Agnew's Village, California

Coordinates: 37°23′38″N 121°57′29″W / 37.394°N 121.958°W

1953 USGS map showing "Agnew", where Agnew Rd. crosses the Southern Pacific railroad track that runs parallel to Lafayette Ave., Santa Clara, California

Agnew's Village, California (or Agnew, California) was a small unincorporated village in what is now Santa Clara, California. It was named for Abram Agnew, a Santa Clara Valley pioneer from Ohio who settled there around 1873.[1][2][3]

South Pacific Coast Railroad depot, in what was once Agnew's Village

Agnew donated 4 acres (1.6 ha) of land for a South Pacific Coast Railroad station and laid out the town, causing the station and town to be referred to as "Agnew's".[2] The railroad depot is still standing.

Agnew's land appears on 1877 maps, opposite Lick Mill, a paper mill operated by James Lick.[2] Agnew's Village was annexed into Santa Clara in the mid 1980s.[4]

The Agnew name lives on in Agnew Park in Santa Clara,[2] as well as Agnews Developmental Center,[1] the western campus of which was located in Agnew's Village. The campus has since been turned into the Rivermark community and an R&D campus for Oracle Corporation (formerly the headquarters for Sun Microsystems). The latter includes the 14.5-acre (5.9 ha) Agnews Historic Park.[5]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 William Bright; Erwin Gustav Gudde (30 November 1998). 1500 California place names: their origin and meaning. University of California Press. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-520-21271-8. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Residents Share Stories About Santa Clara, City of Santa Clara
  3. ↑ Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Word Dancer Press. p. 591. ISBN 978-1-884995-14-9.
  4. ↑ Decision to fix Santa Clara roads a close call, San Jose Mercury News, June 29, 2007
  5. ↑ "City of Santa Clara, California : Parks". City of Santa Clara, California. Archived from the original on 8 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-07.