Historical Cambria Walking Tour Map

The Kaetzel/Williams House

2735 Main St.

In 1865, Philip and Sarah Scott Kaetzel settled on 150 acres on a busy road outside a mining boom town later named Cambria. They built a modest home and a barn for their dairy herd. Philip, a master wheelwright, had a wagon and blacksmith shop constructed near the road. In 1880, the Kaetzels moved their house across the street and replaced it with a grand new home. Sarah died in 1895; a decde later, Philip moved to San Luis Obispo. In 1910, Antone and Rosa Machado Williams bought the property and established a dairy, grew beans and alfalfa and reared three sons. The Williams family owned the house for nearly 90 years.

The Music House

2581 Main St.

The structure was among the first built in Cambria. George Grant and George Lull and their partners moved their mercantile operation from the bluff near the mouth of San Simeon Creek to this location in 1865. Mr. Lull lived on the second story above the new store. It was converted into a residence in the early 1870s and was the Music family residence for 60 years.

The Mandersheid/Franklin/Smithers House

2476 Main St.

Built in 1875 for Otto and Carl Mandersheid, Prussian-born and trained apothecaries, this building was later home to very prominent Cambria families: Benjamin and Blanche Music Franklin (said to be THE Benjamin Franklin's great-nephew), an attorney and owner of a theatre, saloon and store in Cambria; Amos and Ida Terrill Smithers, he was the Bank of Cambria's president and she was William and Eunice Leffingwell's granddaughter.

The Shaw/Steiner House

2442 Main St.

The home was built between 1914 and 1921 by the town dentist, Dr. Harry Shaw. George and Anna Steiner bought the house in 1927. He was a Cambria native and appointed municipal court judge in 1951.

The Utley/Leffingwell/Goodall House

2420 Main St.

This structure was built in 1875 by Merit Utley, a rancher, miner and owner of the Cambria Meat Market. Later, the residence was owned by Joseph "Bob" Warren, Jr., and William and May Woods Leffingwell, Jr. The estate of their daughter, Anna Bergagnini, sold it to Lloyd and Minnie Gregg (Shirley Gregg Bianchi's grandparents) whose daughter, Helen Gregg Goodall, lived in the house and reared her children there for 30 years.

Old Santa Rosa Chapel and Cemetery

2353 Main St.

The chapel was built for the local Roman Catholic community by Henry Williams and was the first church built in the county after its establishment in 1850. It served the community for 91 years. Guests of William Randolph Hearst, including Marion Davies, Gary Cooper and Bing Crosby, attended Mass there. The cemetery is the final resting place of many Cambria pioneers, among them the Phelans, Pereiras, Cantuas and Fiscalinis.

The Williams/Thorndyke/Bright House

4286 Bridge St.

Henry Williams, a prominent local carpenter, built this home as his residence in 1877. He and his wife Sallie lived there for 20 years. In 1914, Captain Lorin Thorndyke (first lighthouse keeper at Piedras Blancas) and his wife, Margaret Jarmon Thorndyke, bought the house and made it their home until their respective deaths in 1917 and 1929. The Bright family bought it and Miss Mabel Bright lived there for nearly 50 years.

First Presbyterian Church

4314 Bridge St.

Henry Williams and Merrit Trace and his son, Verne, built this church for the local Presbyterian community in 1876. The bell tower and new entrance were added in 1906. The church served Presbyterians for 91 years, with visiting governors and state legislators occasionally attending services. President and Mrs. Calvin Coolidge (guests of W.R. Hearst) attended Sunday service March 2, 1930. It served as the First Baptist Church from 1967- 1987.

Bank of Cambria and Bank of America

2255 Main St.

The Bank of Cambria opened here in 1928 and it closed its doors Feb. 16, 1933 – the nationally mandated "Bank Holiday." The Bank of America reopened the doors that same year and conducted business there for 45 years.

Soto's Market

The store was built for Joaquin and Agnes Maggetti Soto by Roland Houtz in 1939. Three generations of the Soto family operated the store at this location for 72 years. (The original wooden structure 1919-1939; the present stucco replacement until the family sold it in 1991).

Camozzi's Bar and Hotel

2262 Main St.

In 1922, Clifford Davis built the structure for Adriano and Rosa Filipponi Camozzi for a total cost of $15,000. Initially,, it was a two-story hotel, card parlor, pool hall and barbershop complex. Prohibition began Jan. 16, 1920, and no alcohol was served until its repeal 1933. The Camozzis and their son, Charles, operated the bar and hotel for 43 years.

