black captain william shorey’s triumphs at sea

VOL. 33, NO. 3 WINTER 2013

Black captain William Shorey’s triumphs at sea

OA

KLA

ND

HIS

TO

RYR

OO

MBy Erika MailmanOne hundred and fifty years ago, whalingwas a huge industry—and quite unsafe, asreaders of Moby Dickknow. Sailors tooktheir lives into their hands as they set off onthese multi-year voyages. The men wereprey to scurvy, shipwreck, their shipsbecoming locked in Arctic ice and thencesplintering, and, of course, drowning, espe-cially when whales’strong tails made car-nage of the tiny whaling boats dispatchedfrom the larger ships.

William Thomas Shorey began his mar-itime career on a whaling vessel in 1876, atage 17. He was born in Barbados, WestIndies, in 1859, and emigrated to Boston as ayoung man. He was the son of a white Scot-tish planter and a Creole black woman.

Oakland’s city historian Peter Conmycompiled a history of Shorey in 1972, and acopy of it is in the Oakland History Roomfiles. In that document, Conmy cites Shoreydescribing a brutal sea fight where a spermwhale nearly won. “Evidently enraged, thewhale attacked first one boat, smashing it,and then a second one, and then attacked theone I was in. By good fortune, we were ableto fire a bomb into him which, exploding,killed him and saved us,” said Shorey in a1908 interview.

Shorey acquitted himself well on thatNorth Atlantic and East Arctic voyage,upgrading his status from a greenhand to aboat steerer, the one who handled the boat’scourse through rough water and flailingwhales’tails. On his next voyage, aboard theEmma H. Herriman, he went south throughthe Atlantic, around the Cape of Good Hope,to Australia and Tasmania and then via thePacific to South America and finally, to SanFrancisco. All told, the trip took three years.He was again promoted, from Third Officerto First Officer

The next time the Emma Herrimansailed,it was to the Arctic. Storey began this voyage

as a Second Officer (apparently, captainsselected their men and assigned their statusfor each voyage, not necessarily honoring aprevious voyage’s title.) The next outing, hewas First Officer again. And the third timethe Emma Herriman departed from SanFrancisco, in 1886, he was commander.

It was extraordinary for a black man to bemaster of a ship only 20 years after slaverywas abolished—and with largely whitecrews. The Oakland Examinercalled him the“only colored captain on the Pacific coast.”

Shorey went on to captain many otherships: the Andrew Hicks, the Gay Headandthe John and Winthrop, to great acclaim. In1907, the San Francisco Chronicleran astory about the John and Winthropcaughtbetween two typhoons, with winds so strongthey actually took the sails off the ship, andlater becoming stuck in fog which maskedthe fact the ship was only 20 feet off a reef.After the return to San Francisco, the crew-

By Dorothy LazardPatrons coming into the Oakland HistoryRoom these days will discover some nice,fresh changes. The ever-diligent staff, withthe generous help of members of the Friendsof the Oakland History Room, has shiftednearly the entire book collection to put it in amore logical order. Now, when you enter theroom, you start at the 000s (that’s bibliogra-phies and periodicals, for you laypeople)instead of the 750s (arts), making for a moreintuitive orientation to the collection.

This big shift has allowed us to do somelong-overdue maintenance of the collection:books are being rebound, repackaged, rela-beled, or redirected to more appropriateplaces. In the process, we’ve removed sever-al cubic feet of dust! The 300s (social sci-

ences), probably our most popular area forresearchers, is now on the back wall, underthe framed portraits. Books on sports and lit-erature can now be found along the wallbehind the reference desk. The center of theroom, which holds fiction, California history,and biographies, has not been changed.

This massive project allowed us to discov-er hidden gems on our shelves. For instance,did you know that in our vast collection ofCalifornia poetry, patrons can find volumeswritten by early Oakland library directorCharles Greene? Or that we also carrydozens of plays performed by the BohemianClub, and exhaustive histories of the PanamaPacific International Exposition of 1915?Come in some time and reacquaint your-selves with the collection! n

Continental shift at the History RoomCAPTAIN SHOREY, circa 1906.

See SHOREY on page 2

In this issueRedwoods history 3

New members 4

Donors 4

Volunteers 4

Broadway/Valdez 5

Childr en’s Hospital 6

JoAnn Pavlinec 7

Bilger Quarr y 12

www.oaklandheritage.org l OAKLAND HERITAGE ALLIANCE lTelephone (510) 763-9218

A YOUNG AND GOATEED CAPTAINSHOREY sits for a formal family portraitwith his wife and two of his children . . . orperhaps not so formal, since the youngestchild toys with the captain’s watch fob.Date of photo unknown.

ShoreyContinued from page 1

Corr ection

In “Rancho San Antonio: hilltop hacienda washome for horses” (OHA News, Summer 2013) itwas incorrectly stated that funds from MeasureDD were used for City Stables repairs. Otherstate bond money was used for this purpose.

men told the newspaper that “nothing butCaptain Shorey’s coolness and clever sea-manship saved the vessel.” And indeed, talesof Shorey’s success were often reported inthe daily papers.

