Watts Hospital was the first and only Black hospital in Oakland. It was established in 1926 by Dr. William Watts, a Black physician from Houston, Texas.
Portrait of William Watts c 1910 – Watts (William M.) Papers African American Museum & Library at Oakland
William M. Watts (1885-1980) was born on February 15, 1885, in Lodi, Texas, to Perry and Jane Watts. He earned a medical degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1915. Watts died in 1980 while living in Arkansas.
Dr. Watts arrived in Oakland in 1924 after living in Fresno, CA.
California Eagle 1922
William Watts standing next to car c 1920s – Watts (William M.) Papers African American Museum & Library at Oakland
Watts Hospital functioned as a hospital, sanitarium, and training school for Black nurses. At the time, local hospitals refused to train Black nurses.
Oakland Tribune
The modern 22-bed located at 3437 Harlen Street in North Oakland,
Dr. William Watts and three nurses standing before Watt’s Private Hospital, Oakland, California – Watts (William M.) Papers African American Museum & Library at OaklandThe location today on Google Maps
“Expert diagnois, expert surgery, expert treatment and expert nursing with good will to all.”
In 1892, a group of prominent African American women from Oakland, California, formed the Old People’s Home Association (OPHA). Its purpose was to establish and sustain a home for the aged and infirm colored people.
Screenshot
The Home for Aged and Infirm Colored People was the first to be built in California. It was sometimes called Beulah Home because of its location in Beulah Heights (Beulah initially.)
Beulah Heights (originally just Beulah) was a district in Alameda County just northwest of Mills College. In 1909, it was annexed to the City of Oakland.
The association was directed by a Board of Directors consisting of thirty women and an advisory board of ten men, and the home was managed by a matron, nursing assistants, and a resident physician.
The association sponsored festivals, dances, and concerts to raise money for building costs.
Below is a page from the 1925 Vol 5 Sanborn Fire Map. The left circle shows what is now MacArthur Blvd. The right circle shows the home, which is now within the college campus.
After the OPHA secured the land, they hired local architect D.F. Oliver to draw up the plans for the home. The plans called for a neat two-story building with a mansard roof and underground basement for $2.773, andI. and H. Bingham were the builders.
Oakland Tribune Aug 18, 1897
The deed contained a few binding clauses:
“…the land was to be used only for the home, and should it ceased to exsit the property would revert back to Montgomery.”
“…no intoxicating shall ever be sold.”
The home was ready in two months and began receiving inmates (residents) in October 1897.
Oakland Enquirer July 1905
The two-story Victorian originally had sixteen rooms. In 1905, after an eight-room edition, which gave them room for nineteen residents. Electricity was added in 1919. In 1927, an annex of four bedrooms and two sleeping porches was added.
This is from their letterhead circa the 1930s.
Donation Day
The association always needed money to keep the home open. They would sponsor dances, dinners, and donation days.
San Francisco Call and Post Nov 1914
Once a year, the directors of the home made a plea to the people of Oakland to contribute a small portion to the comfort of the “elderly colored people” who lived there.
Oakland Tribune Nov 1919
The Residents
Alcohol use was prohibited, and males and females were segregated in the living quarters. The women were required to sew, knit, and assist in domestic labor as they could. The men were required to cultivate the grounds and keep them in good order. The men also cared for the livestock. You had to be sixty-five or older to become a resident.
Initially, residents were charged a lifetime membership fee of $500.00. In 1919, the price was lowered to $350.00. In 1934, the price was $600.00.
In 1937, they proposed (not sure if they did) charging incoming residents:
$ 1000.00-lifetime fee for 65 to 69 years old
$ 800.00-lifetime fee for 70 years or older
$ 1400.00-lifetime fee for out-of-state residents
The first resident was Alvin A. Coffey, a Kentucky-born, formerly enslaved person. He came to California during the Gold Rush.
