'le ' I. KinswoodTower'slegends , ---·43¢4#71 . . I. 4441 ' I . By JAN DUNLAP There is a house located at the corner of 7th St. and Oceanview in Pacific Grove, and its rather box-like apearanee and tower have made it quite a local lan- dmark. This house has been known by many names in the past ninety years or so. Currently, it is often refered to as "Kinswood Tower" or simply "The Captains House". There are certainly an abundance of legends surrounding this par- ticular house, and in a recent interview with Mr. and Mrs. Dawson Pomeroy of Pacific Grove, I attempted to get to the bottom of them. To begin at the beginning. In 1883 the county assessors record for' the city of Pacific Grove shows that this lot, located at 106 7th St., had a value of $50, and that the owner was E. Pomeroy. Perhaps at this time there was a tent or shed oh the property. In 1884, the assesed value of the lot had jumped to $300. By 1885, the value had climbed to $350. This rather scanty in- formation seems to indicate that the house we know today was begun in 1884 and probably finished around 1885. It was built by Everett Pomeroy, the great uncle of Dawson Pomeroy, who presently lives on 17th Street. The Pomeroys are a pioneer family who came to California in 1849 during the gold rush. At that time, Warren Hastings Pomeroy, Everetts father, moved to Santa Clara near San Jose and established a farm. He returned to his home in Somers, connecticut several times to bring his wife and nine children west. Everett arrived in 1858 and quickly established himself as a popular member of the musical community. A "History of Pioneer Families" published several yearslater refers to Everett as an "author, composer, and organist of reknown." His family was Protestant but the converted to Catholicism, and shortly before his death in 1918 he wrote and published a book entitled, "The Great Reformation", which supported his religious views. Little else is known of Everett Pomeroy's life. He purchased the lot here in 1883, and at that time, or shortly thereafter, made plans to build his home. Heritage Corner EDITOR'S NOTE - Heritage Corner is prepared by the Heritage Society of Pacific Grove, a non-profit organization dedicated to the research and preservation of the town's past. For more information or a membership form, please call John Olkoski at , or write to P.O. Box 1007, Pacific Grove. The Pomeroy family originated in French Normandy in what is now Devonshire, England. The name means "apple king". The family castle still stands in Devonshire, and its name is "Berry Pomeroy." When Everett Pomeroy was preparing to build on his land in Pacific Grove, he decided to create a replica of the castle in Devon- shire. It is for this reason that the house has its distinctive square shape and crenelated towers that resemble bat- tlements. Originally, of course, Oceanview Boulevard was only a foot path and it is easy to imagine the appeal of an English castle whose grounds stretched down to the rocky shore of Monterey Bay. Somehow down through the years the true story of this marvelous house became distorted, for in 1952 when Lucy MeLane published her book on Pacific Grove history entitled, "The Piney Paradise", she refers to the home of Everett Pomeroy as having been built by a sea captain! She further states that the house is "tudor" in style and that it is "similar to numerous ond Nantucket homes", that it contains a "widow's walk beached through a scutle in the roof which enabled householders to scan the horizon for ships". She also comments that the "captain" must have enjoyed his roof-top perch while watching the bay for whales and "sea monsters". Who is the mysterious Captain Kinswood? He is certainly not Everett Pomeroy, who according * to his descendants never even went to sea, and why is the home compared to Nantucket homes? , 4, ffet. sheonaisoLecfyersMtee 1:4* house as the home of Dr. C. Tawse, and we know nothing of him. There are still many unanswered questions con- eerning the legends surrounding this beautiful old house. It has been modernized and is currently for sale. The real estate com- panies refer to it as "Kinswood Tower", or simply the "Captains House", complete with tales of a ghostly presence and, of course, the elusive Captain Kinswood. Now that the truth is known, I hope that in the future we will refer to the house as "Berry Pomeroy"-its rightful name. My sincere thanks to Dawson and Lois Pomeroy for thier help in researching this article. Any additional information on "Berry Pomeroy" or the people who lived there should be submitted to Heritage Society of Pacific Grove, P.O. Box 1007, Pacific Grove CA 93950. Please include your name and address, and we will contact you. %.''ll , ....M. I /.2,?·A . .tr:LE..:.'·· 1 1. In 1.