The same year he was named commanderof the Emma Harriman, he married JuliaAnn Shelton, a San Franciscan born in 1865.The new bride went to sea with her husband.During their journey in the South Pacific,Mt. Pelee erupted and lava flowing into thesea killed fish for miles around. When theship sailed into the Arctic for whaling, Mrs.Shorey transferred ships to return to land, notseeing her husband again for a year.

The couple had five children, although aswas far too often the case in those times,only two lived to full adulthood. They wereall born in Oakland; the family home was at1774 Eighth St., subsequently renumbered1782.

Mrs. Shorey and the children oftenaccompanied the captain on his voyages. Infact, a great anecdote about one of thedaughters is that she “navigated” her father’svessel into waters other whalers had notencountered. As quoted in early Oaklandcolumnist Delilah Beasley’s book NegroTrail Blazers, a San Francisco newspaperreported that, “The baby is only three yearsold and it is considered creditable to soyoung a navigator that she and her fathersteered their bark further to the north thanany other whaler ventured this year. Victoriais the name of this three-year-old child that

OA

KLA

ND

HIS

OR

YR

OO

M

See SHOREY on page 3

n An untapped redwood forest in thevalley between the Peralta and Moragaranchos was ripe forthe taking

By Dennis EvanoskyPart 3 of a three-part seriesWhen the governor of New Spain grantedLuis Maria Peralta his vast holdings in 1820,the deed specified that the property ran to thecrest of today’s Oakland hills. In 1835, theMexican government granted Joaquin Mora-ga and his cousin Juan Bernal the RanchoLaguna de Los Palos Colorados Lake of theRedwoods Ranch).

Like Peralta’s land grant fifteen years earli-er, Moraga and Bernal’s grant extended onlyto the crest of the hills. Both land grants con-tained their fair share of redwood trees: Per-alta’s trees grew in today’s Joaquin MillerPark; Moraga’s, in and above today town ofCanyon. The boundary to Peralta’s grant ranto the crest of hills on the western side of thevalley that contains today’s Redwood Park.

Moraga’s grant to the crest of the hills thatdefined the eastern side of the same valley;the crests and the valley below all rich in red-wood trees.

Loggers began removing trees on the steephill that defined the Moraga Redwoods asearly as 1849 when William Taylor andJames Owens built a mill near where today’sCanyon and Pinehurst roads meet. Firedestroyed the mill in 1851. The followingyear Hiram Thorn and William Hamiltonbuilt a mill in the same spot.

By 1852 trees were falling in the valley tothe west of the Moraga Redwoods. JosephWitherall and Nathaniel Lampon built a millalong Redwood Creek. That same year thePrince brothers, Thomas and William, beganmilling logs nearby. The brothers built a roadto take the half-hewn trees out of the valley;some of this road survives as the East RidgeTrail above Redwood Regional Park.

In late 1852 Chester Tupper and RichardHamilton built a mill that stood near theentrance to the park. Like the Prince brothers,Tupper and Hamilton built a road, one thatwe still travel today. The aptly named Red-wood Road once echoed to the sound of thewhip and the braying of oxen as teamsterscoaxed the animals towing logs to today’s

Oakland Estuary at the foot of what is now13th Avenue.

Tupper and Hamilton’s mill burned in1854, but that did not mark the end of log-ging in the valley. Erasmus Brown and

Thomas Eager built a mill that year alongRedwood Creek. They competed with thenearby Prince mill that stayed in operationuntil 1856.

The Mormons remember Eager as a“Brooklyn Saint,” a member of the commu-nity of Mormons who arrived in San Francis-co aboard the ship Brooklyn in 1846.

In 1853 as an Alameda County supervisor,Eager played a role in drawing the boundarylines between Contra Costa and Alamedacounties. He saw to it that half the valuableredwood forest would belong to the newcounty.

Three years later in 1856 Eager proposedto combine the towns of Clinton and SanAntonio into a town named “Brooklyn,” forthe ship that brought him and his fellowMormons to California.

In 1855 William P. Gibbons, a botanistwho lived in Alameda, visited the redwoodforest, or what was left of it. Gibbons wrotethat he he counted some 150 redwoodstumps, some measuring from twelve totwenty inches in diameter. At least two ofthese ancient relics are visible today near theChabot Space and Science Center.

At least one tree survives in the valleybelow Carl Munck School on Campus Drive:

has been engaged in hunting whales all sum-mer while most other children have beenengaged in less venturesome occupation . . .‘Victoria is a remarkable sailor,’ said themother. ‘She knows all the ropes and hasperfect command of her father.’”

Shorey retired from commanding in 1909and died in Oakland in 1919 at the age of 60.He and his family are buried in MountainView Cemetery.

A probable legacy is Shorey Street,although there is a possibility the street isnamed for another Shorey. The other con-tender is an Oakland Police Departmentdetective named Albert Shorey, who died in1905. Oakland City Council renamed ShortStreet as Shorey Street in 1907, along with

50 other streets’renaming. The council shuf-fled names due to Oakland’s recent annexa-tions of other cities and the resulting duplica-tion of common street names, such as num-bered avenues. Unfortunately, the recordsmake no mention of who, if anyone, wasbeing honored by the name Shorey. n

Many thanks to Peter Conmy’s history ofWilliam Shorey and Delilah Beasley’s bookNegro Trail Blazers, both found in the Oakland History Room.

