Benjamin and Hilarita Lyford House
Encyclopedia
The Benjamin and Hilarita Lyford House is a Victorian
house located in Tiburon
, California
. Built in 1876, the house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
peoples. The clearest extant record of such habitation in the vicinity is on the nearby Ring Mountain, where rock art and grinding stones are found on some of the large boulders.
in Tiburon, California, was the home of Benjamin Lyford, a former soldier in the Union Army who was born in New Hampshire
and raised in Cabot, Vermont. He migrated to San Francisco after the American Civil War
to practice medicine, with his wife Hilarita née Reed, the daughter of John Reed
, an Irish immigrant who was granted the Rancho Corte Madera del Presidio
, literally "the place where wood is cut for the Presidio", which today comprises the peninsula incorporating Tiburon
, Belvedere
and much of southern Marin County
. The Benjamin Lyford House was originally located at Strawberry Point, but was moved in 1957 when threatened with demolition and is now co-owned by the National Audubon Society
.
The Benjamin Lyford House is part of the Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 2000. In December 2002 the house was damaged when a tree crashed through the roof. It was closed for a year of restoration, reopening in 2004.
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
house located in Tiburon
Tiburon, California
Tiburon is an incorporated town in Marin County, California. It occupies most of the Tiburon Peninsula, which reaches south into the San Francisco Bay. The smaller city of Belvedere occupies the south-east part of the peninsula and is contiguous with Tiburon...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Built in 1876, the house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Prehistory
The earliest human habitation of the local area was by hunter-gatherer Native AmericanIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
peoples. The clearest extant record of such habitation in the vicinity is on the nearby Ring Mountain, where rock art and grinding stones are found on some of the large boulders.
History
The Benjamin and Hilarita Lyford House on Richardson BayRichardson Bay
Richardson Bay is a shallow, ecologically rich arm of San Francisco Bay, managed under a Joint Powers Agency of four Northern California cities. The Richardson Bay Sanctuary was acquired in the early 1960s by the National Audubon Society. The bay was named for William A...
in Tiburon, California, was the home of Benjamin Lyford, a former soldier in the Union Army who was born in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
and raised in Cabot, Vermont. He migrated to San Francisco after the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
to practice medicine, with his wife Hilarita née Reed, the daughter of John Reed
John Reed (Early Californian)
John Thomas Reed was an early California European settler who was the grantee of Rancho Corte Madera del Presidio in what is present day Marin County, California.-Life:Reed went to Acapulco, Mexico in 1820...
, an Irish immigrant who was granted the Rancho Corte Madera del Presidio
Rancho Corte Madera del Presidio
Rancho Corte Madera del Presidio was a Mexican land grant in present day Marin County, California given in 1834 by Governor José Figueroa to John Reed. Corte Madera del Presidio means the "lumber mill of the Presidio". The grant encompassed what is now southern Corte Madera, Mill Valley,...
, literally "the place where wood is cut for the Presidio", which today comprises the peninsula incorporating Tiburon
Tiburon, California
Tiburon is an incorporated town in Marin County, California. It occupies most of the Tiburon Peninsula, which reaches south into the San Francisco Bay. The smaller city of Belvedere occupies the south-east part of the peninsula and is contiguous with Tiburon...
, Belvedere
Belvedere, California
Belvedere is an affluent city in Marin County, California, United States. Belvedere is located northeast of Sausalito, at an elevation of 36 feet...
and much of southern Marin County
Marin County, California
Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...
. The Benjamin Lyford House was originally located at Strawberry Point, but was moved in 1957 when threatened with demolition and is now co-owned by the National Audubon Society
National Audubon Society
The National Audubon Society is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation. Incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such organizations in the world and uses science, education and grassroots advocacy to advance its conservation mission...
.
The Benjamin Lyford House is part of the Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2000. In December 2002 the house was damaged when a tree crashed through the roof. It was closed for a year of restoration, reopening in 2004.