Monterey County California State
Historical Landmarks of historical importance in California are currently designated
as significant resources in three state registration programs: State Historical
Landmarks, Points of Historical Interest, and the California Register of Historic
Places. Below is a list of the State Historical Landmarks for Monterey
County. This data is provided by the Office of Historic Preservation - California Department
of Parks and Recreation and is also available in the California Historical
Landmarks Book.
NO. 1 CUSTOM HOUSE - Commodore John Drake Sloat raised
the American flag over this building on July 7, 1846 to signal the passing
of California from Mexican to American rule. Restored through the efforts of the Native
Sons of the Golden West with the assistance of the people of California.
Location: Monterey State Historic Park, Custom House Plaza, between
Scott and Decatur Sts, Monterey
USGS Quadrangle Sheet Name: MONTEREY
NO. 105 ROYAL PRESIDIO CHAPEL OF SAN CARLOS BORROMÉO
- Established as a mission by Father Serra, June 3, 1770, this became the
royal Presidio Chapel when the mission was moved to Carmel. The chapel was
rebuilt with stone in 1791 and became the parish church in 1835, due to
secularization. In a dilapidated condition in 1850, it was reconstructed and altered with
money donated by Governor Pacheco in 1858.
Location: 550 Church St near Figueroa,
USGS Quadrangle Sheet Name: MONTEREY
NO. 106 LARKIN HOUSE - The adobe-and-wood Larkin House
was built in 1835 by Thomas Oliver Larkin, a Yankee merchant who came to
California in April 1832. Since Larkin was the only U.S. consul to California under
Mexican rule, his home became the American consulate from 1844 to 1846,
and it was also used as military headquarters by Kearny, Mason, and Sherman.
Location: Monterey State Historic Park, SW corner of Jefferson
and Calle Principal, Monterey
USGS Quadrangle Sheet Name: MONTEREY
NO. 126 COLTON HALL - In this building met the convention
that drafted the Constitution under which California was admitted to statehood
on September 9, 1850. Robert Semple was chairman and William G. March secretary. The
48 delegates met from September 1 to October 15, 1849 on the upper floor,
which ran the length of the main building. The stairway leading to the convention
hall was in the rear of the building. Rev. Walter Colton, first American
alcalde in Monterey, erected this building as a public hall and schoolhouse, he and Robert
Semple established California's first American newspaper in Monterey on
August 15, 1846.
Location: Civic Center, Pacific St between Jefferson and Madison,
Monterey
USGS Quadrangle Sheet Name: MONTEREY
NO. 128 LANDING PLACE OF SEBASTIAN VIZCAINO AND FRAY JUNÍPERO
SERRA - Having entered the harbor the previous evening with his three small vessels, Sebastian Vizcaino landed here on December 17,
1602. Mass was sung by three Carmelite friars and the country taken in
the name of the King of Spain. On the same spot, Fray Junípero Serra landed from
the San Antonio on June 3, 1770 to join Captain Gaspar de Portolá
and Fray Juan Crespí, who had arrived from San Diego overland a week before, in founding the Mission
San Carlos de Borroméo de Monterey and the Presidio of Monterey.
Location: Monterey State Historic Park, SW corner of Artillery
and Pacific Sts, Monterey
NO. 135
MISSION SAN CARLOS BORROMÉO DE CARMELO -
Mission San Carlos was established by Father Serra on June 3, 1770 at the
Presidio of Monterey. Finding this location unsuitable, Serra moved the mission
to Carmel Valley. In July 1771 he set to work constructing temporary buildings
at the new site, and in December 1771 the mission was moved to its permanent location.
Location: SW corner of Lasuen Dr and Rio Rd, Carmel
USGS Quadrangle Sheet Name: MONTEREY
NO. 136 FIRST THEATER IN CALIFORNIA - This building was
built about 1844 as a sailor's lodging house by Jack Swan. In 1848 it was
commandeered by a group of mustered-out soldiers of Colonel Stevenson's regiment
of New Yorkers looking for a place to put on plays and comedies. The theater
afterward served as a whaling station, a lookout station having been added to
the roof.
Location: Monterey State Historic Park, SW corner of Scott and
Pacific Sts, Monterey
USGS Quadrangle Sheet Name: MONTEREY
NO. 232 MISSION SAN ANTONIO DE PADUA - Mission San Antonio
de Padua, established on July 14, 1771, was the third in a series of missions founded in Alta California by Father Junípero Serra. Its picturesque
setting in the valley of the San Antonio River within the Santa Lucia Range
makes it one of today's most outstanding examples of early mission life.