Winter 2013


ShoreyContinued from page 2

In April, the Shorey home at 1782 8thSt. became an Oakland city landmark.It’s also been included in the Mills Act,a property tax reduction scheme forrestoration of historic homes. For more,visit www.shoreyhouse.blogspot.com.

Landmarked!

Yankees strike gold in Oakland’s Middle Redwoods

THIS OLD GROWTH STUMP in the Moraga Redwoods reminds us of the 19thcentury logging activity there.

See REDWOODS on page 4

DE

NN

IS E

VAN

OS

KY


BO

TH

: D

EN

NIS

EVA

NO

SK

Y

Welcome to ournew members!

OHA is pleased to welcome these newestmembers to our roster:

Sean Aung, Gigi Baron, Linda Boone,Phil Cotty, Deborah Diamond, Robin &Neil Heyden, Francisco Gonzalez, Vicki Jacobs, Evelyn Kennedy, Mallory Lynch, Laura & Kevin McVey,Robin Nagel, Jack & Barbara Nagle,Cheryl Pochapin, Pierce Powell, Adrea Saltzman, Rebecca Schnier, Nikki Sitzmann, Rhonda & John Smith

Thank you to our kind donors

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas White, Robert & Patricia Raburn, Kevin Dwyer,Joan Dark, Jane Rizzo, Adrienne Morgan,Kathryn Hughes, Stephanie Cimino

an Oakland landmark remembered as “OldSurvivor.” Two more trees just down thesteep hill may also have survived the lum-berjacks who took down this forest morethan 150 years ago. n

RedwoodsContinued from page 3

REDWOOD PEAK: Boulders compete with redwood trees atop Oakland’s RedwoodPeak, above. The peak lies above the crest of the hills that ran approximately alongtoday’s Skyline Drive as it rises above Joaquin Miller Road. The second-growth treeshere have managed to replace an impressive old-growth redwood forest. Near the peakstood the massive “Blossom Rock Tree,” so large that sailors in San Francisco Bayused it to navigate around a hazard that HMS Blossom identified on an 1826 map of thebay. At left, this stone in today’s Roberts Regional Park marks the boundary betweenAlameda and Contra Costa counties. Alameda County was carved from Contra Costaand Santa Clara counties in 1853. The county line ran through the redwoods in today’sOakland hills in a way that assured that Contra Costa and Alameda counties had equalshares in the bounty the redwood trees had to offer.

Thanks to our 2013 Walking Tour Volunteers

Tour Leaders: Phil Bellman, Linda Brown, Jeff Chew, Bill Coburn, Kathleen DiGiovanni,Riley Doty, Dennis Evanosky (three tours!), Pamela Magnuson-Peddle, Betty Marvin (twotours!), Woody Minor, Chris Patillo, Joel Peter, John Rogers, Naomi Schiff, Stuart Sweidler,Don Tyler

Tour volunteers: Annalee Allen, Taline Ayanyan, Charles Bucher, Claire Castell, Rissa Coplan, Myrna Dean, Mike Detwiler, Paul Detwiler, George Duncan, Alison Finlay, Jen Franklin, Alicia Goldstein, Christina Herd, Kathryn Hughes, Judy Jacobs, Ann Killebrew,Terry Kulka, Ruby Long, Amelia Marshall, Melissa Pauna, Martha Peck, Bob Redman, Myrna Redman, Steve Rynerson, Peter Tannen, Paula Trehearne, Alfred Varga, Hugh West,Susan West, Alyson Yarus

Additional Thanks to: Walking Tour Season Sponsor: Kaiser PermanentePro Bono Graphic Design: Naomi Schiff, Seventeenth Street Studios Grant Writer and Office Support: January RuckWalking Tour Committee: Alison Finlay, Mary Harper, Judy Jacobs, Martha Peck

Consider a gift subscription to OHA for a friend!

Winter 2013


� � � � � � � � � � � �� 368 Van Buren Ave.Oakland | 94610

n Well-maintained 1911 Craftsman n 1,900 sq.ft. with many original detailsn Front porch with “Clinker” brick, Summer porch (enclosed) off Master bedn New features include High Efficiency furnace, double-pane windows, complete Sewer Lateral & French Drain

COMING SOON!

Caldecott.com � � � � � � � � � � � � � , � � � ! " # $ | % & ' ( ) & ) ( * + + , - . / � � � � � � � 0 1 � 2 3 � 1 4 5 5 ( 1 4 67 8 9 :; < 7 = > ? :@ A B : C A D >@ E F G G H I >; E J G G : D

DRE #01893089

K L M N O P Q P R S M T U V O L W

By Naomi SchiffMany OHAmembers turned out to speakat a Planning Commission hearing on theBroadway Valdez plan, which extendsfrom approximately Grand Avenue to the580 freeway, from Harrison Street over toPill Hill. Oakland Heritage Alliance com-mented in particular on a proposal torezone an area between Broadway andHarrison Streets, 23rd to 24th Streets.The plan calls for making new retail azoning priority in the area. However, twohighly rated structures stand within thisArea of Secondary Importance.

