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January-February 2026
Volume 6, Issue 1
| | President McKinley's Visit to Monterey, 1901 | |
A November Surprise
On November 5th a leak in the ceiling of the Stanton Center theater was discovered, but not before it caused extensive damage to the ceiling and soaked the seats and floor beneath. A quick response by Albert Radillo in summoning the fire department averted extensive flooding of the floors. The problem was a leaking fire suppression system pipe. The pipe was replaced, analysis was done to check for possible asbestos contamination, dehumidifiers were rented to prevent mold from developing, damaged drywall was removed and replaced, all was patched/painted, and the theater was deep cleaned. We did lose a couple of theater bookings, but things could have been much worse. We owe many thanks to Theresa Yarnell-Todd and Monica Churchill for their work to orchestrate the cleanup and repairs, and to Roy Blanco of Blanco Construction Services for his help in making the repairs.
-Gary Spradlin, President,
Monterey History and Art Association
| | The open ceiling where the leak started. | | | The ceiling during the repair and replastering. | | The repaired and cleaned theater! | | |
Lucy Clark Tichenor Schnabel
(1844-1938)
In the Monterey History & Art Association’s June 1965 Noticias bulletin one learns that native Californian Miss Edythe Foster (1881-1967) donated a Victorian era oil painting of the Carmel Mission that was done by the artist Lucy Hooker Clark Tichenor. Edythe lived the majority of her life in the family’s 1879 farmhouse in San Rafael until her final 2 years when she moved to San Francisco’s Art Deco style Hamilton Building @ 631 O’Farrell Street. On page 4 of the October 24, 1967 (Marin) Independent Journal one reads her obituary “Funeral will be in San Francisco tomorrow for Edythe Foster, 86, a pioneer San Rafael resident who lived here nearly all her life in the family home at 21 Center Street. Miss Foster moved to San Francisco two years ago…Her death notice, which she wrote herself, reads only that she was the daughter of the late Mr. & Mrs. George H. Foster of San Rafael, and that she is survived by five cousins…But Miss Foster’s life in San Rafael, she once recalled for an interviewer, included a day in 1904 when she and a friend saw injured men lying on straw in a cart coming from an accident at Lake Laguna. She and others were the driving force in forming the San Rafael Emergency Corps, after a meeting called at the local ice cream parlor. Miss Foster was elected secretary of the organization and helped raise money to finance the first headquarters at West End Sanitarium on Shaver Street and to purchase a horse drawn ambulance. The emergency hospital which grew from that early day aid station later was expanded to become known as San Rafael General Hospital.
Miss Foster helped in the Emergency Corps and rolled bandages during the Spanish American War. She worked as a volunteer at Stanford Hospital in San Francisco during WW I and was active in civilian defense work in San Rafael during WW II. She was made an honorary member of the Women’s Auxiliary of San Rafael General Hospital in the 1950s.”
Her funeral was held @ Gray & Co. on Divisadero Street & she is buried in Colma’s Cypress Lawn Cemetery.
The artist Lucy Hooker Clark was born in Platteville, Wisconsin on April 1st in 1844. Her father was Dr. Joseph Washburn Clark & her mother was Jane Wells Fessenden. The couple had 4 children of which only two, Lucy & Joseph, reached adulthood.
In the late 1850s the family moved to San Francisco.
On May 5th, 1868 Lucy married Henry Baldwin Tichenor in San Francisco at the residence of the bride’s father. Rev. A. L. Stone officiated. Henry was a prosperous lumber merchant & approx. 20 years her senior. They lived @ 427 Second Street in the western edge of the fashionable Rincon Hill neighborhood. Lucy continued her artistic pursuits in San Francisco, Mendocino & the Monterey Peninsula from the 1860s through the 1880s. Henry died on March 26th in 1883. He left Lucy an estate worth $395,767.
Although unsigned or dated the Carmel Mission painting is attributed to Mrs. L. Tichenor & is currently displayed in Casa Serrano’s parlor. The painting’s verso is stamped “From Snow & May’s Art Gallery Importers & Manufacturers of Pictures, Frames, Moldings, & Artists’ Materials 21 Kearny St.” Snow & May’s gallery was only in business from 1874-1878. So the date of the painting is from that time (or later). 21 Kearny @ St. Mark’s Place (now Maiden Lane) was built in 1869. Its architects were Townsend & Wyneken. The first art gallery located there was Snow & Roos.They were in business until 1874 when Roos was replaced by May. Snow & May decided to retire in 1878 & the business closed.
