Tales of the San Francisco Peninsula
by
Theron G. Cady
A series of articles first published in 'Peninsula Life Magazine'
Published by C-T Publishers, San Carlos, California, 1948
A short distance northward
on Canada Road leading out of the historical old town of Woodside, stands
a two-story white frame house with three gables. For sixty-five years
this old house has stood facing the hills over which Portola and his party
traveled years ago. During these years it has seen many changes come
to the valley and the green hills in the distance. It has seen the
giant redwoods disappear and heard the sound of the hame bells of the "bell
teams" gradually swell into the maddening roar of motor cars.
At first the house, built in 1882,
towered majestically over the countryside but as time wore on it, too,
gradually faded until it stood roofless and at a rakish angle. The
floors, worn smooth at the thresholds, buckled in the middle and sagged
drunkenly at the corners. The porch, partly torn off, leaned crazily
against the house for support and the ornate scroll-work along the roof
hung precariously. The whole place was in decay, slowly bowing to
the harsh demands of time and weather.
In 1939, Albert (Bert)
T. Shine, a prominent attorney of Oakland, acquired the property from his
sister, Mary E. Byrne. He was undecided after inspecting the decrepit
old house as to whether he should restore it or finish what the elements
had set out to accomplish. Finally, a decision was reached and the
old place was granted a new lease on life. The porch was shaken from
its drunken stupor and straightened up. The scroll-work was renewed
and tacked back into place. The floors were raised seven inches at
the corners to level themselves with the center. Broken windows were
replaced and the holes which were bored in the floors to permit standing
water to escape were fitted with wooden plugs. A coat of paint and
a new roof completed the job and the old house once again stood erect and
dignified.
With the outside restored
Mr. Shine moved inside to see what could be done. He found the walls,
stairs and fireplace intact and several pieces of discarded furniture strewn
about. As he stood looking at the old pieces of furniture his mind
wandered back through the years. Suddenly a smile spread over his
face and a hobby was born. He had restored the outside, now he would
furnish the inside in keeping with its age. In his sister's home
up on the hill were a few articles of furniture originally belonging in
the old house. These were returned and served as a "starter" for
the many pieces of furniture that followed. Pieces of furniture that
need such a house to bring out their age and mellowness.
Since that day Mr. and
Mrs. Shine have scoured the countryside seeking old furniture, glass and
bric-a-brac to fill the nine rooms of the old house. Piece by piece,
the living room, kitchen and bedrooms have been carefully restored to resemble
a home of some sixty years ago. A century old Seth Thomas grandfather
clock constructed of cherry wood marks time in the hall. A combination
album and music box occupies a small marble top table in the living room.
A steeple clock keeps keeps company with the spinning wheel and long-handled
brass bed warmer on the hearth. In the kitchen are many ancient pots
and pans. An old splasher churn, worn smooth by use, stands ready
to renew its task of making butter. The mechanical apple-peeler attached
to the home-made kitchen cabinet is in perfect working order and the collection
of old irons on the massive wood stove depicts the many advance steps in
the art of "washing and ironing."
In one corner of the
living room, next to a cabinet filled with figurines is an old horse-hair
sofa. In the opposite corner stands a horse-hair chair with an "antimacasser"on
the chair back. The melodeon under the front window is over 100 years
old and still plays perfectly. A marble top table on which rests
a music box album occupies the center of the room.
The dining room, perhaps
the most interesting of the entire house, boasts an inside fireplace with
a flue that extends through the bedroom above for added warmth. On
the hearth stands a wooden spinning wheel and from the mantel hangs a brass
pan bed warmer. When used the bed warmer was filled with hot coals
and quickly slipped between the covers on the bed where it was moved back
and forth until the chill was gone. The collapsible brass lantern
on the mantel, although foreign to the house and its furnishings, is a
rare antique. It is known as a Watts Instantaneous Lantern and is
perhaps the forerunner of our present-day flashlight. Made in London,
the lantern is about five inches high and about three inches square.
The two side panels and the front, which serves as a door, have isinglass
windows. In the bottom of the lantern is a small brass drawer containing
miniature candles and other neccessary paraphernalia. The entire
lantern, when not in use, collapses into a small compact package which
can be easily carried in the pocket. The lantern was presented to
the Shines by Mrs. Hedden of Seattle, Washington, and according to authentic
records it was carried by a Doctor Robson who administered aid to the wounded
at the battle of Waterloo in 1815.
The Shine collection
of early American glass goblets contains many pieces of rare value.
They are effectively displayed in an old china closet which occupies one
wall of the dining room. To describe the collection would require
many pages but glass collectors, in the know, will readily appreciate the
pieces of Westward Ho, Moon and Star, Frosted Grape and Magnet, Pigs and
Corn, Lincoln and Garfield drape, Comet, Classic, Owl and Possum and the
Ashburton. Elsewhere about the room are early American pictures,
figurines, and old dining sets, dishes and other objects of great interest.
In the bedrooms, reached
by stairs with steps hollowed by rough boots, you will find everything
in readiness for a good night's rest. The old spool bedsteads, restored
by Mr. Shine, are again doing duty. They are completely made up with
sheets, pillows, quilts and bedspreads. In one of the bedrooms is
a Windsor chair and a blanket chest which Mrs. Shine highly prizes.
In another room a commode, complete with porcelain washbowl and pitcher,
awaits some weary traveler. The old coal-oil lamps with ornate shades
are filled and ready for the touch of a match. From the wooden towel
rack in the corner hang clean fresh towels serving to remind visitors of
early day living.
In the trophy room off
the hall upstairs Mr. Shine has a collection of early guns, Indian relics
and many objects from the lumber camps which once surrounded Woodside.
In the Indian collection will be found many beaded objects, a headdress,
bows and arrows, and several mortars and pestles. The prize piece
of this interesting collection is a beaded funeral moccasin. Very
few of these have ever found their way into "pale face" hands because of
their religious significance. They were placed on the feet of deceased
Indians during funerals and played such an important part in the ceremony
that followed that they were never permitted outside tribal hands.
There are hundreds of
other rare articles in the Shine house that deserves special mention.
Space prevents our describing them here but those already meantioned will
serve to show the hours of time and labor Mr. and Mrs. Shine have put into
their hobby house. Mr. Shine, in his own workshop, refinishes and
repairs small pieces of furniture. In this shop many important discoveries
are made. Just recently Mr. Shine discovered a beautiful piece of
rosewood furniture hidden beneath seven coats of paint.
In an old building back
of the house are many objects that are yet to be conditioned. In
time they will be cleaned and repaired and eventually find their niche
in hobby house. Up the hill stands an old chuck wagon waiting for
the day when it will be restored complete with furnishings. The oxen
yoke, the harness, carriages and old lanterns in the shed are also scheduled
for Mr. Shine's expert attention.
Through their years of
collecting, Mr. and Mrs. Shine have captured a part of the charm and dignity
of a past generation and carefully preserved it for posterity. They
have taken proper settings, affording all of an opportunity to glance backward
on a pioneer home of our forefathers.