One is the former Seventh Church ofChrist Scientist on Harrison, which thehistoric building survey describes as: “alow-lying, single story wood frame Artsand Crafts bungalow church with aclerestory, flared gable roofs withexposed beams.” The A-rated buildingwas constructed in 1915 and designed byarchitect William Arthur Newman, the

architect for the Oakland Post Office in1931, as well as several other buildingsin Oakland. The building is significantfor its architecture and for its associationwith a locally significant architect.

The other is the Newsom Apartmentbuilding at Valdez and 24th, about whichthe historic building study says, “Consid-ered part of the Waverly Residential Dis-trict, the building was constructed in1909–1910 by architect/builder/ownerSidney B. Newsom. Newsom was the sonof Samuel Newsom and the nephew ofJoseph Cather Newsom, renowned andprolific “low-art architects” of California.The building is considered significant forits association with Newsom, and itsCraftsman design.

Waverly Street and Harrison hold atleast 80 units of privately-owned rentalunits, including an intact group of 100-year-old single-family houses, and sev-eral eminently-reusable multiple-unit

dwellings from the 1930s and earlier.The Creative Growth art center and theGoogie-style Biff’ s are nearby. OHA isadvocating for retaining these buildings,and for finding adaptive-reuse solutionsif warranted. Waverly Street also housesa community of Tibetan immigrants,

See BROADWAY on page 6

OHA comments on Broadway/Valdez Plan

SEVERAL TIBETAN immigrant households are found in the Waverly ASI neighborhood.

NA

OM

I S

CH

IFF


North Oakland Conundrum: How to expand Children’s Hospital?By Naomi SchiffChildren’s Hospital has met severaltimes with OHAand with neighboringresidents in an effort to modify its build-ing plans. Required to construct a newacute facility by state earthquake stan-dards, the hospital initially showed plansthat would push its campus northward,removing up to 10 single-family houses.Within the present campus, the newerpart of the old Baby Hospital is slatedfor demolition. This wing was built inthe style of the oldest part of the hospi-tal, but dates to 1948. The original 1926Baby Hospital section retains its terracotta ornamentation, and while not use-able under current standards for acutepatient treatment, houses administrativetasks. (OHAis hoping that it can be des-ignated as a historic resource, but so far

the hospital has beenreluctant to acceptsuch a designation.)

A huge magnoliatree stands in an inte-rior courtyard, andmay be as much as160 years old, datingback to long beforethe hospital. Thisenormous tree whichoriginally stood nextto the late-nineteenth-century McElrathmansion now standsin the footprint of theproposed new wing.

OHA has beenreviewing the chang-ing plans. As of thebeginning of Novem-ber, it seems that thehospital has come upwith a way to have aless drastic impact onthe neighborhood,moving one house andperhaps incorporatingseveral others without-wholly demolishingthem.

They have also beenstudying whether theycan put the main vehic-ular access to the hos-pital along MartinLuther King Way,rather than intrudinginto the neighborhoodalong Dover Street,which is narrow, andlined with houses.

Revised plans will beshown to the Land-marks Board and Plan-ning Commission bylate November. n

BroadwayContinued from page 5

FATE OF AN ENORMOUS magnolia tree that stands next tothe 1948 Baby Hospital addition looks bleak. Below left, a cap-ital on the old Baby Hospital shows alternating children’sheads and mythical winged creatures, and at right, a medal-lion of an infant is part of the terra cotta ornamentation on thehospital.

other longterm residents, and familieswith children.

We and the Audubon Society alsoobjected that the plan called for waivingOakland’s dark-skies standards andencouraging uplighting and large lit sig-nage, despite the area’s proximity toLake Merritt—a key bird sanctuary, andan important wintering and rest stop onPacific bird migration routes. n

THE A-RATED 1910 Newsom apartmentbuilding stands on a prominent corner.

ALL

ON

TH

IS P

AG

E:

NA

OM

I S

CH

IFF

Winter 2013


Joann Pavlinec, Oakland planner and landmarksboard secretary retires and is celebratedBy Naomi SchiffThe calm and knowledgeable JoannPavlinec oversaw a number of key initia-tives in the historic preservation arenaduring her decade and a half in the Oak-land planning department. She spurredand helped structure Oakland’s 2009Mills Act program, which provides localproperty tax abatement for owners whorestore their heritage properties.

Initially passed by the city council as apilot program, it is now permanent, hasbeen used in numerous projects, and hasproduced excellent results. In the post-redevelopment era, it is one of the fewremaining incentives that can help ownersdevelop their historic properties.

