From the St. Helena Star, reported by Mariam Hansen.
News events for 1880
A private high school, which had been held in the Episcopal Church, moved to Inglewood. The pupils were taken down daily by coach.
In February the Odd Fellows built a livery stable on the east side of Main Street near Adams. The stable was run by A. P. Kluit, recently from Calistoga.
Elias Barnett, pioneer of Pope Valley, died. He had come to Pope Valley in 1843. The next year he married the widow of William Julian Pope, after whom the valley was named.
Thomas Mooney built a blacksmith shop on a lot leased from Mr. Lewelling at the corner of Main Street and Sulphur Springs Avenue.
The first white girl born in St. Helena was Anna Walsh on March 4, 1853 at a home on Main Street. Belle Dixon was born four days later.
An old dwelling at Pine Station (Zinfandel) is being demolished, having been built in 1858 by Martin Philpott. He purchased 60 acres from Maria Soberanes de Bale at $13 per acre.
At the town election in April, the trustees (councilmen) elected were John Allyn, William Simmons, W.A.
Elgin, Henri Pellet and A. Tonolla. Leopold Lazarus was elected treasurer and John Allison as marshal.
Miss Dixie Chiles graduated from the Young Ladies Seminary in Napa (for which Seminary Street is named).
In Inglewood Nine of St. Helena defeated the Oak Mounds of Napa 28 to 24 in ten innings. Inglewood committed 21 errors and Oak Mound 33.
The St. Helena Viticultural Society (now Appellation St. Helena) purchased a lot between the bonded warehouse on Church Street (still there) and the Baptist Church (now offices at the corner of Hunt).
Captain J.N. Grant bought 15 acres between the Lodi School (now a home) and the railroad tracks (since removed).
On July 3rd George A. Riggins opened his Wonderful Drug Store at Main and Hunt Street (his initials are still there in the sidewalk).
H.H. Heath, teacher at the Vineland School (south of Sutter Home), resigned because his pay was reduced to $80 per month for teaching 54 pupils.
The official census showed the county had 12,033 residents, St. Helena-1,339, Calistoga-467.
Dr. George Crane completed his new home south of the high school and named it Sunny Acres (now Salvestrin home).
Misses Annie and Lillie Dixon visited Yosemite Valley. On the return trip Annie drove a team of horses from Yosemite to Stockton.
St. Helena as 450 school children; Rutherford 118, Pope Valley 61, Spring Mountain 24, and Howell Mountain 24.
W.E. York built a new home on his place adjoining that of his father.
In July the St. Helena Viticultural Club completed their new hall on Church Street and held their first meeting. The upper story was rented by the Grange. (later sold to the city and moved to Main Street for city hall 1891-1955).
J.F. Merk came to town and opened a tailor shop on Main Street, two doors down from the Palace Hotel.
In September Madrona Avenue was extended to Allyn Avenue to the property of Alstrom (today it extends to Hudson).
Patrick R. Sheehan, who came here in 1856, died. He was the brother of B.R. Sheehan and Margaret Tainter.
Will Chiles and Tom Vann shot 173 quail during a day’s hunt.
“Colonel” Tichenor of Calistoga purchased four tons of lead, rolled thin as wallpaper, and other materials from which he intended to extract gold from mud at the hot springs.
Abraham Goodman’s store at Main and Spring Streets did not reach Spring Street by eleven feet so he leased the strip and built an addition to his business (he had not built the present brick building yet, but had a wooden building).
Electioneering began in town with the Democrats forming a club in support of Winfield Hancock and William English; led by Dr. G.B. Crane. The Republicans supported James Garfield and Chester Arthur.
(Garfield/Arthur won in a very close election).
Henry Rahn started a brewery at this place. T. Tonolla put up a building adjoining the William Tell Hotel on Spring Street as a bottling works for Rahn’s beer.
E. W. Woodward (real estate agent from Oakland) purchased property on Sulphur Springs Avenue next to Sarah Chase Bourn. He opened a real estate office on Main Street next to Bussenius’ Drug Store.
Clara Shortridge Foltz’s campaign speech
A woman attorney, Foltz made a campaign speech in support of Garfield and Arthur Club. She was met at the train depot by the marching club in uniforms and a torchlight procession escorted her to a platform on Main Street from whence she spoke.
William Scheffler, preparatory to building a new home at Edge Hill, had the old house razed. It was built in 1855 by Leonard Lillie, then owner of White Sulphur Springs Resort. Kettlewell’s Blacksmith Shop was built on the same property by Mr. Lillie, later being moved to the corner of Main and Adams Streets.
The political season
The Hancock Legion, the young Democrats marching club, and the town band went to Calistoga for a political meeting.
- The Calistoga boys were very inhospitable, offering insults and abuse. Finally it forced a fight in
which the Calistogans came out second best.
- The presidential election heated up fervor in town. Democrats held rallies with bonfires in the
street, while the Republicans were nearby. Cannons were fired to add to the enthusiasm.
- The vote in St. Helena gave Garfield 141 to Hancock’s 99. John Thomann won over W.W. Lyman
for supervisor. California elected five Democratic electors and one Republican.
- In December the Republican ladies gave a dinner for the young men’s club. Speaker Owen Wade
predicted an early advent of women’s right to vote.
John Kister harvested 64 tons of grapes from 6500 vines. G.B. Worrell gathered 107 tons off six acres.
During the year the railroad company mined 660 carloads of gravel from Sulphur Creek (near west Charter Oak Avenue).
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