Saratoga News
News
Photograph by George Sakkestad
The historic McWilliams House, which sits next to the Saratoga Historical Museum as part of the Saratoga Historical Park, is getting a facelift. Mark Stephens of Romano Construction runs a sander over the rebuilt front porch.
Saratoga's oldest house is getting a new look
By Shannon Burkey
No one knows exactly how old it is, but one thing they do know is that it's time for the McWilliams House to receive a much-needed facelift.
Built sometime between 1855 and 1865, the redwood pioneer cottage was home to Saratoga blacksmith James McWilliams, his wife Martha and their five daughters. The family occupied the home from 1865 to 1880.
"This may well be the oldest structure in Saratoga today," said Chuck Schoppe, president of the Saratoga Historical Foundation. "There is one other building in Saratoga that was probably built around the same time, but we don't know for sure because there were no building permits back then."
The house was on Lumber Street, now Big Basin Way, and was moved to its current location on Saratoga-Los Gatos Road in 1973 when the historical foundation and the community rallied to save it from demolition. The property owner at the time wanted to make way for a new commercial building on the property.
The owner donated the house to the foundation, but only if it could move it. The community and the foundation worked together to raise money to save the Saratoga landmark, and it was eventually moved to the site next door to the Saratoga Historical Museum. In 1975, the house was dedicated as an historical landmark, and along with the museum now makes up the Saratoga Historical Park.
Although the house has needed work done for some time, the money to make that happen was not available until a year ago, when a $100,000 grant from the county was approved. The Saratoga Historical Preservation Committee applied for the grant on behalf of the foundation. The city administers the grant money and will also cover a portion of the renovations.
"This is a big deal, and it has been a long time coming," Schoppe said. "The grant was approved a year ago, but it has taken a while to get bids out and get contractors working on the project."
Contractors' fences went up around the property in mid-August, and the renovations are now under way. The house is being stripped of its dry rotted mudsills. and two porches, and new ones will be put it their places. The house is also being brought up to code to accommodate those with disabilities by putting in a ramp and widening the doorways.
Arriving at the beginning process of the renovations may have taken a while, but Schoppe said he hopes it will be finished in time for the Village open house the day after Thanksgiving.
Once finished, the house will be furnished with pieces from its era to make it look as it might have when the McWilliams family lived in it. Schoppe said organizers also hope to have a blacksmith setup in the back yard so visitors can really get a feel for what it was like to live in that era.
"We are trying to resurrect it and bring it back to what it was," Schoppe explained. "The McWilliamses were a working-class family, and that is what we want to convey."
The foundation is also working to set up an educational program for children. Schoppe said the McWilliams house could become an educational field trip spot for local schools. The lesson plans would be fun as well as educational. The program will incorporate crafts and games appropriate to the day with history lessons about the McWilliams family and Saratoga in the 1800s.