1849 Alvin A. Coffey came to California with his master’s brother. Coffey was permitted to start a business for himself, but he was not allowed to keep his money. Between 1849 and 1857, he made three trips to California. On the third trip, he saved enough money to purchase freedom for himself, his wife, and his children. Coffey and his family settled in Shasta County in 1857.
An Oakland Tribune article from 1901 reported an unsuccessful attempt was made to have Alvin Coffey sent to an insane asylum.
Coffey stated the problem started when he sold a horse to the home’s matron and her daughter for $35.00. He said she refused to pay, so he went to the association, and they ordered her to pay.
“Since then, she has been very bitter towards me.” Coffey 1901
The matron swore to the complaint, charging Coffey with insanity. She alleged he attempted to put chickens to roost during the day and that he had
“a strange gleam in his eye.” Harriet Davis 1901
The complaint was discharged by the Lunacy Commissioner, who found Coffey to be of sound mind.
Solano-Napa News Chronicle March 6, 1952
Mrs. Mary Ann Lane, a Negro Pioneer and ex-slave, died in the home in 1932 at the age of 102. She had lived there for twenty-five years.
1908 Oakland City Directory
Mrs. Sarah McDonald died in 1924
Closing the Home
In 1937, the Department of Social Services informed them that their license to run the home was put on hold due to concerns they had about its financial condition.
At the same time, the Oakland Fire Marshall strongly recommended that the residents be moved to a safe, fire-proof building—the cost of bringing the old wooden building up to fire prevention requirements. The Community Chest of Oakland withdrew its monthly support.
UndatedBudget Report most likey the late 1930s.
“the present building constitutes a serious and dangerous fire hazard.”Oakland Fire Marshall, 1937
The home remained in business until 1938. , Mills College purchased the property in 1938 and the home was demolished in 1939.
Kenneth P. Green Sr.’s Photographs of the 1960s and 70s.
Multiple women outside a West Oakland Methodist Church in 1967. (Kenneth P. Green Sr.)
ABOUT THE ARCHIVE (from the Website)
The Kenneth P. Green, Sr. Photography Archive seeks to preserve and present the collected work of photojournalist Kenneth P. Green, Sr. As a lifetime Oakland resident and the first African-American staff photographer for the Oakland Tribune (1968-1982), Mr. Green captured some of the most consequential social changes occurring not only in the Bay Area, but in our time. His photographs reflect the best of photojournalism and photography —a chronicle of the here and now and a collection of personal portraits that illustrate the timeless human side of the people involved. What separates the Green Archive from conventional journalistic sources are the thousands of additional images Green captured as a participant and member of a dynamic community mobilizing during turbulent years. His true artistry lies in his ability to capture the multifaceted organic expression of the African American community in the Bay Area—unrehearsed portraits of movement leaders, interactions of families, students, and community members, and the full range of people who participated in the daily work of social change.
ABOUT THE FOUNDATION
The Kenneth P. Green, Sr. Photographic Archive is maintained by Sugga’s Eye, Images, A Green Family Foundation. In 2015 the Green family opened The Kenneth P. Green, Sr. Archive to the public with the expressed purpose of preserving the rich history captured in these images and returning it to the community. Many who lived through these moments remain in our community and have shared their personal recollections and stories, further documenting the historic importance of the images.
The Foundation is also committed to engaging younger generations in confronting today’s problems through the lens of a history not often told. The stories these images tell have the power to inspire today’s teens by documenting an empowered black community working together to achieve self-determination and social change.
“Kenneth P. Green Sr. attended Laney College from 1965–67, majoring in Photography. During that time, he developed a close relationship with students and student associations at Laney, as well as Merritt College. These Oakland-based campuses had substantial student bodies of color and were both vibrant community colleges as well as centers of activism and community organizing. His images capture all facets of campus life.”
OAKLAND COMMUNITY
“Kenneth P. Green Sr. was the staff photographer at the Oakland Tribune from 1968-1982. Prior to, and even during, his tenure at the Tribune, he was a keen observer of his community. This gallery highlights a set of personal portraits that capture the multifaceted organic expression of the African American community in the Bay Area.”
