August 2017 | www.santabarbarafamilylife.com | Santa Barbara Family & Life | 11
Life & style
Fernald Mansion one of SB’s many historic homes
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By the Santa Barbara Historical Museum
he new home that Charles Fernald and family moved into in 1864 bears little resemblance to the house one sees today at 414 W. Montecito St. The house has undergone a gradual transformation over almost 100 years, which has even included a move across town. Charles Fernald, like so many others, arrived in California in 1849 in search of the riches of the gold fields. Born in Maine in 1830, he had been studying law when the gold fever struck. Again, like so many Charles Fernald others, his quest came to naught; he ended up back in San Francisco, where he completed his law studies. After living through two catastrophic fires, he decided to return East in 1852. He never made it. Stopping off in Santa Barbara to visit friends, he ended up accepting the position of sheriff at the tender age of 22. Miraculously, considering the period of lawlessness the town was undergoing, young Fernald survived his two months as peace officer and in August he was elected district attorney. This was the beginning of 40 years of public service and community involvement. In addition to his thriving law practice, Fernald served three terms as a county judge and in 1881 was elected mayor of Santa Barbara. In 1862, he married Hannah Hobbs and began construction of the family home. The house originally sat at 422 Santa Barbara St., surrounded by a city block of carefully manicured gardens. In those days, the family could enjoy clear views of the ocean. The original house was a two-story, square structure made of brick with a leanto kitchen at the rear. It was not until 1880, as his family continued to grow, that Fernald had the house transformed to take on the look familiar to visitors today. The house now had a steeply pitched roof common to homes designed in the Victorian Queen Anne style. As the family grew, so did the house. By the time the last Fernald daughter, Florence, made the final additions in the 1920s, the house had grown into a 14-room mansion. Florence Fernald died in 1958, and her will dictated that the house be demolished. However, the Santa Barbara Historical Society launched a campaign to save the house as a landmark and move it to society property on West Montecito Street. The move was no easy task. Workers cut the house into three sections and hoisted
Photos contributed by the Santa Barbara Historical Museum The house originally sat at 422 Santa Barbara St., surrounded by a city block of carefully manicured gardens. It was a twostory, square structure made of brick with a lean-to kitchen at the rear. The Victorian home is now being lovingly restored with period furnishings and select artifacts belonging to the Fernald family.
it onto trailers. The journey across town took two days, and some 400 overhead telephone lines had to be cut to make way for the steep-gabled house. One section became stuck crossing the railroad tracks, which resulted in a frantic call to stop the northbound Southern Pacific train. Now the beautiful Victorian home is being lovingly restored with period furnishings and select artifacts belonging to the Fernald family. For more information, log onto www. sbhistorical.org.
Tours: Tours of the mansion are offered Saturdays at 11 a.m. with an advance reservation by calling the museum at 805-966-1601. Tours are free for Historical Society members and students. There is a charge of $10 for all others.