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We
have received many interesting questions regarding Lompoc
History - so many, in fact, they deserve a separate page. As your
questions come in, they will be posted here, along with the
answers. Email your questions to research@lompochistory.org
(copy and paste the address into your email 'TO' field.)
Because we get hundreds of requests, we may not be able to respond
to you immediately with your requested information. Please be
patient.
I am interested in knowing what was just south of
the Chamber building. and seeing pictures of the 100 block of south
I street. - Bryan
In 1875, B.F. Tucker, Lompoc's first postmaster, built a
residence and post office on the site. In 1876, it housed
John C. Murray's Bakery Shop. In 1880, George Veit bought the
building, calling it the Veit House and converting it to a
hotel. In 1893 John and Leanna Sherman bought the building and
tripled its size and called it the Sherman House. It was
known as the "Sherman Block." All two story buildings were
referred to as "blocks." In f1908, Mrs. Joshua Carr Pendley
leased the Sherman House for a hotel and restaurant. 1911
found Moses John Cousens and his wife Sarah purchasing the
building and business. They operated it as the Cousins hotel
until 1929. Ambrogio and Maria Pensa operated the
Cousins Hotel from 1929 until 1934. In1935, John and
Prosperina Poloni had the hotel and dining room, changing the name
to the "Colonial Inn." In 1973, the busness was bought by Mr.
and Mrs. Orr and renamed the "Orr House." The hotel was
discontinued and many downstairs rooms were demolished to make room
for a cocktail lounge. In 1974, it was named Mastro's,
then became Mastro's Colony House in 1976. In the 1980's
it came full circle, being named the "Sherman House." The
building was eventually razed in the early 1990's, as it had become
unsafe.
Today I was at Lompoc Cemetery (for a funeral) and had a
chance to look at some really old graves. We found this one
headstone that said the person was murdered by Indians.I can't
remember the date but I think it was in the 1870s or thereabouts. Is
there a history of Indian attacks in Lompoc. Just curious, as
finding out about Lompoc's past is of great interests to myself and
family.Thank You - W.A.Turri
The grave you found is that of Mary Sargent, who was
indeed murdered by a sole Indian in 1881. She had left on
horseback to go to a neighbor for eggs in the Santa Rita
District. Her horse returned without her that evening. A
search party was formed and her body discovered in a shallow
grave. An Indian sheep herder was held as suspect, since the
footprints at the scene matched his. His clothes were also
bloody, and there was blood on his lariat. He denied doing the
deed and blamed it on another man, whom he could not identify.
He was found guilty on the spot and hanged. The Chumash,
who inhabited this area before European arrival were a peaceful
people. The only instance of violence was an Indian revolt at
La Purisima Mission. The sheep herder was of Chumash descent
and had come from the Santa Cota Reservation in Santa
Ynez.
Who were the first owners of car dealerships in
Lompoc? Do you have details on what kind of cars were sold,
their prices and about how many people purchased cars? Were
cars sold here prior to paved roads? - Susan
M.S. Hamilton sold Studebakers from
the 30's to the early 50's on the corner of Ocean Ave and G Street
(where Lompoc Toyota is today). Ruffner & Ruffner - Later
to be Ruffner & Schuyler - sold Chevy's from their garage
at 115 North H St. (current Lompoc Record site). Beattie &
Lunt had the ford dealership. They eventually moved it to
H St. and Chestnut Ave. in 1948, where it later became Beattie
Motors. Frank Huyck sold Maxwells in the teens and
twenties.Cars sold for
about $300-$450 in the 20's and 30's. As was the case
throughout the country, folks were a bit leary about the
automobile. They were curiosities that appealed to wealthier
residents and to those men who maybe weren't wealthy, but who saw
them as a grownup plaything and a "had to have" item (men
haven't changed!). The autos caught on rather quickly,
however, as more and more people invested in them.
The first streets to be
paved were Ocean Ave. and H Street in the late 20's after
autos were already becoming popular. Residential streets were
paved in later years. Photos of downtown, taken in the
teens and twenties, show autos mixed with horses and buggies on the
graveled streets. By the 1930's, the favored mode of
transportation was the automobile. Only one person that we
know of refused to drive an auto. Anton Scolari never learned
to drive a car and drove his horse and buggy into town until his
death in the 1940's.
Model T's were a favorite vehicle,
being transformed to race cars by the local Model T Club.
Races were held at Ocean Park (Snowy Plovers were big Model T fans!)
at Beckwith Lake (Bobby Campbell's vernal pool!) and at the Rodeo
Grounds (Crestview Terrace). The Historical Society has one of
the racers on display in the carriage
house.
I just moved into town and became impressed with
Lompoc's wide streets. I have an inkling why they are so wide,
but I need to hear it from you. - Andy
Well, Andy, if your inkling tells you that the streets
were laid out wide enough to turn a horse hitch and wagon around,
then you're right!