Current Show
CURRENT
Toward A Black Aesthetic: Kenneth P. Green Sr.’s Photographs of the 1960s and 70s. SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY, 25 January-21 April, 2024
The exhibition, titled Toward a Black Aesthetic and on view through April 21, 2024, features Green Sr.’s mostly never-before-seen images capturing Bay Area Black women’s beauty and style in the 1960s and ’70s.
Jewett Gallery – Lower Level African American Center Exhibit Space – 3rd Fl, 100 Larkin Street SF CA 94102
More Info:
The Oakland Tribune’s First Black Photojournalist – KQED
Black pioneers moved to Oakland soon after the town was founded in 1852. By 1860, 23 blacks lived in Oakland Township, and 18 lived in Brooklyn (east of Lake Merritt, now part of Oakland).
The first schools in California, public and private, were segregated. The system of segregated schools developed without organized opposition or serious debate. Eventually, segregation became law with the California School Code of 1860 explicitily prohibited Black, Chinese, and Indian children from attending public schools.
The Black community recognized the need to educate their children in Oakland and Brooklyn.
The Flood Family
Elizabeth Thorn Scott came to California during the Gold Rush with her first husband, Joseph Scott, and settled in Placerville, CA. Her husband died soon after their arrival. Elizabeth then settled in Sacramento with her young son.
Seeing the need for a school for “non-whites,” she opened her home centrally located between M and N Streets on May 29, 1854, becoming the first “colored” private school in Sacramento.
Elizabeth Thorne Flood undated Oakland History Room
There were 14 students in the school between the ages of 4 and 29, and their families paid $1.00 per week, and they paid her $50.00 per month. Later, the school became part of St. Andrews (AME) Church, holding classes in the basement.
Isaac Flood came to California in search of gold. In the early 1850s, he settled in the Brooklyn Township. Elizabeth and Iassc were married in 1855 (not sure when or where they met.) She retired from teaching and moved to Brooklyn.
In 1856, Elizabeth gave birth to a son, George Frances Flood, who was said to be the first “black boy” born in Alameda County. She gave birth to a daughter, Lydia Flood, in 1862.
George F. Flood 1856-1924Lydia Flood Jackson 1862-1963
Again, seeing the need for schools in the black community, she campaigned to get support for another school.
In 1857, she opened the first private school for Black children(open to all minorities) in Oakland, Alameda County, in her home at 1334 East 15th Street. Members of the Black community supported this effort, paying tuition in addition to taxes that covered schools their children could not attend.
Elizabeth’s goal for her school was to be competitive with White schools.
Oakland Heritage Alliance Newsletter Fall 1984
In 1863, the Shiloh A.M.E Church (now First A.M.E Church) assumed control of the school following its formal organization as a church. The Flood’s helped organize the church and were founding members. The church purchased the abandoned Carpentier schoolhouse (see Oakland’s First Schoolhouse)and moved the building to 7th and Market Streets in West Oakland. The tiny building served as the church’s chapel and housed the school. Elizabeth taught at the school until she died in 1867 (unexpectedly)at 39.
Isaac continued their quest for equal education for all children. He was a member of theCalifornia Colored Convention Movement, which challenged California’s segregation laws in the early 1870s, citing the recently enacted 14th and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
He and a group of leaders in the Black community petitioned the School board in 1871 to end segregation.
Their daughter Lydiawas among the first to attend an integrated Oakland public school, the old Swett Grammar School on 12th Avenue and East 19th Street.
Brooklyn Colored School
The expense of supporting a private school was a heavy burden on the Black community. In 1866, the parents from Oakland and Brooklyn petitioned the Oakland and Brooklyn Boards of Education to provide the education of Black children in both areas. After months of delay, the Brooklyn board voted to establish a public school in Brooklyn, which was open to children from both places.