Joann helped the Landmarks Boardpush for the 2010 Demolition Findings

Ordinance which requires a study andreviews alternatives before a building canbe demolished. And putting her LEEDcertification to work, she helped theBoard figure out how to include incen-tives for historic preservation in Oak-land’s 2011 Green Building ordinance.Among many other projects, she used herarchitecture background to great advan-tage as the city planner on hybrid devel-opments that combined preservation withpractical architectural solutions, such asthe 2007 Whole Foods (former CoxCadillac) adaptation and reuse, therestoration and reuse of National Registerbuildings along with new structures at theAltenheim on MacArthur, and the historicrestoration that created senior housing atSt. Joseph’s, with new family housingbuilt adjoining it on its large site on Inter-national Boulevard.

She plans to stay active with the Rosiethe Riveter National Park in Richmond,and with the AIA historic committee, andOHA hopes she will remain in touch withOakland as she enjoys her retirement. At acongratulatory Landmarks Board meeting,she showed a great summing-up presenta-tion of key board achievements as aninspiration for further progress. n

OHA BOARD MEMBER Kathryn Hughesand party host Kirk Peterson.

PAVLINEC WORKED with Bridge Housing on its complex development at the historicSt. Joseph’s on International Boulevard.

JOAN PAVLINEC, PERSON OF HONOR

BR

IDG

E H

OU

SIN

G

VA

LER

IE G

AR

RY

VA

LER

IE G

AR

RY


Oakland’s former Councilmember Mary MooreBy Naomi SchiffMary Moore, the third woman on the Oak-land Council, passed away on August 17.Early OHAmembers will recall that she wasa fighter for neighborhood integrity and his-toric preservation, at a time when the conceptwas rather unfamiliar, and OHAhad not yetbeen founded. Because she hoped to keepneighborhoods liveable and intact during thefirst condo-ization boom, which was empty-ing apartments, she often found herself work-ing with preservation-minded constituents.She was a key behind-the-scenes person dur-ing the fight by Adams Point neighbors topreserve the Metcalf House on Perkins atAdams, which gave rise to a precedent-set-ting court case requiring the city to producean EIR addressing cultural resources. (Thehistoric house was moved to 14th and BrushStreets, where it still stands.)

Soon after she was elected to the District 2seat in 1977, 25 years after the previousfemale council member departed, OaklandTribune columnist Annalee Allen recalls thatshe made a big ruckus by demanding officespace in city hall. Unlike the male lawyersand businessmen who had generally domi-nated the council, she did not have a handyprivate business office from which to oper-ate. She invited the media to come see her,surrounded by stacks of file boxes, as she satin her spot in the big meeting chamber. Shegot an office. Thus began the era of coun-cilmembers actually working in city hall.

With strong ideas about citizens’rights andjustice, no fear, and a wicked sense of humor,

she was a prominent member of the council,elected the same year as Lionel Wilson, andreelected through the Elihu Harris period.Mary was loyal to a particular shade ofmagenta lipstick, and quick to speak firmlyon important issues. When the councilapproved the return of the Oakland Raidersfollowing 12 years in L.A., a 1990 UnitedPress International story reported a single“no” vote was “cast by Mary Moore, whowarned that the return of the NFLRaiderscould mean the departure of the OaklandAthletics baseball team.”

She left the council in 1994 and continuedto live in Oakland, in the home where shehad raised her three children. n

MARY MOORE

Annual meetingrescheduled forFebruary 2014By January RuckFor the past several years, OHAhas host-ed its Annual Meeting in November orDecember. With holiday festivities takingcenter stage, this is traditionally a verybusy time for many of us. To facilitategreater participation, our next AnnualMeeting will take place Thursday, Feb.20 from 7 to 9 p.m. (location to be deter-mined).

In addition, our Board of Directorsvoted to host the Partners In PreservationAwards Ceremony in conjunction withthe Annual Meeting in February. Pleasehelp us spread the word by forwardingthe Call for Nominations below!

If you have any questions regardingthese schedule changes, contact JanuaryRuck at 510-763-9218 or [email protected]

dential units are being created in a won-derful but long-vacant historic building inWest Oakland.n Sat., Feb. 8, 10 a.m.-noon. BruceBeasley Studio Tour: A prominent sculp-tor and long time West Oakland neighbor-hood activist invites us to tour his studio.n Sun., March 2, noon-2 p.m. TempleSinai 100th Anniversary Building Tour:See where Gertrude Stein went to Sundaychool! This fine historic building recentlygot a modern addition to expand its com-munity space.n Sat., April 12, 10 a.m.-noon. Ted Elli-son Stained Glass Studio Tour. Have

you ever wondered about the stained glassso common in our area? Ted Ellison, amember of the Artistic License group ofartisans, shows us around his recentlyenlarged studio space.n Sat., May 10. Urban Agricultur e ofWest Oakland.Site Tour with landscapearchitect, Cat Chang, university teacherand designer, partner at Andrews+Chang,and activist in greening West Oakland.n Sat., June 14, 10 a.m.-noon. HistoricKey Route System Building Tour andDiscussion. Get a close-up look at thisiconic but empty downtown building! n

OA

KLA

ND

HIS

TO

RYR

OO

M

Join us for our Saturday tours!