She married artist Herman Schnabel in 1887. The 12/3/1887 Mendocino Beacon reported “A very quiet wedding occurred at 427 Second Street, San Francisco, on Thanksgiving Day, Rev. J. C. Holbrook, uncle of the bride, officiating and the parties were Herman Schnabel, an artist of Munich, Germany, and Mrs. Lucy H. Tichenor of San Francisco…the ceremony took place, in the presence of upward of twenty of the bride’s relatives, and was followed by a Thanksgiving dinner, after which the married couple left the city for a short visit at Navarro, the country house of the bride.” They lived in SF for a few years & then moved to Germany (Herman's native country) in the early 1890s.
Lucy returned to SF permanently in October 1933. She died on June 13th in 1938. She is buried in Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Colma.
Michael Mazgai
above photo: Lucy Tichenor (Morse photo 1878) (ancestry.com)
| | 'Carmel Mission' Lucy Tichenor Schnabel | | 'Carmel Mission' Verso (Snow & May's Canvas) Lucy Tichenor Schnabel | | 21 Center St. San Rafael Edythe Foster farmhouse (photo Compass Real Estate) | | Edythe Foster SF home (Hamilton brochure 1962) | | 1874 Snow & May Art Gallery Ad SF Chronicle | | |
Local People
Kent Seavey
Kent Seavey has lived in the same house in Pacific Grove for the past 50 years. It seems appropriate for an Architecture Historian and Art Consultant to live in a house that has been around for more than 100 years. It was originally a stable for the horse and buggy owned by the people in the house next door. The house no longer looks like a stable but has all the charm like so many houses in Pacific Grove.
Kent grew up in Riverside, CA. He enlisted in the Marines shortly after high school graduation and spent a fair amount of time in Southeast Asia during that time. Kent remained in the Reserves for 30 years. Upon returning to Riverside, Kent attended Riverside City College. He also became part of the staff at Riverside Museum, beginning his interest and education in art and architecture. He tried transferring to San Jose State but ended up at San Francisco State where he majored in the Humanities.
Kent’s professional career began to take shape working as the curator of the California Historical Society and then working at the DeYoung Museum. Along the way, Kent was lured to Carmel in the
1960s when Susie Crocker and her husband Tony wanted to begin an art museum in Carmel. The Bank of Carmel, across from the Tuck Box was for sale, but the City of Carmel did not vote in favor of the museum. However, this was just the beginning of Kent’s long history with Monterey County. He became the Historical Coordinator for the County of Monterey. He began teaching at MPC in 1976 and publishing early monographs on early California artists. He was instrumental in establishing the Pacific Grove Art Center.
It was during this time Kent became a good friend of Thom Steinbeck, John Steinbeck’s son. Kent was part of the committee to
design the John Steinbeck memorial stamp and it was here that he met Thom.
Kent was also a good friend of Pat Hathaway. Pat was a photographer and collector of old photographs depicting Monterey and surrounding areas in the early days. After Pat’s untimely death, Kent and others made sure Pat’s photo collection was preserved and found a home for the collection with Monterey County Historical
Society.
Over the years, Kent has been awarded and recognized for his extensive work in preserving Monterey County’s history. In
2024 he was the winner of the Monterey County Historical Society Award for Preservationist of the Year. Kent remains active as a consultant for several art and architectural organizations and individuals.
If you have a friend or relative who would like to share their story about living in or around Monterey, please contact Monterey
History and Art Association at MHAA.org1931@gmail.com
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Peninsula Diary
Mayo Hayes O’Donnell
Colonel Fitch and Sir Francis Drake
Mayo wrote this article for the Monterey Peninsula
Herald on December 20, 1949.
The finding of the lead scroll in an ancient bottle at Moss Beach near the Monterey Peninsula Country Club recently has led to the interesting discovery that
Colonel Roger S. Fitch is a lineal descendant of Sir Francis Drake, the depositor, with his chaplain, of the bottle “at the foot of a tree along a running stream,” claiming the country for good Queen Elizabeth of
England.
