Early Residents of Montclair – Before 1920

In the mid-1980s, I started looking into the history of Montclair in Oakland Hills. I discovered that Montclair had residents as early as 1865. Here is “A bit of History” of them.

I will also be doing a piece about the residents from 1900-1920.

Colonel John C. Hays – Fernwood

In the late 1850s, retired Texas Ranger Colonel John “Jack” Coffee Hays purchased about 800 acres of land in the hills of Oakland, behind what is now Piedmont. His beautiful country estate was Fernwood, and he lived there with his wife Susan and their children.

Residence of Col. John C. Hays, Oakland, Alameda County, California.”
(Published by Thompson & West, Oakland, Cal., 1878)
from Oakland History Room

His home was near today’s Mountain Boulevard and Thornhill Drive in Montclair. The area was frequently referred to as Hays (Hayes) Canyon or “Jack Hays Canyon.” The main road to his property from downtown Oakland would later be Moraga Avenue.

Hays died at home on April 22, 1883, at 66.   After his death, Fernwood was sold to William J. Dingee.

William J. Dingee – Fernwood

William Dingee, water magnate and competitor of Anthony Chabot. Dingee enlarged and embellished the gardens, adding fountains, terraces, and statues. The improvements were said to have cost a quarter-million dollars.

Athens of the Pacific 1896 – Google Books

Dingee built an opulent 19-room Queen-Anne-style mansion with additional landscaping, gardens, terraces, and waterfalls. He also added such features as a deer park and an elk paddock.

Athens of the Pacific” 1896

Sadly, the home and countless artworks were destroyed in a fire in 1899. Oakland Tribune Oct 19, 1899

Sometime after 1915, Dr. and Mrs. Nelson M. Percy of Chicago, Illinois, purchased the former W.J. DIngee home “Fernwood” for an undisclosed amount.

Oakland Tribune March 12, 1916
Oakland Tribune Aug 19, 1923

Gibson and Fields

Map showing the locations of the Gibson and Fields

Cote Brilliant

Judge E.M. Gibson owned the property just beyond Thornhill School. Gibson built a beautiful home called “Cote Brilliant, ” later owned by E.M Boggs. The house burned down in 1910. Dr. Mark Emerson bought the land in the mid-1920s, built a lovely home, and lived there until the late 1950s. St John’s Episcopal Church is now there.

Oakland Directory 1889
Oakland Tribune April 23, 1887

Oakland Tribune 1891

J. B. Fields

Joseph B. Fields was born in England. Before moving to Hays Canyon, he was an Oakland Police officer for 12 years.

Oakland Tribune Apr 16, 1890

He owned 25 acres of farming land next to the property of Judge Gibson. His farm was in the general location of Aspinwall Road today.

Fields died at his farm in 1891.

SF Chronicle Jan 25, 1891

Glen Kohler

Glen Kohler, the home of Mrs. C.A. Kohler, was located about where Thornhill Drive, Pinehaven Road, and Woodhaven Way meet.

Oakland Tribune Oct 17, 1885

Cordelia A. (“CA”) Kohler was the widow of Andrew Kohler (1819-1885) of Kohler & Chase Pianos.

Oakland Tribune Nov 14, 1885

Glen Kohler was designed by architects Samuel and Joseph C. Newsom (Newsom Brothers) in 1885. The residence was 18 rooms in what was known as a “freestyle.” It cost about $10,000.

Picturesque California Homes, Issue 2 Circa 1890
Picturesque California Homes, Issue 2 Circa 1890

She died at her home in Hays Canyon on November 27, 1894.  Her funeral was attended mainly by the old settlers of the county and was held at her home on November 30, 1894.  She is buried at Mountain View Cemetery alongside her husband Andrew and her daughter Louisa (1849-1854), who died at age 5.

1894

More Info:

I don’t know what happened to Glen Kohler after Mrs. Kohler died.

The End

Hays School District

In March 1886, the Board of Supervisors created a new school district. That took from portions of the Piedmont, Peralta, and Fruitvale districts representing about 44 children. 

Hays Canyon Schoolhouse
Students pose with their teacher, in this photo and of the six children sitting down. Walter Wood is 2nd from the left, his brother Alfred Wood is 4th from the left, Harry W. Logan is seated on the far right, and his brother Maurice Logan (the painter) is standing on the far right. The Logans and the Woods lived at Lake Temescal.
c 1900-1910 Oakland History Room

The new district was called the Hays School District in honor of the late Colonel John Coffee Hays

The superintendent appointed the following residents of the area as trustees:

  • W.H. Mead
  • J.H. Medau
  • Mrs. Susan Hays

Land Donated

Hetty S. Henshaw gave the district the land for the school. The Montclair Firehouse was built on the spot in 1927, using the front part of the lot.