The Bucket of Blood

4111 Bridge St.

The structure was built in 1893 for John McCain and remained McCain's saloon for about a decade. In turn, it became Eubank's Blacksmith, the Cambria Courier newspaper office, Bank of Cambria, Rip and Riley's Restaurant and Bar and the studio of renowned California artist Phil Paradise. The building was owned by the Bianchini family for over 80 years.

The Maggetti House

2261 Center St.

Built for James Erdman in the early 1870s, it became the home of one of Cambria's first physicians, Dr. Russell Parkhurst and his wife, Mary. Louis and Lala Galbraith Maggetti bought the house in 1894 and raised six children there – building a second story in 1900 for their four daughters. Louis Maggetti operated a leather goods and shoe repair shop in Cambria for 40 years, and three generations of the Maggetti family owned the home for 81 years.

The Rothschild/Gans/Warren House

2264 Center St.

Henry Williams built the original structure for George and Bertha Rothschild in 1873. German-born merchants Abram and Johanna Gans owned the house and expansive lot for 43 years. After Abram's death, Mrs. Gans moved to San Francisco and allowed the local Chinese community to construct a social hall, two laundries, several small houses and festival facilities at the rear of the lot. In 1916, William and Lily Messic Warren bought and enlarged the house and encouraged the Chinese community to move on. The Warrens brought together the Chinese social hall and B.H. Franklin's store (originally Cambria's first high school) and added them to the original structure to create a house that three generations owned and occupied for 80 years.

The Guthrie-Bianchini House

2251 Center St.

The original part of the house was built in the 1870s, perhaps for Thomas and Rachel Clendinen. A succession of owners followed. In 1882, Benjamin Franklin sold it to Samuel and Sarah Woods Guthrie. Mr. Guthrie was a partner in the Grant and Lull General Store; Mrs. Guthrie grew up in Cambria – her family were farmers on Santa Rosa Creek Road. The Guthries added on to the house and it was one of Cambria's most elegantly furnished homes. In 1914, Sarah Guthrie sold it to Eugenio and Louisa Bezzini Bianchini. He was a rancher and dairyman, mine owner, importer of illegal Canadian whiskey and master of the barbecue. The Bianchini family owned the house for 87 years.

Carroll's Blacksmith Shop

4121 Burton Dr.

Built between 1895 and 1900, the property was owned by John and James Taylor. Jacob Carroll, a swine farmer on San Simeon Creek, rented the building from the Taylors and ran a blacksmith shop there for five to eight years. Livestock prices fell in 1902, the Carrolls sold their farm and moved to Santa Cruz. Thereafter, the building was used for storage by multiple owners.

The Taylor House

4101 Burton Dr.

The structure was built in the early 1870s for Palmer Scott. He sold it in 1880 to John and James Taylor, owners of several ranches who were farmers, dairymen and sawyers in the Cambria area. Their timber ranch was sold in 1927 to the Cambria Development Company and became Lodge Hill, Happy Hill, Park Hill and West Village. The Taylor family came to Cambria in 1867 – the longest continuous residents of our town.

The Souza House

4095 Burton Dr.

Built for Frank and Mabel Wittenberg Souza in 1935, the structure and its fixtures, from excavation to curtain rods, cost $2,625.81. Frank, the son of an Azorean whaler, was a concrete construction foreman for W.R. Hearst. The Souza family lived there for 30 years. After Frank's death, Mabel moved to their cattle ranch in Harmony, eventually selling the house in 1971. It has since been occupied by two restaurants.

The Westendorf/Dickie House

2150 Center St.

The original part of the house was built in 1903 for William Westendorf, a man of many talents: professional gambler, real estate broker, saloon owner, land speculator and game warden. He sold the house to George and Dena Storni Dickie in 1915. The Dickies were prominent Cambria business owners; they established the first automobile agency and the first modern gas station in town. They also owned a hardware store and remodeled Rigdon Hall into the Cambria Theatre. They lived in the home for 50 years. In the 1980s it was moved to Center Street and remodeled as a restaurant.