Here’s the latest on our spring tours! Youcan make your registration online, or con-tact the OHAoffice: [email protected] or 510-763-9218. Tour meetinglocations are provided upon registration.$20 OHAMembers, $25 General.

n Sat. Jan. 11, 10 a.m.-noon. Lamp-work Lofts Revisited: Tour of theMazda Light Bulb Factory AdaptiveUse Project. See the progress! 90+ resi-

TEMPLE SINAI

JAY

JG/C

RE

ATIV

E C

OM

MO

NS

Winter 2013


By Dorothy LazardBuilding community is a chief goal of allservice organizations. The Linden Streetbranch of the Young Women’s ChristianAssociation (YWCA) supported, educated,and entertained the African American resi-dents of West Oakland for more than threedecades. Staff at the Linden Street “Y”worked to build character, community, andjob skills through a variety of activities.

Formed in 1920 by a group of local AfricanAmerican women, this branch provided reli-gious training, counseling services, vocation-al training, art classes, adult education class-es, and all types of cultural events. Due to itsrapidly growing membership, it was recog-nized by the central organization as a fullbranch only three years after its founding.Located at 828 Linden Street, the branch washoused in a two-story building with four clubrooms, a business office, a meeting room,reception area, and two dormitory rooms thatcould accommodate up to eleven girls.

Job training was an important servicethat staff provided. In 1928, for example,128 women applied for work through theagency. Sixty-eight women were placed infull-time positions, sixty in part-time jobs.These services were especially needed dur-ing the Depression.

The Linden Street staff responded with acontinuous roster of services such as freemeals, housing, and job training and place-ment services to the homeless and the

poor. By 1938, the Linden St. “Y” had amembership of over 750.

The branch also offered fun, practical class-es in dressmaking, crafts, music, knitting anddrama. Intramural basketball, the ChallengersTennis Club, the Carolers Glee Club, andtrips to Camp Chabot were popular activitiesamong the youth.

The Linden “Y” nurtured the body as wellas the spirit. Staff delivered occasional mealsto residents of the Home for Aged and InfirmColored People, held an annual Easter break-

fast, Mother’s Day teas, and Christmas par-ties for needy children. They also sponsoredconference attendance for youth attendingmeetings elsewhere like the Northern Mid-winter Conference of Business Girls. By1939, its Building and Hotel Committeereported that a total of 23,878 people hadused its club rooms, gym, and pool.

Linden Street’s efforts and influencestretched well beyond the West Oaklandcommunity. Their staff worked cooperative-ly with other groups such as the AlamedaCounty League of Colored Women Voters,North Oakland Improvement Club, and theColored Citizens’Committee. Their wide-ranging activities were chronicled regularlyin The Spectator, the branch’s officialnewsletter, and in Delilah Beasley’s OaklandTribune column, “Activities amongNegroes” Distinguished members includeTarea Hall Pittman, Ida Jackson, and HettieB. Tilghman.

Following a new national policy, the boardof directors of the central Oakland YWCAintegrated the Linden Street YWCA inNovember 1944, “to make its program avail-able to all women and girls irrespective ofrace, creed or color.” It was then renamed theWest Oakland Center of the Young Women’sChristian Association. Its two-story buildingwas razed in the early 1960s. n

Remembering the Linden Street YWCA

GATHERED TOGETHER: The 1936 Business and Professional Club of the LindenStreet YWCA.

Would you like to move and re-use a house? A1930s house at 333 MacArthur, just south of Tem-ple Beth Abraham, must make way by spring for anexpansion project. Contact Rayna Arnold, 510-832-0936 or [email protected], for information.

OA

KLA

ND

HIS

TO

RYR

OO

M


The Oakland Song: it has a good beat and you can dance to itBy Charles BucherThere are many famous songs written aboutSan Francisco. In San Francisco you can find“cable cars that climb halfway to the stars,”and “flowers in your hair,” but have you everheard “The Oakland Song?”

Also titled just “Oakland,” this someday-to-be-famous tune was written by the Good-time Washboard 3 in 1963, and so has nowreached its fiftieth birthday. It was includedin the Three’s 1964 album “Don’t BlamePG&E, Pal.”

“Oakland” achieved a kind of cult status.One of the band members later said “It gotenormous airplay.” Because of this song theband was invited to perform before the Oak-land City Council, and later played atop themarquee at the Tribune Tower (maybe justbecause it was mentioned in the song).

The Goodtime Washboard 3 was a localBay Area band that got some notoriety, possi-bly due to the unusual character of theirinstruments. The band included Bruce Brat-ton on washtub bass, Wayne Pope on wash-board and musical saw, and Peter Arnott on

banjo. They played Friday nights in 1959 atthe Monkey Inn in Berkeley, a venue onShattuck Avenue currently occupied by LaPeña cultural center. In 1963 when “Oak-land” was written, Arnott was absent fromthe band for two years, working his day-jobin Japan. Dick Fagarstrom took over banjoduties at this time.

The band’s quirky style and cult popularityeven got them invited to the BohemianGrove to perform for the powerful people.