The great-great-great maternal grandfather of Colonel Fitch, who was Samuel Drake, was an ensign in the Revolutionary War. Later in life he was always addressed as Captain Drake. When Colonel Fitch was a very young boy he remembers going to Westfield, Chautauqua County, New York, to visit his grandfather Brewer. In the dining room of the Brewer home there was hung a framed commission, signed by George Washington, naming Samuel Drake an ensign in the Continental Army. This, along with an old watch which was shown to him by his grandmother as she told him the story of the adventures of Captain Drake, the owner of the watch, greatly impressed young Roger Fitch. After the Revolutionary War, at a time when the estate of the late Sir Francis Drake was to be settled in the English Courts, Captain Drake took ship from Boston for England to present his claim for a share in the estate. It is Colonel Fitch’s opinion, as he remembers the stories told to him by his grandparents, that Sir Francis Drake never married and he left no will.
When Captain Drake sailed for England, he took with him a colored boy servant, named Sam, on the voyage. The ship came into difficulties off the coast of New Brunswick, and when it became apparent that it was about to flounder, he wrote a note to his wife, which, with the watch, he wrapped in an old skin pouch and gave to the servant. In the note he related the condition of the ship and his doubt of his being able to reach shore if the ship did sink. He believed Sam might and requested her to give the faithful servant his freedom if he was able to reach Boston with the message and watch. The ship was wrecked and Captain Drake was drowned along with the valuable papers he was carrying to England.
The servant, Sam, reached the shore of New Brunswick and made his way down that coast and the coast of Maine, which in those early days was populated with war-like Indians and held great danger to the traveler. He reached Boston, where he deposited the note and the watch, and supposedly was granted his freedom as requested.
In later years when the estate of Colonel Fitch’s grandfather was settled by his son, F. B. Brewer Jr., the framed document, citing the commission to Captain Drake, and the watch were sent to some member of the Brewer family, so at present it is not in the possession
of the immediate Brewer relatives.
The daughter of Captain Drake, Submit Drake, married William Emerson and their daughter, Julia Emerson, was Colonel Fitch’s great grandmother. She passed away when Colonel Fitch was a small boy. She was the fifth in descent from the Emerson who married Rebecca Waldo and it is thought they were probably ancestors of Ralph Waldo Emerson, the famed poet.
Colonel Fitch is the possessor of the family linage chart, which is most interesting to study, and it is from that document that the above ancestry has been traced and also from the good memory of the Colonel, who had heard the stories of the Drake family form early
childhood.
Colonel Fitch is one of the Peninsula’s most respected citizens. He was one of the organizers and first president of the Monterey History and Art Association, and is a member of the board of directors of the
association and the Monterey Foundation. He was in command at the Presidio of Monterey for several years before the war, after which he retired. He re-entered the service when war seemed imminent and was in command at Fort Ord during most of the early construction period of that important Army installation.
Aside from all his honor on the Peninsula Colonel Fitch was a member of Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders and has attended several of the reunions of that group.
Colonel and Mrs. Fitch built a charming home of Monterey architecture on the Monterey Mesa, which was ready for occupancy when he retired at the Presidio of Monterey; and since then, they have
extended generous hospitality to friends from the Peninsula and abroad.
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MHAA Lecture Series
Histories of the Monterey Waterfront
Monterey History and Art Association is hosting a history lecture series this winter in the Stanton Center Theater on Custom House Plaza. The series, Histories of the Monterey Waterfront, explores some of the histories of this unique place. We are fortunate that some of our region’s top presenters have agreed to participate in this series.
Tickets are available on the MHAA website. Admission is free for members, $10 per session for non-members. Members must reserve a ticket to ensure a seat! After each session, attendees can go on a quick, optional targeted tour of the museum, where items discussed in that day’s presentations will be highlighted. For non-members, the ticket price includes admission to the museum from 3-4PM on the day of the session.
