Stagecoach Inn (California)

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Located in Newbury Park, California, the Stagecoach Inn (also known as the Grand Union Hotel) was used as a resting area for people who traveled from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara. It is California Historical Landmark no. 659 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NPS-75000495).

Originally located some 200 yards to the north, the inn was built in 1876. Its redwood lumber came by sea and was freighted up the steep Conejo Grade (between Thousand Oaks and Camarillo) by multiteam wagons. From 1887 to 1901, the hotel served as a regular depot for the Coast Stage Line, which carried both passengers and mail. In the 1960s, the hotel was threatened with demolition by the expansion of the Ventura Freeway, but it was granted Historical Landmark status and moved to its present location.

In April, 1970, a fire entirely destroyed the museum and its contents. Although the reconstructed museum was dedicated and opened on July 4, 1976, the second floor was not completed until 1980.

Today, the inn consists of the museum, a replica of Timber School (originally built in 1889), the barn, a nature trail, and the 'Tri-Village', a small group of three houses: the pioneer house, the adobe, and the Chumash village. There is also a gift shop located inside the museum.

[edit] References

  • Ventura. California Historical Landmarks. Office of Historic Preservation. Retrieved on 2005-08-25.

[edit] External link