Location: Take Jolon Rd 26.5 mi from Hwy 101, to Hunter-Ligget
Military Reservation, 23 mi W of King City
USGS Quadrangle Sheet Name: JOLON
NO. 233
MISSION NUESTRA SEÑORA DE LA SOLEDAD - This
mission, founded October 9,1791 by Father Fermín Francisco de Lasuén,
ministered to the Indians of the Salinas Valley. Governor José Joaquín
de Arrillaga died here July 24, 1814 and was buried in the chapel. Prosperous
in its early years, Soledad declined after 1825, but Father Vicente Francisco Sarría stayed
on in poverty to serve the Indians until his death in 1835, when the mission
was secularized. It was regranted to the Bishop of Monterey in 1859. In ruins after 1874, the
chapel was reconstructed and dedicated under the auspices of the Native
Daughters of the
Golden West, October 1955.
Location: Fort Romie Rd (Co Rd G-17), 2.5 mi W of Soledad
USGS Quadrangle Sheet Name: SOLEDAD
NO. 348 HOUSE OF GOVERNOR ALVARADO - A native of Monterey,
Alvarado served as Governor of Mexican California from December 20, 1836
to December 20, 1842. During his administration the increasing influx
of Americans and the Russian settlement at Fort Ross began to be regarded
as serious problems.
Location: 494-498 Alvarado St, Monterey
USGS Quadrangle Sheet Name: MONTEREY
NO. 351 VÁSQUEZ HOUSE - This adobe house was occupied
by a sister of Tiburcio Vásquez, the colorful Monterey bandit of
the 1870s.
Location: 546 Dutra St, Monterey
USGS Quadrangle Sheet Name: MONTEREY
NO. 352 ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON HOUSE - In this house in
1879 lived Robert Louis Stevenson, essayist, storyteller, and poet whose
contribution to literature delighted the world.
Location: 530 Houston St, Monterey
USGS Quadrangle Sheet Name: MONTEREY
NO. 353 HOUSE OF FOUR WINDS - In the late 1830s, Thomas
Oliver Larkin built the House of Four Winds, named for the weather vane
in his garden. Tradition says the building was used as an early hall of records.
Location: 540 Calle Principal, Monterey
USGS Quadrangle Sheet Name: MONTEREY
NO. 354 OLD PACIFIC HOUSE - Originally built as a hotel
between 1835 and 1847 by James McKinley, the building was known as the
Pacific House in 1850, when it housed a public tavern. In later years law offices, a
newspaper, small stores, and a ballroom occupied the premises. In 1880
David Jacks bought the property, and in 1954 Miss Margaret Jacks made a gift of the building
to the State of California.
Location: Monterey State Historic Park, Custom House Plaza, Monterey
USGS Quadrangle Sheet Name: MONTEREY
NO. 387 THE GLASS HOUSE, CASA MATERNA OF THE VALLEJOS -
In the 1820s, Don Ignacio Vallejo built the Casa Materna on Bolsa de San
Cayetano. Don Ignacio and Dona María Antonio Lugo y Vallejo
had 13 children--eight daughters and five sons, one of whom was General
Mariano Guadalupe
Vallejo.
Location: On edge of bluff 1, 000 ft N of intersection of Hillcrest
Rd and Salinas Rd, 2.5 mi SE of Watsonville
NO. 494 RICHARDSON ADOBE - Los Coches Rancho (8,994.2 acres)
was granted to María Josefa Soberanes de Richardson by the Mexican
government in 1841. Her husband, William Brunner Richardson, a native of Baltimore,
Maryland, built the adobe house here in 1843, and planted the nearby locust
trees in 1846. This was the site of Captain John C. Frémont's encampment
in 1846 and 1847, the adobe was later used as a stage station and post
office. It was donated to the State of California in 1958 by Margaret Jacks.
Location: Los Coches Rancho Wayside Campground, NW corner of
State Hwy 101 (P.M. 60.5) and Arroyo Seco Rd, 1.5 mi S of Soledad
USGS Quadrangle Sheet Name: SOLEDAD
NO. 532 CASA DE ORO - In the 1850s this building was a
general merchandise store operated by Joseph Boston & Co. In later
years it was called Casa de Oro because of the unverified story that it had been a gold depository.