Bratton later joked that he organized a meet-ing of the Bohemian Democrats, held in atelephone booth! This exposure also translat-ed to a TV appearance in 1967, when BingCrosby invited them to perform on his show“The Hollywood Palace” after seeing them atthe Grove.

Another Bohemian club member, then-Sec-retary of State George Schultz, had invitedthem to per-form at the White House in 1986during a state visit by Philippine PresidentCorazon Aquino.

Wikipedia states that the band continues tomake “the odd public appearance”. In fact,they were the headlining act at the 50thAnniversary party for Arhoolie records, heldat the Freight and Salvage in 2011.

Nowadays you can hear “Oakland” bychance if they perform it at The Alley onGrand Avenue (where Rod Dibble holdsforth at his piano). I heard it there myself lastNew Year’s Eve. Even better: due to moderntechnology “Oakland” can be heard onYouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DujCHFWHKQI&feature=youtu.be n

Lyrics to “Oakland”

RHYMING "LEADER" and "Alameda,"the Oakland Song makes use of thePosey Tube.

Verse: I am sure that you’re aware offamous cities everywhere, the ones theywrite about in song and verse. There aresongs about Chicago, London, Paris andSt. Paul, Buffalo, Miami, and for God’ssake Beaver Falls. Beaver Falls! But TinPan Alley did us wrong; they never wrotea song about the greatest city of them all.Now don’t go ’way; I hope you’ll stayand hear this song I wrote today:

Chorus: Oakland’s got the TribuneTower. Oakland’s got Lake Merritt too;she’s got Jack London Square. The AlleyCat is there! The Kaiser Center sticks upeverywhere. Where did all the people gowhen ’Frisco burned? They all went toOakland and they never returned. Rightoutside the city limits scoots a freewaycalled the Nimitz. Of all the pretty citiesshe’s the leader. And don’t forget the tubeto Alameda.

Well, she’s got pride (PRIDE!), hope(HOPE!). Oh, what a view: Oakland,we’re for you (DON’TMEAN MILPI -TAS!). Oakland, we’re for you!

JOIN US FOR LIVELY TALKS, PRESENTATIONS AND LECTURESAll OHA lectures take place at Chapel of theChimes, 4499 Piedmont Avenue.n Thurs., Jan. 16, 7 p.m.- 8:30 p.m. “Oak -land Resources of the Bancroft Librar y”with former University archivist, BillRoberts. Find out what is hiding in the col-lections at UC Berkeley.n Thurs., March 20, 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m.”His -tory of Blues, Gospel and Soul in Oak-land” with Lee Hildebrand, consummateexpert and longtime music journalist. n Thurs., April 17, 7 p.m.-8:30p.m.”Ohlone Indian Language” with Vin-

cent Medina, assistant curator of MissionDolores, who is working to revive the EastBay tongue known as Chochenyo.n Thurs.,May 15, 7 p.m.- 8:30 p.m. “Oak -land’s Sport History” with author, PaulBrekke-Miesner, who explores why our cityhas contributed so many outstanding players.n Thurs., June 19, 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. “PublicAr t of Oakland” with Steve Huss, City ofOakland Cultural Arts Manager. How dothose interesting looking things get there?Events are subject to change; updates areavailable at www.oaklandheritage.org. n

PUBLIC ART: Children’s Fairyland, left, and the Uptown Art Park.

BO

TH

: S

TE

VE

HU

SS

WIK

IPE

DIA

/CR

EAT

IVE

CO

MM

ON

S/D

AN

IEL

OLS

EN

By Alison Finlay, President2013 has been a busy year for OHA, with theUpper Rockridge and Claremont PinesHouse Tour, Partners in Preservation awards,lectures, building and walking tours and theever-important, ever-vigilant preservationwatch and action. A hearty thank you to ourboard members, leaders, lecturers, volunteers,and to our sponsors and advertisers. Thankyou to our generous donors, the DeLongSweet Foundation, Kaiser Permanente,Clorox Corp, Village Market and TerraceCafé and Gifts. Thank you, too, to our book-sellers and retailers who continue to sell Oak-land: Story of a City.

Two longtime board members are steppingdown at the end of their terms, former presi-dent Dea Bachetti and treasurer Doug Dove.Dea helped with the California PreservationFoundation (CPF) conference held here inOakland last year, and Doug has been keep-ing us on track with our finances. We willmiss them both and hope they will continueto be active members in years to come.

If you are a member who might like to takea more active role in OHAactivities, we’dlike to chat with you. We have room on mostcommittees and a few board spots. If you

have a bit of time, we’d appreciate your shar-ing your talents.

This year we’ve opted to combine theannual meeting with the Partners in Preserva-tion Awards. We hope this will be an easierfit for most schedules. Please join us 7-9 p.m.Thurs., Feb. 20, for a short annual meetingfollowed by the PiPprogram. We are scout-ing a venue and will share details when firm.