When was the flag pole removed from the intersection of H and
Ocean? - Brandi
1941 and that's final. Many folks who arrived in
the 50's claim it was there when they arrived. Our volunteers
found a column from the Lompoc Record dated 1941 that documents the
removal of the pole. By the way, it was moved to the Lompoc
Library, which is now the Lompoc Museum.
What's the history behind the colorful Victorian House
on I Street and Cypress Avenue? - Brenda
Well, Brenda, that house was built about 8 miles west of
Lompoc in 1890 by Andrew L. Huyck, one of Lompoc's original
settlers. In 1901 a team of 30 horses moved it into town. It's
been on that corner ever since. At one time it was divided up
as a boarding house and apartments. Chuck and Barbara Arnold
purchased it and fully restored it inside and out, including the
removal of hundreds of pounds of bat guano from the attic! It
is now "The 1890 House," Bed and Breakfast, owned and operated by
the Arnolds.
Andy had a question about the width of the streets in
Lompoc. Do you think the guy that surveyed them had anything to do
with their size ? - Jim Reed
Hi Jim! Of course, the
surveyor had everything to do with the width of the streets
and the practical and orderly layout of the original
townsite! The original town was one mile square and
each city lot was 25x140 feet with every block bisected by
an alley. The streets were laid out in a grid and were wide
enough for a horse and wagon to turn around in
one attempt! It makes you wonder how wide the streets
would be today if Volkswagens were the mode of transportation
in 1874!
The town was laid out to
accommodate a population of 25,000. Wouldn't the
original settlers be shocked now??
And, quite coincidentally (or not),
the surveyor who laid out the townsite was JOHN
REED! Hmmmm.
John Reed and Mansell V. Bennett
arrived in 1874 with advance men and surveyed and laid out the town
and, in fact, the entire valley floor.
As you may know, John's
son Lincoln began Reedson's Dairy with his son Horace in
1921. Horace Reed, served as mayor of Lompoc from
1942-44. And, if memory serves, Horace Reed was also
a judge, so the Reed family became quite influential and
well respected within the community. Their descendants should
be proud, right?
Why does Lompoc have a "College Avenue?" There is no
college located on that street.
- Frank
Well, Frank - We knew someone would ask!
Congrats on being the first. When the Lompoc Colony was
established in 1874, a site was set aside for the establishment of
an agricultural college. A portion of the money received from
the sale of lots went into a college fund. The street that was
to run in front of the proposed college was named College
Avenue. The organizers of the Colony realized that it was
difficult to get things in and out of the valley, so they decided to
build a wharf with money borrowed from the college fund. They
fully intended to repay the money, with interest, but that
never happened. No college - sorry. But we still
have College Avenue. Lompoc finally did get a college 4
years ago with the opening of Allan Hancock Community College's
Lompoc Valley Center, but it's not even close to College
Ave.
I read that Lompoc began as a temperance colony. What
is temperance?
- Robert
Hi Robert! Thanks for the question.
Temperance means NO ALCOHOL! The Lompoc Valley Land Company
was founded by W.W. Broughton, who decided that this area was a
haven for folks to raise families and make a living without the
evils of alcohol. Thousands flocked to the valley in 1874 to
purchase property to establish a temperance colony
designed after one established in New Vineland, New Jersey.
Temperance ended in 1888 with the incorporation of the town
of Lompoc. The temperance clause included in
deeds up to that time was judged unenforceable, since there was
no reversion clause and the Land Company had dissolved some years
earlier.
I bet I can stump you.....What's the oldest business in
Lompoc? - Rich
Rich - that's an easy one. The Lompoc Record is
Lompoc's oldest business - established in 1875. Better luck
next time, Rich!
This question came to us through http://www.lompoconline.com.
We thank Bonny Shilton for forwarding it
to us1 "Who was the first baby born in
Lompoc?"
The first boy was Carl Gifford, born April 12,
1875. He was the son of Henry Newton Gifford and his wife
Rachel (Hunt) Gifford. They arrived in Lompoc with four
children. Carl was the fifth. The Giffords came to
Lompoc in 1874 with the founders of the town. Henry supposedly
built the first house in the lower Lompoc Valley in
1874.
The Archer family - Dewitt T. and Barbara Ann (McClellan)
- came to Lompoc in 1874 and homesteaded in the Santa Rita
district. They brought eight children with them. Three
had died earlier. The twelfth, Lucinda May Archer, was born in
Lompoc on February 9, 1875 - the first girl born in the new
colony.
Earlier than that, Mary Long was born on the San Julian
Rancho on January 10, 1871. Her father, George Long, was Major
Domo of the San Julian Rancho for the Dibblee family. Mary was
listed for history as the first white child born in the
vicinity. | 
