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Published on 08/25/1999 All articles from this issue

Orchard origins still evident in early Los Altos homes

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Voice of the Past

In 1913, Palo Alto merchants, the Widemans, built a farmhouse for their San Antonio Road orchard. The entrance is now from Yerba Buena Drive. A notable feature of the property is the finest tank house left in its original location in Los Altos. It was used at one time to store stage sets for an early Los Altos Players theater group.

The one-time farmhouse on the 300 block of San Antonio Road was built in 1908. Although the house was later expanded, it retains its original brown-shingle facade. Later, it became the site of the well-known family business, Mary Ellen Jams & Jellies, which was familiar for its slogan and tune, "A-cup-to-a-cup!" - one cup of sugar for each cup of fresh fruit.

Seventeen acres of apricot trees, called Oak Haven Farm, once surrounded the house currently located on the first block of Castano Corte. There is no firm record of the original one-story Italian-style farmhouse, which may date to 1890. Archive construction details indicate that the original house is now the living room of the present residence, which was built in 1916. "Castano" is Spanish for "chestnut," the type of tree that once stood at the house entrance. When Oak Haven Farm was later subdivided, the road replacing the driveway to San Antonio Road was named "Arbuelo." It was named in honor of his grandfather by Dr. L. M. Kaye when he subdivided it in 1916 (presumably misspelling "abuelo," Spanish for "grandfather").

Tucked well back from San Antonio Road is a large house on the first block of Pine Lane. It was built in 1895, and became the original meeting place for the Musical & Literary Club, organized in 1907. Later it became the San Antonio Club. Early programs featured songs, talks, recitations and piano selections. The Club's present building at 647 San Antonio Road was built in 1908, and is now Los Altos City property.

"I learned to roller-skate on its neighboring sidewalks; it was the only smooth pavement anywhere around," said Mrs. Lee Burnette Schink, recalling her childhood days when she lived nearby. She was referring to the Spinks' family house on the first block of Paso Robles Avenue. Built in 1932, it is notable for attractive tile porch pillars. Charles Spinks formed and owned Spinks Water Company from an underground well located on nearby Pleasant Way. The California Water Service still uses the well. One of its three modern storage tanks can be seen from San Antonio Road near Portola Avenue. Spinks also developed the land into the Los Altos Park subdivision. Virginia Spinks is the name on the original subdivision grant deeds.

Considerably more elegant than the usual farmhouse was the Lunt (later Burnette) house in the 900 block of San Antonio Road, built in 1920.

- Compiled by Don McDonald, courtesy of Los Altos History House Association