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Sunday February 1, 1-3PM
Tim Thomas
Title: A is for Abalone: The Japanese on the Monterey Wharf, 1900-1941
Synopsis: This presentation tells the remarkable history of how a group of pioneering Japanese fishermen, along with a German Chef named “Pop” Ernest Doelter, transformed a once thought uneatable mollusk into a gastronomical delight and making Monterey the Abalone Capital of the World.
Bio.: Tim Thomas is a fisheries historian and author who has researched the fisheries and cultural history of Monterey for over forty years. For sixteen years he was the Historian/Curator for the Monterey Maritime Museum. He is on the board of directors of the Monterey Japanese American Citizens League and Curator of Japanese American Heritage Center. Tim has traveled and lectured extensively on the Monterey Japanese community both in the United States and in Japan. In 2023, The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary awarded Tim the Ed Ricketts Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Field of Historical Ecology.
Bob Enea
Title: The Sicilian Experience and Fisherman's Wharf
Synopsis: This presentation focuses on the history of the Monterey sardine fishing industry through photos and descriptions that made Monterey the Sardine Capital of the World. Bob’s grandfather, Orazio Enea, and great uncle, Pietro Ferrante, were the pioneer fishermen of the sardine industry.
Bio: Bob Enea is a retired Physical Education teacher and football and swimming coach. He is a member of the Italian Heritage Society, where he serves as historian. Bob has authored many articles for the Santa Rosalia Festival magazine. He is currently serving as assistant swimming coach at Hartnell College. Previously, Bob served as the National Swimming Coach of the Saudi Arabian team, 1976-1977; during the Montreal Olympics and the Pan-Arabian Games in Damascus, Syria.
eadline
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Sunday February 15, 1-3PM
Cameron Binkley
Title: Anton C. Heidrick: The Life and Photos of an Army Bandsman on the Monterey Peninsula
Synopsis: This presentation examines the life and work of Anton C. Heidrick, an early twentieth-century Monterey photographer who specialized in panoramic scenes and military subjects.
Bio: Cameron Binkley is the Command Historian for the Defense Language Institute at the Presidio of Monterey. Among his responsibilities are managing the Institute’s historical collections, which include more than 50 full-size panoramic Heidrick photographs.
Scott Gale
Title: Custom House: A History in Drawings, Photographs and Fine Art
Synopsis: This fast-paced presentation will discuss the essential history of Monterey’s Custom House, California Historical Landmark #1, via historic drawings, photographs, and fine art paintings. Attendees will be treated to a visual feast.
Bio: Scott Gale is a semi-retired physician and MHAA board member. An amateur historian, he authored an article on Custom House for the December 2025 edition of Carmel Magazine.
direct and co
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Sunday, March 1, 1-3PM
Greg Henderson
Title: Lewis Josselyn: Pioneer photographer of Carmel and Monterey County, 1900–1950
Synopsis: This presentation examines the life and work of Lewis Josselyn, whose photographs document the artistic, civic, and architectural development of Carmel-by-the-Sea and the broader Monterey County region during the first half of the twentieth century.
Bio: Greg Henderson is a historian, author, and genealogist specializing in the early history of Carmel-by-the-Sea and Monterey County. He has published multiple books and articles on the region’s founding families, artists, and photographers, including an in-depth study of Lewis Josselyn.
John Sanders
Title: “The Magnificent, World Famous Hotel Del Monte Bathing Pavilion”
Synopsis: Hotel Del Monte, California’s pioneering Victorian-era resort, drew world acclaim after its opening in 1880. The hotel’s technologically advanced bathhouse with its heated, crystalline sea green waters, became one of the main attractions in the 19th Century. This presentation chronicles the significant role the Del Monte bathhouse played in promoting travel and tourism to California and Monterey.
Bio: John Sanders artfully blends history, storytelling and four decades of study to reconstruct the color and pageantry of Hotel Del Monte, once hailed as “the world’s most elegant seaside resort.”
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LIBRARY NEWS
LIBRARY NEWS
Mayo Hayes O’Donnell Library hosted ~481 visitors for the two
nights of Christmas in the Adobes. Our volunteer harpist, Yvonne
Crane, played on Friday night for the enjoyment of our visitors
for the fifth year in a row and library volunteers also opened and
closed Stanton Center (ticket pickup location) both nights in
partnership with State Parks.
