Saratoga News
News
19th century will live again at the McWilliams house
By Shannon Burkey
It has been well over 100 years since the McWilliams family occupied Saratoga's oldest structure, but the house will once again be filled with the laughter of children and the chatter of adults engaging in the day-to-day activities of the late 1800s.
"I'm just so excited to think about how long the house has been in Saratoga and what it will mean to everyone to have it open again for everyone who cares about Saratoga history to enjoy," said Peggy Schoppe, exhibits chairwoman for the Saratoga Historical Foundation and Museum.
Built sometime between 1855 and 1865, the redwood pioneer cottage known as the McWilliams house was home to Saratoga blacksmith James McWilliams, his wife Martha and their five daughters, from 1865 to 1880.
The house was originally located 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 erect a commercial building on the property.
Seeing the community support to save the house, the owner donated it 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 its current location next door to the Saratoga Historical Museum. In 1975, the house was dedicated as a historic landmark, and along with the historical museum now makes up the Saratoga Historical Park.
For years, the house needed major renovation work done, but the money to make that happen was not available until about a year and a half ago when the Saratoga Heritage Preservation Commission applied for a grant from the county of Santa Clara.
In August 2006, fences went up around the property and the long-awaited renovations began. By mid-November the first phase of the renovations was complete.
With the bulk of the work almost finished, the fun of getting the house ready is now under way.
Schoppe and several other women interested in preserving Saratoga's history are trying to furnish the house with pieces from its era to make it look as it might have when the McWilliams family lived in it.
The women have spent hours researching Victorian furnishings, including visiting s other historic houses in the Bay Area, including the Shinn House in Fremont and the Ravenswood House in Livermore, to see the pieces firsthand.
"Many of the ladies on the furnishings committee had never been exposed to historic houses so we went around to several so that they could see the correct vintage and know how to conduct their searches," Schoppe said. "We wanted them to really know what they were trying to accomplish."
The group's searches have expanded to include Craigslist, eBay and even a few flea markets.
"I had been searching for hours for a wood stove," Schoppe said. "It's so hard to find things made of metal from the 1870s and 1880s because so much of it was collected and used as scrap metal for the war. So much of the stuff from that vintage is just lost."
But after hours of searching on Craigslist, she found just what she was looking for.
Schoppe said the committee has also depended on word of mouth and the generosity of the community to get the word out about the need for furnishings. So far, the committee has received several donations, including a Victorian table, rugs and a washstand. One woman, who heard about the project through a friend, donated the entire set of her great grandmother's 1800s Victorian Eastlake parlor furniture.
"It's really become a larger community effort as people are learning about it," Schoppe said. "Some people have really responded."
The women are working their hardest to get the house ready before October when the historical foundation plans to began its education program for third- and fourth-grade students at the house.
"We're going to open up the house to visits from schools in particular, but also scout groups or any other group interested in learning about early Saratoga," said Linda Hagelin, a retired Saratoga teacher who will direct the education program.
As students visit, they will be given the opportunity to learn about life in early Saratoga by visiting various stations set up throughout the house. The kitchen station will give students a glimpse of how families in the 1800s cooked and stored their food; in the parlor station, students will learn 1800s manners and the type of things families did together in the parlor; the washroom station will teach students how families stayed clean in a time when showers were not readily available; and in the school station, 1800s desks will be set up and students will take part in a lesson that children in the 1800s might have done.
In addition to the stations in the house, the students will have some play time in the yard where they will learn games of the 1800s, grind corn and scrub clothes on a wash board.
"Saratoga teachers have told me that right now they have to go to San Jose for their history component and that they would love to be able to do it right here where their students can learn about Saratoga," Hagelin said.
Although the program is targeted to third- and fourth-graders, Hagelin said that she could adapt it to meet the needs of adult or senior groups as well.
"I'm just looking forward to sharing this with everyone because it's just going to be so much fun to share the history with anyone interested," she said.
The Saratoga Historical Foundation will hold a grand reopening of the McWilliams House on Oct. 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the community is invited to attend. Anyone with vintage items to donate or who would like volunteer on the project should contact Peggy Schoppe at 408.867.4311 or peggy@saratogahistory.com.
