of this amount in a loan to Messrs. Mizner and Shirley had offered, and being satisfactory to the re- spective claimants in the pending litigation, arrangements were made for their receiving the money, represented to be on deposit there, in San Fran- cisco, on Tuesday of last week (the 14th). On Monday evening, Mr. Bailey, accompanied by his wife and one of his two little children, went to San Francisco by the Sacramento boat, and on arriving there put up at the Lick House. On the following day, when the money was to have been furnished, he gave some not entirely satisfactory reason for deferring the payment until the following day, since the morning of which he has not been seen nor heard from. Subsequent inquiry disclosed the fact that no money had ever been on deposit at the bank he had named, nor elsewhere, so far as could be ascertained, nor is it surmised that any was secreted and carried away by him. It is probable that the money has, little by little, been ap- plied to personal uses, during the four years, or more, of his receivership, with the intention of restoring it, and his embarrassment on being required to produce it, without the ability to do so, is probably the cause of his sud- den and otherwise unexplained disappearance." The above surmise was, indeed, too true. He took his own life while in a state of temporary in- sanity, his body being found, on January 25th, in a rocky secluded place a few miles south of San Francisco. On April 11, 1873, Rev. V. R. Right, meyer, formerly stationed for many years administering to the wants of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Martinez and Clayton, died at Virginia City, Nevada, he being interred at Martinez. In this year the Bank of Martinez,
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a history of which will be found elsewhere, was started ; while the Gazette, of August 23d, notices the fact that at that date there were no less than four persons confined in the jail at Martinez on charges of murder, viz : Marshall Martin, for the murder of Valentine Eisehler ; Williamn Nash, alias Osterhaus, and Mary Gersbach, for the murder of Martin Gersbach ; and Henry Ploeger, for the murder of George Muth. Timothy Roonan was there also, awaiting trial, under indictment of assault to murder. Towards the end of the year 1873, there was a demand for dwelling houses in Mar- tinez, and none to be had. It was then thought-indeed, it may be so said to-day-were there such ereeted on unoeeupied lots, instead of letting them lie idle and unproductive, several families would be added to the population of the village.
During the week ending April 4, 1874, an old white oak, that sinee there was a town of Martinez, had stood in the middle of the street nearly opposite the store now occupied by Robert T. Nash, throwing its grateful summer sun-shield over the roadway on either side, fell under the wood- man's ax-the result of a too utilitarian hand. The streets were then, as now, in a wretched condition, and were the subject of mueh complaint ; perhaps the felling of the old land-mark was intended by " the powers " as a "sop to Cerberus." August 8th, of this year, the old " Louisiana House" was opened by C. S. Downey as the Exchange Hotel, while, on September 12th, the Alhambra Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry was instituted with the following officers: Dr. John Strentzel, Master; Wm. Fraser, Seere- tary ; Henry Raap, Overseer ; B. R. Holliday, Leeturer ; James MeHarry, Chaplain ; James C. MeHarry, Treasurer ; Elam Barber, Steward; Law- rence Smith, Assistant Steward ; James Stewart, Gate-keeper ; Mrs. Alexan- der Boss, Ceres ; Mrs. Henry Raap, Pomona ; Miss Louisa W. Strentzel, Flora.
November 13, 1875, the new bridge over the Alhambra creek was com- pleted and opened to traffic. In the month of March, 1876, the Alhambra Hotel buildings which had been in service for twenty-five years, with im- provements, were considerably enlarged by the addition of a central two- story structure between the east and west wings, and a new kitchen eon- neeted with the detached stone building, which became a dining hall. On July 22, 1876, the Morgan House passed into the hands of William Girvan, G. A. Sherman retiring from its management. August 12th, of this year, an addition of one hundred feet was made to the ferry wharf ; while, Sep- tember 29th, the St. Charles, having completed her loading at the Grangers' Warehouse, sailed from Martinez, being the first large vessel to take in eargo there. At the end of December, we learn that Mr. Lawless had ereeted a building for housing the indigent siek of the county on the bank of the Alhambra creek, two bloeks south of the Masonic Hall. It was one story in height, twenty feet wide, sixty feet long, and divided into three apart- ments, viz: kitehen, sitting-room and large bedroom of the full width and
Patrick Formey
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about half the length of the building. Since the completion of the new county infirmary, the occupation of this building has been discontinued.
The Martinez Hook and Ladder Company, No. 1, was organized and the following officers elected February 4, 1871: R. R. Bunker, President; Frank Maguire, Foreman; Ed. Morgan, First Assistant; M. J. Beecher, Second Assistant ; C. Ed. Miller, Secretary; M. Lawless, Treasurer.
Early in 1879 the Bush Homestead property was purchased for the purposes of a Roman Catholic College, to be erected by the "Christian Brothers" Society of Saint Mary's College, San Francisco, on which they have since erected a handsome building and made many improvements.