Library Statistics
Mayo Hayes O'Donnell 2025 Visitor Tally
Month Number of Visitors
January 38
February 34
March 34
April 17
May 29
June 31
July 35
August 53
September 44
October 36
November 35
December 41
total number of visitors in 2025- 427
Christmas in the Adobe visitors- 481
FOREIGN COUNTRIES: Bulgaria, Sweden, New Zealand.
STATES: CA, GA, MN, Washington D.C., WI, HI, AZ, NM, NC, FL, UT, WY, NY, MI, OR, MD, NV, AL, TX, CO, RI
Visits from out of the country are down significantly this year from years 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Reasons for Visit:
Path of History, Research: Adobes, Railroads, Artists, Military, Fishing, Regional, Family Histories, Architecture, California Missions; as well as book purchases, Library aficionado, local school projects, Meeting location for local history
Volunteers
Month Visits/Hours
January 39/103
February 35/87
March 37/100
April 33/89
May 20/53
June 35/92
July 42/112
August 43/124
September 42/105
October 43/116
November 22/53
December 41/123
ACCOMPLISHMENTS/HIGHLIGHTS
*Book sales continue to be successful and continue to draw many visitors.
*Completed the accessioning of all Game & Gossip copies; front covers & ToC are available on PastPerfect; 2025 UPDATE: ~ 80 issues of Game and Gossip are now available online in their entirety.
*Continued our expanded library hours (1:30-4:00); we are now open Wed. through Sun.
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MEMBERSHIP NEWS
MHAA’s membership year is October 1 through September 30. Our renewal reminders over the last 2 months have made a difference to our organization but we still have a ways to go to achieve full membership renewal.
We appreciate all the members who have renewed and encourage those who still need to renew to please consider doing so. Member support helps MHAA to maintain our historic properties, to prepare galleries for exhibits, and provides funds for projects large and small. THANK YOU.
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Museum at Stanton Center
On The Waterfront: The Chris Shake Collection of Historic Photographs
At the MHAA Museum at Stanton Center, a new exhibit On The Waterfront: The Chris Shake Collection opened on November 1. The exhibit features 39 historic photographs owned by Mr. Shake of Fisherman’s Wharf and the immediate environs, all taken between the late 1890s and 1950. Mr. Shake’s collection includes photographs by a number of important historic photographers, including J.K. Oliver, Lewis Josselyn, Pat Hathaway and Nicholas Vingrad.
Approximately 200 people attended the gala reception for the exhibit, which was held on Sunday November 2. Mr. Shake catered the event, which featured abalone on the half shell and other tasty treats. Reception attendees thoroughly enjoyed the exhibit, conversations and the food and beverages of course.
On Sunday December 7, KSBW ran a segment on the exhibit at 6:00 and 11:00PM. That morning, reporter Brooke Kinebrew interviewed Mr. Shake and MHAA board member (and exhibit curator) Scott Gale. 40-plus minutes of footage was subsequently condensed down to the 90-second segment which aired later that day.
The exhibit has been quite popular with museum visitors. MHAA had planned to take it down at the end of January, but the exhibit will be held over through May.
| | Chris Shake being interviewed. | | The buffet at the reception. | |
Shopping at the Stanton Center Gift Shop
Need a unique gift? We have Jo Mora canvas and easel sets, mugs, notebooks, pens, ornaments, candles, greeting cards, soaps, children's items, Cartes and much more. The Museum Store is open during our regular museum hours.
Stop in and see what we have!
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Monterey History and Art needs volunteers at:
Stanton Center: volunteers are needed to monitor and host events.
Casa Serrano: docents are needed to staff the adobe on Sat. and Sun. from 2-4 pm and to staff special events.
MHOD Library: volunteers are needed Wed. thru Sun. from 1:30- 4 pm to welcome visitors and help with research questions. Other tasks include: scanning material to place on our website and sharing the history of the library and Monterey.
Training will be provided for volunteers at each of these sites.
email us at MHAA.org1931@gmail.com
THANK YOU
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Come visit our exhibits at Stanton Center.
Free admission for MHAA members!
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P.O. Box 1082
Monterey California, 93942
montereyhistory.org
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