Also in February, look for a jointOHA/BAHA weekend with two events cele-brating renowned sculptor Bruce Beasley.We’re invited to his studio complex in WestOakland and coordinating with BAHAa UC

Berkeley campus tour of his sculptures.Bruce and his wife are long time West Oak-landers and worked with their neighbors toincrease homeownership and protect theirneighborhood. If you came on Betty Mar-vin’s West Oakland tour this summer, youheard Bruce tell how the neighborhood stoodtogether to become a cohesive group to bereckoned with. It is a heartening story. Thankyou to Bruce and his wife for inviting usback and to Melissa Pauna, Ann Killebrew,Steven Finacom and January Ruck for coor-dinating the weekend.

Lastly, a grateful thanks to Joann Pavlinec,who retired as secretary for the LandmarksBoard in October. We were lucky to have heras an ally for all the years she served.n

Winter 2013

BOARD OF DIRECT ORSAlison Finlay, PresidentTom Haw, Vice President Doug Dove, TreasurerMelissa Pauna, Secretary

Dea Bacchetti, Charles Bucher, Claire Castell,Kathryn Hughes, Martha Peck, Steve Rynerson, Naomi Schiff, Charles C.W. Smith

Executive Director:January Ruck

CONTRIBUTORS:Charles Bucher, Kathleen DiGiovanni, Dennis Evanosky, Alison Finlay, Dorothy Lazard, Erika Mailman, Melissa Pauna, January Ruck, Naomi Schiff PRODUCTION: Erika Mailman

MISSION STATEMENT: OHA is a nonprofitmembership organization which advocates theprotection, preservation and revitalization ofOakland’s architectural, historic, cultural andnatural resources through publications, educa-tion, and direct action.

Thank you one and all


Nonprofit OrganizationU.SPOSTAGE

PAIDOakland, California

Permit No. 31Oakland Heritage Alliance446 17th St., Suite 301Oakland, CA 94612

Address Correction Requested

By Kathleen DiGiovanniHave you ever wondered about the big,watery hole in the ground next to the Rock-ridge Shopping Center? This is all thatremains of one of Oakland’s earliest busi-nesses, the old Bilger Quarry of the OaklandPaving Company.

According to the company’s own reports,quarrying began at this site in 1866. TheOakland Paving Company incorporated in1870 and continued operations until about1930. The “Bilger” name is from Frank Bil-ger, the company’s longtime president. Thisvestige of the Bilger Quarry is only a smallof what the overall operation was in its hey-day. Old maps found in the Oakland HistoryRoom show a property that encompassed allof the current Rockridge Shopping Centerand extended back into Claremont CountryClub property and to the edges of the Califor-nia College of the Arts and St. Mary’s Ceme-tery. A spur of the San Francisco-OaklandTerminal Railway entered the quarry proper-ty from Broadway to haul the stones away. Ifyou’d like a demonstration of the amount ofquarrying done at the site just look at theheight of the cliff between the shopping cen-ter and CCAand imagine it sloping down tomeet the current Pleasant Valley Avenue.

In his Oakland Geology blog, AndrewAlden writes that the quarry mined traprockon the east side of the quarry and Franciscansandstone on the west side. The sandstonemay been used as landfill while the higher

quality traprock wascrushed and used to pavethe streets of Oakland.

According to the recol-lections of Temescal old-timers, the earliest quarry-ing was done by prisonersfrom the Oakland city jailput to hard labor. Later,work was taken up byTemescal’s Italian immi-grants who called it LaCava. “Con le Nostre Mani,” documentingthe work of the East Bay’s Italian Americans,says that La Cava’s quarrymen came fromthe Piemonte and Ligurian regions. Mostlybachelors, many of them lived in boardinghouses on or near the quarry.

The Great Depression ended quarrying atthe site. At least one set of quarry neighborswelcomed its closure. The membership of theClaremont Country Club, having long hadtheir mornings on the links disturbed by allthat noise and dust, acted quickly to purchasethe property for $15,000. They therebyachieved a “permanent abatement to the nui-sance” according to Robert E. Patmont in his“History of the Claremont Country Club.”The club used a portion of the quarry proper-ty to realign its “unsatisfactory” 10th hole.

Why is the old quarry filled with waternow? The Claremont spent another $8,500 toturn it into an irrigation reservoir by divertinga branch of Glen Echo (formerly Cemetery)

Creek into it. The overflow drains out theother end into a culvert that rejoins the maincreek further downtown. For a while in the1960s the club even placed a practice teeabove the reservoir. Golfers swatted floatingpractice balls out over the water. A duck boatin the pond was sent to net the balls out daily.

That practice came to an end because ofthe attraction posed by floating golf balls toneighborhood children. The Bilger Quarryhas been the site of many deaths over thedecades, the latest as recently as 2012 when alocal man fell while searching for a lost pet.A 1955 headline described it as a “deathmenace.” Over the years, fences, brush clear-ing, and patrols tried to make the site safer.

The quarry was at Broadway and McAdamstreets. McAdam Street, now long gone, wasa pun of a street name, slyly referencing thegravel with which to make macadam paving,and John McAdam, the Scottish surveyorand roadbuilder who invented it. n

Macadam from McAdam Street

ITALIAN QUARRYMEN at Bilger Quarry, 1898.

OA

KLA

ND

HIS

OR

YR

OO

M

black captain william shorey’s triumphs at sea

Documents