Remembering: 'Tis better to have loved and lost...
In Memoriam A. H. H., by Alfred Tennyson
Valentine's Day, a holiday tradition tracing back to the 1300s, may equally evoke in us feelings of love and heartbreak. Along that same vein, Secret San Jose's Cassie Kifer—writing below—uncovers some fascinating SJ stories about James Lick, Sarah Lockwood Winchester, and more: about love had, and love lost.
As we head into Valentine’s Day this weekend, I wanted to share some local places in and around San Jose that are rooted in stories of lost love. …
1. James Lick Mansion & Mill – 502 Mansion Park, Dr, Santa Clara
While James Lick is most famous as the namesake and benefactor who funded the construction of the University of California’s Lick Observatory, the Gold Rush-era San Francisco real estate tycoon also had a South Bay mansion and ornate grain mill that he built to win his lover’s hand in marriage.
A bust of James Lick at Lick Observatory
As a struggling young man starting his career in Pennsylvania, he wanted to marry his childhood sweetheart but her father denied it because Lick was not wealthy. Her father was a mill owner and said he wouldn’t allow them to marry until Lick had a mill equal to his own: “When you own a mill as large and costly as mine, you can have my daughter’s hand, but not before.” He left promising, “Someday, I will own a mill that will make yours look like a pigsty!” …
He left Pennsylvania to pursue other opportunities … These investments paid off and he soon became the wealthiest man in California. He still hoped to win back his girlfriend, so in 1855 he completed a lavish grain mill that used the most expensive machinery and filled it with the finest woods and custom woodwork. Observers called it “the Mahogany Mill” and “Lick’s Folly.”
He had the mill photographed and sent copies of the images back to Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, by that time, not only had the father that he hoped to impress died but so had Lick’s girlfriend.
2. The neighborhood of Naglee Park
One name many San Joseans recognize is Henry Morris Naglee, a respected civil engineer and Civil War general turned orchardist and brandy distiller. In 1902, his downtown San Jose property was converted into San Jose’s first residential subdivision, Naglee Park. But this esteemed general was the victim of an early and high-profile case similar to what we call today, “revenge porn.”
A monument to General Naglee in St. James Park
A scorned lover published a book of all the private letters he wrote to her during wartime to show how he made repeated promises to her of his love and commitment. In The Love Life of Brigadier General Henry M. Naglee (published in 1867, read it for free on Google Books), Naglee’s former lover, Mary L. Schell, shared deeply personal letters that the General had written to her before they broke up. … In letters that start, “My darling baby,” “enchantress,” or “little love,” Naglee poured his heart out about fears and anxiety, illnesses he had suffered, including typhoid fever, and bitter disagreements with his superiors, including the actions of President Lincoln. …
3. The Winchester Mystery House – 525 S. Winchester Blvd, San Jose
The popular narrative of San Jose’s most famous oddity, says that its construction was driven by sadness and superstition based on lost love.
Sarah Winchester’s sprawling home. Photo courtesy of the Winchester Mystery House.
As the legend goes, Sarah Lockwood Winchester was a wealthy Connecticut widow said to be overcome by grief after the death of her husband and her infant daughter. She sought guidance from a psychic who told her to move west and build a house nonstop for the rest of her life to appease the spirits that haunted her. … Over the next 38 years, Winchester built a sprawling 24,000-square-foot and 160-room mansion, riddled with strange architectural features, such as doors that open to blank walls and second-story drop-offs, and staircases that lead straight into the ceiling.
Read the whole thing here.
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