In 1867, the Brooklyn Colored School opened in Brooklyn (now a part of East Oakland). It was the first public school for Black children in Alameda County. It was located at 1008 10th Avenue (or 1066 10th Avenue)in an old, dilapidated building that was initially a private residence (the old Manning House) and measured only 35 by 38 feet.
Brooklyn Colored School Oakland CA – Miss Mary Jane Sanderson – Oakland History Room
A young Black woman, Miss Mary Sanderson, was the only teacher from 1867-1871. She was only 16 when she started teaching at the school (Oakland Heritage Alliance Newsletter winter-spring 1994.)
In 1870, the school was located in the Adams Street Primary School room, a two-story brick building built in 1866. (Brooklyn Independent December 3, 1870.) This might explain the brick building in the photo above.
In 1871, the minimum number of students fell below the required 10. The school was forced because there were more Oakland children than in Brooklyn.
1871
Due to its remote location, the Black children of Oakland found it challenging to get to the Brooklyn School. In 1869, the Oakland Board of Education voted to open an evening school that admitted Black children and adults. The Black community rented a building on Jefferson Street, and the Board of Education contributed $25 a month to support the school. D. Clinton Taylor, a white teacher, taught in the one-room school. The school closed in July 1869 after operating for only six months.
In 1872, Oakland’s Board of Education went against the State School code and approved integrating Oakland schools in a 5-2 vote.
More Info:
Elizabeth Scoot Flood: Early Oakland Educator – OPL Blogs
African American Women of the Old West By Tricia M Wagner 2007- Internet Archive
The Commemorator newspaper was a newspaper printed in South Berkeley from 1990-2013 by the Commemoration Committee for theBlack Panther Party and focused on promoting the goals of the Black Panther Party as outlined in its Ten Point Program. The newspaper served to teach the history, goals, and principles of the Black Panther Party, as well as report community news mostly related to living wage employment, violent crime, and adult literacy.
The Commemorator newspaper collection consists of 54 issues of Commemorator newspaper printed from 1990-2012. The newspaper consists of reports on the activities of the Commemoration Committee for the Black Panther Party, profiles and activities of former Black Panther Party members, community news and op-ed articles, letters to the editor, photographs, and events listings.
Oakland’s first black city councilman, Joshua Rose, served on the Oakland City Council, representing District 2 from 1965 to 1977.
Joshua Rose pictured in 1928 (University of Pittsburgh)
Early Life
Joshua Richard Rose was born in Lexington, Virginia, on September 11, 1906, to George and Mary (Charles) Rose.
His family relocated to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where Joshua attended Schenley High School.
After high school, he enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt), where he completed the required credits for a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in 1934. He did post-graduate work in economics, philosophy, and psychology at New York University.
YMCA
While at Pitt, he worked at the Hill District Center Avenue YMCA. The Y served as a residence for Black students at Pitt who were not allowed to reside at the university residence halls.
The Montclair Times Jun 18, 1935
After graduation, Rose accepted a position with the YMCA in Montclair, New Jersey.
The Pittsburgh Courier – February 23, 1935
Montclair Times – Feb 1939
In 1939, Rose moved to California with his wife Virginia and their two children, Richard and Virginia, to help establish a branch of the Oakland YMCA for the local African American community.
Oakland Tribune April 23, 1939
He helped create what was later known as the Northwest Branch, initially located at 36th and San Pablo but later moved to 3265 Market St. in the early 1940s.
Rose was responsible for introducing summer day camps incorporating arts and crafts with sports and outdoor activities, including an annual trip to Yosemite National Park.
Oakland Tribune March 28, 1943
Rose worked throughout his career to provide many Oakland youth with constructive activities and summertime employment through the YMCA’s programs. In 1967, Rose retired as Associate General Secretary of the Metropolitan Branch of the YMCA.
Board of Playground Directors
SF Examiner July 18, 1947
In 1947, the city council selected Rose as the first African American Board of Playground Directors member, a group that would eventually become the Oakland Recreation Commission.