On March 11, 1879, Blum's store was robbed of five hundred dollars in coin and fourteen hundred dollars in county scrip. It was a carefully effected plunder, the safe being found face downwards, and a hole through the outer and inner sheet-iron casing and concrete-filled back. It is sup- posed that one of the burglars met his death at the hands of his accom- plices near Cornwall station, not far from Antioch.
About the beginning of the year 1880 it was proposed to establish a manufactory of Hardy's blasting powder near the southern end of what has been known as the "race track," about a mile from the Court House in Martinez. In opposition to this scheme a meeting of citizens was convened at the Court House, January 21, 1880, when, after lengthy discussion, the following resolution was adopted: " Resolved, We the undersigned citizens of Martinez, Contra Costa county, do hereby protest and object to the erection or establishment of a powder mill or powder manufactory for the manufacture of powder for explosive purposes within a radius of four miles ontside of the limits of the town of Martinez."
In concluding our remarks on the town of Martinez, we would observe that its population by the last census, July 10, 1880, was eight hundred and seventy-five. There is every prospect of this increasing. A consider- able fishery and canning industry has been lately established there. All that is requisite for its general advancement is encouragement from the owners of property; when such is given, then will manufactories be enticed to locate, and with these will come trade and plenty. The climate is all that can be desired, neither too hot nor too cold, the hills which environ the town protecting it from the blustering winds which are so rudely felt on the opposite shore of the Straits of Carquinez. From among their bosoms flow limpid, gurgling streams, whose waters find their way into every family. All in all, Martinez is a lovely locality, almost compassing the poet's fancy of-
"Cataract brooks to the ocean run, Fairily- delicate palaces shine Mixt with myrtle and clad with vine, And over stream'd and silver-streak'd With many a rivulet high against the sun, The facet of the glorious mountain flash Above the valleys of palm and pine."
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CHURCHES .- Martinez boasts at present three places of worship for the Episcopals, Congregational and Roman Catholic denominations, all of them neat buildings with comparatively large congregations, considering the size of the place. The first to establish a church in Martinez were the Romanists, of which we append a few remarks, there being no actual history of the edifice extant :-
ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH .- The first services of this body were held in a building built in 1849 by Judge Brown, Warren Brown and N. B. Smith as a store, and is now used as a barn by Mrs. Bent. Here they worshipped for some time, and afterwards laid the foundation for a more pretentious edifice to be constructed of adobe near the railroad tank, but which was never completed. In 1855, or thereabouts, a church was erected on the northeast corner of the lot now occupied by the residence of Dr. Carothers, but on this being blown down in or about 1866, the present building was put up.
GRACE CHURCH, MARTINEZ, (PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL) .- The history of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Martinez is inseparably connected with that of Benicia, whither as early as 1854, and for years after, members of the church were wont to cross the Straits of Carquinez and proceed. The first clergyman of the church known to have officiated in Benicia was the Rev. D. J. Moore, although services had been held there by Major Towns- end, U. S. A., as far back as September 24, 1854. The second clergyman was Rev. Orange Clarke, who came to California as Chaplain to the U. S. Marine Hospital, who, although unconnected with any parish as Rector, rendered his services at different points, as needed. This is the first clergy- man of the church known to have held services in Martinez, and was during the Winter 1854-5. The next occasional officiating clergyman was Rev. Elijah W. Hager, Chaplain U.S. N. To the gentleman who first had charge of St. Paul's Church, Benicia, as Rector (1858), the church in Martinez is also indebted, but to none does it owe more of its early growth than to the Rev. James Cameron, who had charge of St. Paul's parish from 1860 to 1866. He officiated in the Methodist Church in Martinez very frequently, and during his incumbency Mr. J. Williams, of Martinez, who had been Junior Warden and Vestryman of St. Paul's, and Mr. Samuel Gray, of Be- nicia, acted as Lay Readers alternately in this place. In November, 1866, Mr. Cameron was succeeded by Rev. Henry G. Perry, who from that time also officiated at Martinez. Here he established a Sunday-school, procured for it a new library, and supplied it with catechisms. He found also that plans and specifications for a church had been prepared with a view to building, the occasional services being still held in the Methodist House of Worship. The communicants, however, remained attached to St. Paul's Church, Benicia, where the Eucharist was regularly administered to them, they crossing the Straits for that purpose.
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Township Number One.