The Darke/Van Gorden/ Squibb House

4063 Burton Dr.

This gracious home was built in 1877 for Frederick and Agnes Woods Darke and their eight children. Mr. Darke taught at the original Hesperian School for 12 years. He was elected County Recorder in 1882 and moved his family to San Luis Obispo. Alexander Paterson, a carpenter and rancher who helped build the house, bought it in 1889. Cambria native Earl Van Gorden bought it in 1919. A Stanford University graduate, he served as Cambria's postmaster for 25 years and justice of the peace. Paul and Louise Squibb, founders of The Midland School in Los Olivos, retired to Cambria and bought the house in 1953. Paul chronicled Cambria history and Louise catalogued local flora. Paul passed away in 1984. After Louise died in 1991, Bruce Black purchased the home and renovated it as a bed and breakfast.

The Rigdon House

4022 Burton Dr.

The Bright family originally built the structure in the early 1880s. Later, it was sold to Merrit Trace and his son, Verne, who did extensive renovations. Rufus and India Scott Rigdon bought the home in the 1890s. In 1905, they installed the town's first indoor bathtub. Their son, Elmer Scott Rigdon, was elected to the California State Assembly in 1912 and the California State Senate two years later. He introduced the bill in 1917 to build the Coast Highway between Carmel and San Simeon. The Rigdon family owned the home for nearly 50 years

The Mora/Lowell House

4005 Burton Dr.

The original three-bedroom home was built in the mid-1870s. From 1895 to 1905, it was the home of Raphael and Josephine Vasquez Mora, the large lot behind the home the site of livestock holding pens and slaughter house. Raphael owned a very successful butcher shop on Bridge Street. Dr. and Mrs. Frank Lowell bought the house in 1917. Several owners later, Holland and Norma Vaughn bought the house and remodeled it as a restaurant, Brambles by the Bridge. The restaurant achieved statewide renown under the 20-year ownership and operation of Brian and Sylvia Hume.

Mariano/Williams House

4009 West St.

Joseph and Mary Fernandes Mariano bought the house in the 1890s. Joseph was an immigrant whaler from the Azores and Mary was born in Massachusetts, the daughter of an Azorean whaler. They came to San Simeon where they met and married. They moved to Cambria and operated a saloon. They had four children, and younger son Antone "Tony" was in charge of the saloon and served as bartender. He and neighbor George Allen argued over a fence built between their homes on West Street. Tony slapped George's face and ordered him out of the saloon. George came back with a shotgun and killed Tony on Main Street. After Joseph and Mary died, their house was sold to Tony Williams who later married their daughter, Katherine Mariano Luchessa.

The Allen/Porte House

4015 West St.

The four Fernandes brothers, Manuel, John, Antone and Joseph, came to San Simeon from Massachusetts with their parents and two sisters in the late 1870s. Like many Azorean immigrants, the Fernandeses chose to Americanize their last name and chose "Porte." Only their sister, Mary, kept the family name. Joseph met and married Cambria native Marcella Montano, and they were blessed with six children. Joseph worked at the Hearst Ranch and their family lived in a modest home near Pico Creek Stables. In 1927, they moved to Cambria. Jospeh worked on the family ranch and Marcella raised their children. After Joseph's death, Marcella continued to live in their home on West Street.

The Mayfield House

2164 Center St.

This home was built in 1931 by Milton Mayfield for his impending marriage, but he died before he could marry and move in. While his estate was settled, his heirs rented it out. In 1937, Wilfred and Hazel Lyons bought it for $2,000 and added a third bedroom. They lived there until 1965. Today it is a clothing store.

The California Creamery

2020 Main St.

This structure was built around 1910 as a creamery. Several different creamery entities attempted to succeed there; all failed. About 1920, Cecil and Lily Guerra Stocking opened an automobile repair garage and lived in a small residence in the back. In the mid-40s, the building was sold to Robert and Clare Fitz, where Fitz operated a construction company. Several successful theatrical productions by the Women's Athletic Club were presented in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The building served as a construction office, realty company, dance studio, before it was converted to the current nursery and gift shop.

The Lull House

1880 Main St.

The original home was built in 1880 for retired Cambria merchant George W. Lull and his wife, Mary Inman Lull. He married late in life and no expense was spared for this fine residence built for his lovely wife and her two teenage daughters. After his death, she sold the house in 1889 to the Webb family. It was, in turn, a rooming house and a motor court with cabins in back, and now an inn.