Oakland Tribune June 1, 1959
Rose was a board member for 17 years, including serving as chairman from 1961 to 1962.
Oakland Tribune May 9, 1957
Oakland City Councilman
On August 27, 1964, Mayor John Houlihan asked Rose if he would complete Robert V. McKeen’s unexpired termon the Oakland City Council. Rose agreed and became the first African American to sit on the Council.
Oakland Tribune August 30, 1964
Rose represented the 2nd District. A Republican, he was re-elected three times in 1965, 1969, and 1973.
“I have a deep interest in Oakland’s future. To secure that future, dedication and sacrifice based on sound academic training and reliable experience are necessary.”
Joshua A. Rose April 1965
He was a respected member of the Council, particularly for his work in easing racial tensions in the city in the late 1960s when the Black Panther Party, founded in Oakland in 1966, challenged the local political establishment.
After sustaining severe injuries in an automobile accident, Rose officially retired from the Council on June 30, 1977.
Death
“Josh was a symbol for us” “A symbol of success.” Mayor Lionel Wilson Septe 1987
Joshua Rose passed on April 13, 1987, from Parkinson’s disease. He was 81.
Tanya Dennis was crowned Miss Oakland in 1968, becoming the first African-American to wear the crown. She then became one of the early African Americans to compete for the title of Miss California.
Oakland Tribune 1968
Miss Dennis was the first of three (in a row) African-American Miss Oakland.
Oakland Tribune June 1968
In June of 1969, Miss Dennis competed with 36 other girls throughout the state for Miss California.
Miss Dennis won the talent division with an exotic African ballet.
Santa Cruz Sentinel June 1968
Miss Dennis was the third runner-up in the Miss California pageant.
Miss Oakland 1969
In 1969, Laomia McCoy was crowned Miss Oakland, becoming the second African-American to wear the crown and compete for Miss California’s title.
Miss McCoy sang a selection from “Porgy and Bess” to win the talent category in preliminary judging, and Miss Redlands, Susan Anton, took the swimsuit honor.
The Californian June 20, 1969
Susan Anton won the title of Miss California, and Miss McCoy was one of the runner-ups.
Miss McCoy was 19 at the time of the competition and a student at Merritt College.
In 1970, Theresa Smith was crowned Miss Oakland, the third African-American to wear the crown and compete for Miss California’s title.
Santa Cruz Sentinel June 4, 1970
Smith competed alongside 35 contestants for the title of Miss California.
SF Examiner June 17, 1970
Miss Oakland Theresa Smith was awarded the Miss Congeniality award, which was voted for by the contestants. She was also honored for being the most talented non-finalist dancer in the competition.
Oakland Tribune November 12, 1970
Miss Smith was 20 years old at the time of the competition and a student at the University of California.
The officials at the Miss California State pageant refused to let Miss Smith perform unless she dropped the “offensive” word “Black” from her recitation. It hadn’t been offensive in Oakland.
Oakland Tribune October 8, 1970
Black Beauty Queens Denied Rewards
Laomia McCoy and Theresa Smith, Miss Oakland of 1969 and 1970, held a press conference to discuss how the Miss Oakland beauty pageant’s sponsors treated them unfairly and racially discriminated against them.
“if they had it to do all over again they wouldn’t have competed in the annual pageant.”
Theresa Smith and Laoma McCoy Sept 19, 1970
Negligent
The Oakland Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees) sponsored the pageant for 24 years before 1970.
“I feel that they (the Jaycees) have been negligent in communicating with and supporting me and have failed to bestow upon me the full benefits of my title, ” said Miss Smith.
Miss Smith charged that she was promised a $1000.00 scholarship but only received $100, was invited to appear at hardly any civic events, and was denied pay for personal appearances.
SF Examiner 1970
The Jaycee president said her complaints were just a misunderstanding about what the title involves and that she received the same as previous winners.
