225 Central Avenue Original Owner: Senator Benjamin J. Langford Date: 1884 Senator Benj amin Langford whose early Italian villa style summer home stands formally regarding Central Avenue on lot 1 of block 1 in the original Pacific Grove Retreat was surely a man of accomplishment. A native of Tennessee, Langford joined the rush for California goid in early 1850, bringing with him the' first machinery for quartz mining; machinery of his bwn design, manufactured in his own factory. Successively miner, merchant, randher, fabricator of farm machinery, banker and state senator for four terms, Langford was the proverbial self-made-man. He also servedaas a judge in Nevada and is often referred to as t'Judge" Langford. He built his Pacific Grove home in 1884 with a straight-forwardness that Downing would find admirable, if not entirely picturesque. Lightly detailed trim on the exterior adds a certain self-confident elegance to this otherwise imposing structure. The lightness and elegance are carried to the interior in the long, gracefully winding balustrade in the entrance hall that leads to, the second floor. The house remained in his family until 1975 when Alice Langford died at the age of 101. The current owners, Kent and Joyce Cherry, bought the home in 1976. They have extensively restored the home to it's formal splendor in harmony with their life- style and period. This marks the third time on the tour for this house and it remains on of the more popular. If you saw the home on the 1978 tour, you will see it uner a different light this year. One of the best known stories about Pacific Grove concerns Senator Langford and it bears repeating here: No horses or wagons were allowed on the streets of Pacific Grove during the 1880's. Visitors were required to pull up to a locked gate at the city line, walk a mile to the Retreat offices for the key, unload their families and baggage, return the key, then drive to monterey to stable their horses and wagons. Langford grew weary of contending with this involved 'dure and, late one evening, drove his wagon up to the gate with his family-and a nicely sharpened axe. He proceeded to chop down the offending gate, dared the city fathers to do anything about it, and drove to his house less than a block away. Apparently his actions were popular with , OCR Text: 225 Central Avenue Original Owner: Senator Benjamin J. Langford Date: 1884 Senator Benj amin Langford whose early Italian villa style summer home stands formally regarding Central Avenue on lot 1 of block 1 in the original Pacific Grove Retreat was surely a man of accomplishment. A native of Tennessee, Langford joined the rush for California goid in early 1850, bringing with him the' first machinery for quartz mining; machinery of his bwn design, manufactured in his own factory. Successively miner, merchant, randher, fabricator of farm machinery, banker and state senator for four terms, Langford was the proverbial self-made-man. He also servedaas a judge in Nevada and is often referred to as t'Judge" Langford. He built his Pacific Grove home in 1884 with a straight-forwardness that Downing would find admirable, if not entirely picturesque. Lightly detailed trim on the exterior adds a certain self-confident elegance to this otherwise imposing structure. The lightness and elegance are carried to the interior in the long, gracefully winding balustrade in the entrance hall that leads to, the second floor. The house remained in his family until 1975 when Alice Langford died at the age of 101. The current owners, Kent and Joyce Cherry, bought the home in 1976. They have extensively restored the home to it's formal splendor in harmony with their life- style and period. This marks the third time on the tour for this house and it remains on of the more popular. If you saw the home on the 1978 tour, you will see it uner a different light this year. One of the best known stories about Pacific Grove concerns Senator Langford and it bears repeating here: No horses or wagons were allowed on the streets of Pacific Grove during the 1880's. Visitors were required to pull up to a locked gate at the city line, walk a mile to the Retreat offices for the key, unload their families and baggage, return the key, then drive to monterey to stable their horses and wagons. Langford grew weary of contending with this involved 'dure and, late one evening, drove his wagon up to the gate with his family-and a nicely sharpened axe. He proceeded to chop down the offending gate, dared the city fathers to do anything about it, and drove to his house less than a block away. Apparently his actions were popular with , Heritage Society of Pacific Grove,Historical Collections,Names of People about town,L through M File Names,Langford,LANGFORD_003.pdf,LANGFORD_003.pdf 1 Page 1, Tags: LANGFORD_003.PDF, LANGFORD_003.pdf 1 Page 1