-11 r. . I , t,k 5* «'* 7 + 4 1-44 1 . //*/*,4¢,4 -I. 11 ..!t. Kinswood Tower If V %4#15&2k,-90'480£42 , OCR Text: 'le ' I. KinswoodTower'slegends , ---·43¢4#71 . . I. 4441 ' I . By JAN DUNLAP There is a house located at the corner of 7th St. and Oceanview in Pacific Grove, and its rather box-like apearanee and tower have made it quite a local lan- dmark. This house has been known by many names in the past ninety years or so. Currently, it is often refered to as "Kinswood Tower" or simply "The Captains House". There are certainly an abundance of legends surrounding this par- ticular house, and in a recent interview with Mr. and Mrs. Dawson Pomeroy of Pacific Grove, I attempted to get to the bottom of them. To begin at the beginning. In 1883 the county assessors record for' the city of Pacific Grove shows that this lot, located at 106 7th St., had a value of $50, and that the owner was E. Pomeroy. Perhaps at this time there was a tent or shed oh the property. In 1884, the assesed value of the lot had jumped to $300. By 1885, the value had climbed to $350. This rather scanty in- formation seems to indicate that the house we know today was begun in 1884 and probably finished around 1885. It was built by Everett Pomeroy, the great uncle of Dawson Pomeroy, who presently lives on 17th Street. The Pomeroys are a pioneer family who came to California in 1849 during the gold rush. At that time, Warren Hastings Pomeroy, Everetts father, moved to Santa Clara near San Jose and established a farm. He returned to his home in Somers, connecticut several times to bring his wife and nine children west. Everett arrived in 1858 and quickly established himself as a popular member of the musical community. A "History of Pioneer Families" published several yearslater refers to Everett as an "author, composer, and organist of reknown." His family was Protestant but the converted to Catholicism, and shortly before his death in 1918 he wrote and published a book entitled, "The Great Reformation", which supported his religious views. Little else is known of Everett Pomeroy's life. He purchased the lot here in 1883, and at that time, or shortly thereafter, made plans to build his home. Heritage Corner EDITOR'S NOTE - Heritage Corner is prepared by the Heritage Society of Pacific Grove, a non-profit organization dedicated to the research and preservation of the town's past. For more information or a membership form, please call John Olkoski at , or write to P.O. Box 1007, Pacific Grove. The Pomeroy family originated in French Normandy in what is now Devonshire, England. The name means "apple king". The family castle still stands in Devonshire, and its name is "Berry Pomeroy." When Everett Pomeroy was preparing to build on his land in Pacific Grove, he decided to create a replica of the castle in Devon- shire. It is for this reason that the house has its distinctive square shape and crenelated towers that resemble bat- tlements. Originally, of course, Oceanview Boulevard was only a foot path and it is easy to imagine the appeal of an English castle whose grounds stretched down to the rocky shore of Monterey Bay. Somehow down through the years the true story of this marvelous house became distorted, for in 1952 when Lucy MeLane published her book on Pacific Grove history entitled, "The Piney Paradise", she refers to the home of Everett Pomeroy as having been built by a sea captain! She further states that the house is "tudor" in style and that it is "similar to numerous ond Nantucket homes", that it contains a "widow's walk beached through a scutle in the roof which enabled householders to scan the horizon for ships". She also comments that the "captain" must have enjoyed his roof-top perch while watching the bay for whales and "sea monsters". Who is the mysterious Captain Kinswood? He is certainly not Everett Pomeroy, who according * to his descendants never even went to sea, and why is the home compared to Nantucket homes? , 4, ffet. sheonaisoLecfyersMtee 1:4* house as the home of Dr. C. Tawse, and we know nothing of him. There are still many unanswered questions con- eerning the legends surrounding this beautiful old house. It has been modernized and is currently for sale. The real estate com- panies refer to it as "Kinswood Tower", or simply the "Captains House", complete with tales of a ghostly presence and, of course, the elusive Captain Kinswood. Now that the truth is known, I hope that in the future we will refer to the house as "Berry Pomeroy"-its rightful name. My sincere thanks to Dawson and Lois Pomeroy for thier help in researching this article. Any additional information on "Berry Pomeroy" or the people who lived there should be submitted to Heritage Society of Pacific Grove, P.O. Box 1007, Pacific Grove CA 93950. Please include your name and address, and we will contact you. %.''ll , ....M. I /.2,?·A . .tr:LE..:.'·· 1 1. In 1.-11 r. . I , t,k 5* «'* 7 4 1-44 1 . //*/*,4¢,4 -I. 11 ..!t. Kinswood Tower If V %4#15&2k,-90'480£42 , Heritage Society of Pacific Grove,Historical Collections,Historic Properties of Pacific Grove,7 th st,106 7th,106 7TH ST_013_redacted.pdf,106 7TH ST_013_redacted.pdf 1 Page 1, Tags: 106 7TH ST_013_REDACTED.PDF, 106 7TH ST_013_redacted.pdf 1 Page 1