Theresa received a $100 scholarship that was promised before the start of school. However, the money arrived after her final registration at UC, forcing her “to be faced with an additional fee for being late” in registering.
In 1970, the Jaycees decided to drop their sponsorship of the pageant after 24 years; they said they were over budget by $1500.
Delilah Beasley was the first African American woman to be published regularly as a columnist for the Oakland Tribune in California.
She is most known for her book “The Negro Trail-Blazers of California,” published in 1919 and reprinted in 1968.
Early Life
Delilah Leontium Beasley was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on September 9, 1871, just after the Civil War, to Daniel Beasley, an engineer, and Margaret Harris.
Beasley began her newspaper career in 1887, writing about church and social activities for the black newspaper, the Cleveland Gazette.
After her parents’ death, she went to Chicago and took a position to learn massage: she desired to become a nurse, which she became a few years later.
She traveled to California to nurse a former patient and stayed.
After moving to Oakland in 1910 at the age of 39, she wrote for the Oakland Sunshine and the Western Outlook.
In 1910, 3,055 African Americans lived in Oakland.
Trail-Blazers
To help her race; to open doors into the arts and sciences for the negro boys and girls, has been the impelling force for Delilah Beasley”
Los Angeles Times Jul 13, 1919
Oakland Tribune April 16, 1915
Beasley spent the first nine years in Oakland researching Black Americans’ history in the west at the University of California at Berkeley. She also would give presentations at local churches.
An early cover of the book
In 1919 she self-published a book called The Negro Trail Blazers of California. The book chronicled African American “firsts” and notable achievements in early California. The book includes diaries, biographical sketches, poetry, photographs, old papers, conversations with old pioneers, and a comprehensive history of early legislation and court cases.
Her book paved the way for Beasley to become the first African American woman in California to write regularly for a major metropolitan newspaper. She worked for the Oakland Tribune from 1923 to 1934 and wrote a weekly column entitled “Activities Among Negroes.” The column carriedcivic and religious news of the black community
Beasley was determined to advance the rights of African Americans and women; she joined many civic clubs, including the NAACP, the Alameda County League of Women Voters, the National Association of Colored Women, the Oakland Council of Church Women, and the Linden Center Young Women’s Christian Association.
She was an honorary League of Nations Association of Northern California member.
Oakland Tribune March 3, 1928
Delilah died at the age of August 18, 1934. Beasley is buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery.
Oakland Tribune August 19, 1934
She lived for many years at 705- 34th Street.
The exterior of Delilah Beasley’s house, 705 34th Oakland, California – African American Museum & Library at Oakland
In the 1930s, the Linden Branch YWCA and the Filbert Street YMCA developed programs that helped the Black community survive the Depression. They emerged at a time when the national Y’s both encouraged separate branches for Black members.
Linden branch of the YWCA in Oakland, California. Circa 1940 West Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.
Linden Center’s name comes from its location at 828 Linden Street in West Oakland. Due to its increasing membership, it achieved “branch” status in 1924 and was then known as the Linden Branch Y.W.C.A or the Linden Y.
Young Women’s Christian Association Collection – African American Museum & Library at Oakland (Oakland, Calif.)
The Linden Y functioned as a job placement center and welfare agency during the Depression.
Linden Street Y.W.C.A.–West Oakland Library
The branch operated as a community center, offering members religious training, recreational activities, counseling, vocational training, and music and art programs.
Linden Street YWCA – African American Museum & Library at Oakland
YWCA yearbook Young Women’s Christian Association of the U.S.A.–History. African American Museum & Library at Oakland (Oakland, Calif.)
By 1938, the Linden St. Y had a membership of over 750.
For almost 25 years, the Linden Branch was a segregated facility. In 1944, following a national policy change, the Oakland YWCA board integrated the Linden Street Y.
“to make its program available to all women and girls irrespective of race, creed or color”
The name was changed to West Oakland CenterYWCA.