Hays school -
Oakland Tribune July 16, 1886

New School House Built

Requests for bids to build the school were made in July of 1886.

Oakland Tribune July 1886

The completed school was small at only 32×36 feet,  with just one classroom. It was Gothic in design with a graceful-looking bell tower. It had two entrances, one for the boys and the other for the girls, with each entry having a 6×6 vestibule. The sash bars of the windows are all horizontal, copying the style of European schools. 

Hays School House -
Oakland Tribune July 07, 1886

The construction cost about $2,500 and took about two months to build.

Oakland Tribune December 10, 1887

The architects were Goodrich & Newton.

Dedication

The dedication of the school was held in October 1886. It was attended by most of the families that lived in the area. Judge EM Gibson and W.H Mead made opening remarks. Some of the families in attendance:

The students from the school provided entertainment under the direction of their teacher Miss Lucy Law. The following students performed:

  • Clara Gibson
  • Gussie Gibson
  • Carrie Mead
  • Daisy Mead
  • Susie Mead
  • Mattie Mead
  • Edith Medau
  • Louise Medau
Oakland Tribune February 11, 1888
Oakland Tribune November 23, 1889

Graduation 1901

Hays School was the scene of brightness and beauty on Friday, June 14, 1901. Friends and family gathered to witness the closing exercises. The four graduates were:

  • Jessie Logan
  • Robert Shepherd
  • August Carson
  • Scott Monroe
Oakland Tribune June 1901

School Trustees

In 1904, Mr. S. Morrell and Mr. Johnson were appointed to fill the vacancies caused by George Hunt’s and G.W. Logan’s removal.

Attendance for the year ending 1911 for the Hays School was 11 students.

Oakland Tribune August 01, 1911

School Closes

The school was closed around 1913, and the building was demolished. It was probably due to the Oakland, Antioch, and Eastern Railway construction, later known as the Sacramento Northern.   For more on the Sacramento Northern, please go here. The East Bay Hills Project

Montclair Firehouse

The Montclair firehouse was built on the same site in 1927. The storybook-style building was designed by Eldred E. Edwards of the Oakland Public Works Department.

Storybook firehouse on Moraga Avenue in the
Montclair district of Oakland, California. 1934, ohrphoto.districts.031.
Oakland. Buildings Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.

Misc Articles

SF Call September 12, 1891
Oakland Tribune May 14, 1890
Oakland Tribune November 20, 1889

Controversy

SF Examiner July 12, 1891

The End

Thornhill Park

I wish I had more to share about Thornhill Park. I only learned about it by accident when looking into Judge EM Gibson’s home, who lived on a ranch where Thornhill School is now and over to Aspinwall Drive. He lived there in the late 1880s.

The boundaries of Thornhill Park from REDFIN.com

Thornhill Park went on sale in May 1917. The Reality Syndicate handled the sales at first.

Thornhill Park was an area of small farms of 1/4 acre to 1 acre where you could grow your food or raise chickens, as noted in the ad below.

Oakland Tribune May 1917
Oakland Tribune 1922

The home of F.M. Boggs was the home of Judge EM Gibson (more about him later), and after the home of Dr. Mark Emerson, Alameda County Coroner, and now St. Johns Church, is in that location. Approximate location 1707 Gouldin Road

Oakland Tribune
April 1922

By 1922 they were having a “Liquidation Sale” and trying to “close out” the rest of the tract by selling 1/2 acre lots for 66 cents on the $1.00.

It seems Thornhill Park wasn’t a big seller. I noticed it wasn’t advertised as much as any other tracts in Montclair, like Forest ParkMerriewood, or Fernwood, were. 

Later, Phil Hearty, a developer and agent who had an office at 5815 Thornhill for years, took over the sale of the remaining Thornhill Park lot. Now Thornhill Park is part of Forest Park and Montclair Highlands.

Some of the homes in Thornhill Park –

Oakland Tribune April 1922

A September 1919 advertisement for “6-Room Bungalow on One Acre in Beautiful Thornhill Park” located at 650 Thorn Road is now 6116 Thornhill Drive. The Langdon family lived there from about 1923- 1945.

Oakland Tribune Sept 24, 1919

6138 Thornhill Drive is another of the original homes in Thornhill Park. Back in the 1920s, the address was 670 Thorn Road. The Bullard family lived there until the 1990s.

6022 Thornhill Drive, Col. George, and Edith Mullen also moved there in about 1917 when the address was 570 Thorn Road. The Mullen’s played a significant role in the Montclair Women’s Club and Montclair Presbyterian Church.

Oakland Tribune Jul 28, 1943
6067 Aspinwall

For now, this is all I have.

The End