Location: Monterey State Historic Park, SW corner of Olivier
and Scott, Monterey
USGS Quadrangle Sheet Name: MONTEREY
NO. 561 SCHRAMSBERG - Founded in 1862 by Jacob Schram,
this was the first hillside winery of the Napa Valley. Robert Louis Stevenson,
visiting here in 1880, devoted a chapter of his 'Silverado Squatters' to Schramsberg
and its wines, Ambrose Bierce and Lilly Hitchcock Coit were other cherished
friends. The original house and winery have been excellently preserved.
Location: End of Schramsberg Rd, on Hwy 29, 3.1 mi S of Calistoga
NO. 651 SITE OF THE BATTLE OF NATIVIDAD - Combined American
forces under Captains Charles D. Burrass (or Burroughs) and Bluford K. Thompson clashed with Comandante Manuel de Jesús Castro's Californians
in this vicinity on November 16, 1846. Casualties on each side consisted
of several men killed and wounded. The Americans saved a large herd of horses for
Lt. Col. John C. Frémont, who then later proceeded south to participate
in the Armistice at Cahuenga in January 1847.
Location: SW corner of San Juan Grade (P.M. 4.9) and Crazy Horse
Canyon Rd, 5.0 mi NE of Salinas
NO. 712 SOBERANES ADOBE - Don José Estrada, who
built this adobe in 1830, sold the property to Don Feliciano Soberanes.
The adobe was the home of the Soberanes family from 1860 until 1922, when Mr. and Mrs. William
O'Donnell acquired the property. Mrs. O'Donnell gave the adobe to the State
in 1953.
Location: Monterey State Historic Park, 336 Pacific St, Monterey
USGS Quadrangle Sheet Name: MONTEREY
NO. 713 GUTIÉRREZ ADOBE - In 1841 the municipality
of Monterey granted a lot to Joaquín Gutiérrez where he and
his wife, Josefa, built an adobe home. The house has been donated to the State by the Monterey Foundation.
Location: Monterey State Historic Park, 590 Calle Principal,
Monterey
USGS Quadrangle Sheet Name: MONTEREY
NO. 839 CHAUTAUQUA HALL - The first Chautauqua in the West
was organized at Pacific Grove in June 1879 for the presentation of 'moral
attractions' and 'the highest grade of concerts and entertainments.' Known worldwide
as 'Chautauqua-by-the-Sea,' it made Pacific Grove an unequaled cultural
center.
Location: SW corner of 16th St and Central Ave, Pacific Grove
NO. 870 JOSÉ EUSEBIO BORONDA ADOBE CASA - Built
between 1844 and 1848 by José Eusebio Boronda, this is an outstanding
example of a Mexican-era rancho adobe. Virtually unaltered since its construction,
it shows many features of the 'Monterey Colonial' style.
Location: Boronda Adobe Historic Center, 333 Boronda Rd at W
Laurel Dr, Salinas
USGS Quadrangle Sheet Name: SALINAS
NO. 934 TEMPORARY DETENTION CAMPS FOR JAPANESE AMERICANS-SALINAS
ASSEMBLY CENTER - This monument is dedicated to the 3,586 Monterey Bay area residents of Japanese ancestry, most of
whom were American citizens, temporarily confined in the Salinas Rodeo
Grounds during World War II, from April to July 1942. They were detained without charges,
trial, or establishment of guilt before being incarcerated in permanent
camps, mostly at Poston, Arizona. May such injustice and humiliation never recur.
Location: Sherwood Gardens Rodeo Grounds, Sherwood Hall Community
Center 940 N Main St, Salinas
NO. 951
LIGHT STATIONS OF CALIFORNIA (THEMATIC), POINT SUR LIGHT STATION - Spanish explorers and later New England hide and tallow traders found the Big Sur coastline a great hazard. Heavy fogs
and extreme winds caused the wreck of many vessels on this coast. The gold
rush of 1849 dramatically increased coastal shipping. A lighthouse was clearly needed.
President Andrew Johnson signed the Executive Order which reserved the
site for lighthouse purposes in 1866. Construction began in 1887 and the lamp
was lit on August 1, 1889.
Location: St Hwy 1, 23 mi S of Monterey and 3 mi N of Andrew
Molera St Pk