A group of men and women is sitting on a wall in front of Linden Branch Y.W.C.A – circa the 1930s. African American Museum & Library at Oakland (Oakland, Calif.
Group Photo 1940 African American Museum and Library at Oakland
Linden Street was described as ” a two-story framed building with four club rooms, a reception hall, office for the business and industrial sections, and two rooms rented to accommodate working girls.”
The facility and surrounding neighborhood were razed in the early 1960s to make room for the Acorn Projects.
Linden Street Y.W.C.A. 828 Linden Street circa 1940 Young Women’s Christian Association of Oakland. African American Museum & Library at Oakland (Oakland, Calif.)
Oakland’s Black YMCA.
The organization, organized by Rev. L.A. Brown of the First A.M.E. Church, opened on June 6, 1926. It was initially located at 3431 Market Street in West Oakland, and William E. Watkins, an attorney, was the first director. 1927, the organization had 160 members, including 134 seniors and 26 boys.
3431 Market St -Today, Google Maps
1929, they moved to 804 Filbert Street, known as the Filbert Street Branch YMCA. 1935, they moved to 805 Linden Street and became the Eight and Linden Branch YMCA.
The Filbert Street Y promoted a competitive sports program. Its annual track meets athletic contest attracted competitors from all over the Bay Area.
Oakland Tribune March 19, 1934
They sponsored a variety of classes and activities. Members could attend Bible and woodworking courses. C. E. Brown organized a boys’ orchestra that performed for the public. Some of the boys were invited to summer camp.
In 1936, Mr. Watkins resigned as director and was replaced by R.T. Smith. The directory lists the BLACK YMCA at 836-36th Street. After moving to 36th Street, it became known as the North Oakland Branch. It probably integrated at about the same time as the Linden Branch.
Exterior of YMCA building African Americans–California–Oakland–History–Pictorial works. source: Joseph (E. F.) Photograph Collection circa the 1930s
836 -36th Street today – Google Maps
More Info:
Oakland Heritage Alliance Newsletter – The Black Y’s of Oakland – Winter 1987-88
William Watts was known in Oakland for having a tract of land named for him.
Watts Tract from 1911 Map – black dot shows the location of the Watts’ Home.
The land was 158 acres running from Chestnut to the Bay, and from 28th to 38th Streets. Looks like it now considered Clawson.
Family History
William Watts was born in Chelsea, Mass, in 1808. In 1831 he married Maria Francis Rollins. They had a son William Augustus Watts born in 1833.
Oakland Tribune 1949
In 1850 Watts traveled to California, via the “Horn.” After mining in Tuolumne County, he returned to San Francisco.
On May 04, 1858, William Watts took the title of 158 acres from Francisco Sanjurjo, who had acquired the property from the daughter of Domingo Peralta. Mr. Watts paid $5000 for the land and built a large ranch home at what is now the corner of 34th and Chestnut Streets. He farmed the property until 1876.
Oakland Tribune November 12, 1949
Oakland City Directory 1874
William Watts passed away on January 16, 1878, and the ranch was passed on to his son William.
The family also owned a Tannery that was a close to their ranch.
Subdivided
Oakland Daily Evening Tribune 1874
In 1874, 60 acres were subdivided, and a map of the Watts Tract was drawn up.
Oakland Tribune December 09, 1874
Watts’ Tract Auction Sale
In December of 1876, an auction sale was held at the Watts’ station, on the Berkeley Branch Railroad. Two hundred twenty-eight lots were sold in two and one-half hours.
Oakland Tribune November 12, 1949
Streets Named For
Four streets in the “Watts Tract” are named for the daughters of George Washington Dam. A friend of the family.
Eleanor Street
Louise Street
Hannah Street
Ettie (Henrietta) Street
Residence of G. W. Dam, Webster Street, Oakland, Alameda County. The Lawrence & Houseworth Albums, 1860-1870 California Views Society of California Pioneers Photography Collection
