Stow House

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The Stow House, Goleta, CA
The Stow House, Goleta, CA

The Stow House is a U.S. historical landmark in Goleta, California. Formerly the headquarters of Rancho La Patera, the Stow House is now the headquarters of Goleta Historical Society which preserves and interprets the history of the Goleta Valley.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

According to Goleta Historical Society: "[The Stow House] was once the headquarters of Rancho La Patera. In 1871, William Whitney Stow, a legal counsel for Southern Pacific Railroad in San Francisco, purchased 1,043 acres costing $28,677 for his son, Sherman P. Stow. Sherman Stow built a Gothic Revival home on the site and moved into the house with his bride, Ida G. Hollister, in 1873. The family expanded the house in two major renovations in the 1880s and 1910s. You can visit the house, see family photographs and furniture, and hear the stories of Sherman and Ida and their descendants.

In 1875, 3,000 lemon trees were planted in the first commercial lemon planting in California. Goleta's earliest commercial irrigation also took place on the ranch, and you can still visit 'Lake Los Carneros', the pond created by the Stows. Sherman Stow's son, state senator Edgar Whitney Stow, set up a research laboratory at the ranch and developed disease resistant lemon rootstock of great value to local ranchers. The house was occupied by three generations of Stow descendants."[1]

[edit] Visiting Stow House

[edit] Schedule

Stow House is open for public viewing on Saturdays (tours begin at 2 and 3 pm) and Sundays (tours on demand from 2 to 3:30 p.m.). The Stow House and associated museums are open every weekend except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, the month of January, and rainy days.[1]

[edit] Location

The Stow House is located on Los Carneros in Goleta. From the 101 exit on Los Carneros, which is about 10 miles west of Santa Barbara. At the top of the ramp, turn towards the mountains. If you continue past Calle Real, you will find the parking lot to your right.[2]

[edit] Nearby Attractions

The Stow House is located next to the Sexton Museum, Lake Los Carneros, and the South Coast Railroad Museum, all of which are points of interest in Goleta.[2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c The Goleta Valley Historical Society: The Stow House
  2. ^ a b John Dickson's Santa Barbara Attractions Guide: Stow House
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