On February 3, 1867, Martinez was visited by the Right Rev. Bishop Kip, who preached in the Methodist church. On October 9, 1867, the Pacific Associate Mission was organized in the Church of the Holy Com- munion, New York, by Revs. James Lloyd Breck, D. D., and John A. Merrick, D. D., Priests ; and Revs. E. C. Cowan, B. D., and James H. Smith, Deacons. They reached San Francisco November 3d, and San Jose on the following day, and immediately commenced their work of education and missions. The missionary field was apportioned into eight stations, of which Martinez was one ; the Rev. Mr. Perry transferring his church work at this juncture (1868) to their care. In January, 1868, they removed to Benicia, where they founded the Missionary College of St. Augustine, and from that point as a center carried on their missionary work. The first known administration of the Holy Eucharist at Martinez was by them, on Easter Sunday, 1868, nine communicants being present, besides the mission- aries. The members of St. Augustine's College, under the supervision of the Rev. Dr. Breck, Dean, continued their care of the mission at Martinez through the year 1869-70 ; the work being first under the charge of Rev. E. P. Gray, Professor of Literature and Interpretation of Scripture. At this time considerable earnestness seems to have been aroused among the members of the church in the village, and during the year 1869, through the exertions of certain ladies of the congregation, money was raised, and the church building was begun and completed. The plans were furnished by Rev. Mr. Gray, and he superintended its erection. The work was com- menced the last of July or beginning of August, and finished early in October. The entire cost of the church was seventeen hundred and fifty dollars. Soon after the completion of the church Mr. Gray gave place to Rev. E. C. Cowan, Headmaster of St. Augustine's Grammar School, who continued in charge until the Spring of 1870. Yet, until May, 1870, the communicants at Martinez had not severed their connection with St. Paul's, Benicia, Dr. Breck's parish. In January, 1870, by the advice of Rev. Dr. Breck, the church property was deeded in trust to the Bishop of the Diocese and his successor in office. On Sunday, July 10, 1870, Grace Church, Mar- tinez, was consecrated by the Right Rev. William Ingraham Kip, D. D., he being assisted in the services by Revs. Dr. Breck and E. C. Cowan. The request for consecration was read by Mr. C. C. Swain, and the sentence of consecration by Rev. Mr. Cowan, who had been the last missionary in charge. During the visit the Bishop appointed Judge Thomas A. Brown and C. C. Swain trustees to take charge of the church property. On June 10, 1870, the constitution of St. Augustine's College at Benicia had been so changed that the theological and college departments were suspended. Dr. Breck and his associates in the Theological School resigned, and the Asso- ciate Mission came to an end. The connection of Rev. J. A. Merrick, D. D. with the college and mission being thus severed, August 24, 1870, he took
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pastoral charge of the new parish of Grace Church, Martinez, now for the first time become wholly independent of the church in Benicia. Dr. Mer- rick continued his charge only to the beginning of the year 1871, when failing health obliged him to resign.
From February 1 to July 1, 1871, Rev. Wm. Benet was engaged to act as missionary ; but from the time of his departure no services were held in the church until March, 1872, when arrangements were made by Dr. Breck, by which either he, or Rev. William P. Tucker supplied the place as they were able, or Mr. H. W. Taylor acted as Lay Reader. This arrangement con- tinued for a year and a half, the duty for the most part falling upon Mr. Tucker, at that time Rector of St. Augustine's College. In October, 1873, the Bishop sent Rev. Henry B. Monges, Deacon, to take charge of the parish. Mr. Monges gave his services to the church from that time until August, 1878, when he resigned the parish into the hands of the Bishop, but still, at the Bishop's request, kept up services for over a year more. During his charge a tower was erected, and a bell procured, at a cost of nearly six hundred dollars; a new organ and a new carpet for the church were bought and over two hundred volumes were given by his personal friends to the Sun- day School Library. May 13, 1880, Rev. James Abercrombie, D. D., the present incumbent, then residing in Los Angeles, having removed there after resigning the rectorship of Trinity Church, Santa Barbara, at the so- licitation of the Bishop entered upon the rectorship of the parish. During his ministry, two handsome chandeliers were early presented to the church by Mr. Josiah Sturges, a handsome altar, the joint offering of the Rector and Mr. Byron Brown was in the chancel on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 1881, and on Christmas Day, a beautiful Prayer Desk and Seat, offer- ings of Hon. Elam Brown, were therein placed. On New Year's Day, 1882, a Memorial Chancel Window to the Rev. James Lloyd Breck, D. D., founder of the parish, and made by Edward Colgate, of New York, was in place, together with a small side window by the same artist. The following, from The Living Church of January 28, 1882, is a description of the Memorial : " The window is a triplet six and a half feet by ten feet. The central fig- ure is the Good Shepherd, with a countenance, as has been remarked, with much truth, of ' beautiful and tender expression.' Above is a descending dove, surmounted to the right and left by Alpha and Omega. Below is the I. H. S. On either side are the symbols of the four gospels, and of the Holy Eucharist; and at the base is ' In Memoriam, Rev. James Lloyd Breck, D. D. Died March 30th, 1876.' The design is most appropriate, and the color- ing and effect of the whole admirable and elegant." A convenient and expressive Prothesis was soon after provided. Easter Sunday, April 9, 1882, the congregation found the redwood walls and open roof of the church becomingly tinted, with the timbers left the natural color, also a Stone Font, an offering of the Youth of the parish. On the Altar, too, was
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