Eureka CA and Victorian Houses

This morning we headed south to Eureka, to explore it's historical downtown.  Like many of the towns in Humboldt County, the city of Eureka got its start as a Gold Rush transport center and later a logging and milling town.  The city has hundreds of beautifully restored houses and commercial buildings.  So we were off to see for ourselves and we weren't disappointed.

This is The Carson Mansion. In the Victorian style of architecture, more is better:  more decorative flourishes, more ornate carvings, turrets and gables; more craftsmen, and more embellishment.  The Carson Mansion is said to have employed more than 100 craftsmen at one time for the carving, finishing and installing of its intricate decorative flourishes.  William Carson made his money in redwood not gold.  This home was built in 1885.

Across the street from The Carson Mansion is The Pink Lady.  William Carson built for his son as a wedding gift in 1889.  It is now an architectural office.

Although not a Victorian home, right behind The Carson House is the Humboldt County Library built in 1968. It was the most beautiful library I had seen. It is over looking Humboldt Bay and I wanted to include it here.  It, of course, is built of redwood.

Down the street from the library is the The Blue Ox Millwork.  It is also a Community School, so of course I was interested.   Blue Ox is a fully functioning Victorian job shop which produces custom architectural millwork, as well as interior and exterior details for historic homes and new construction projects around the United States. Blue Ox is also a community school, a historic park, and a haven for craftsmen.  Blue Ox is the product of nearly four decades of work from master craftsman Eric Hollenbeck and his wife Viviana.  It is a place where craftsmanship techniques of the last century are preserved and quality takes precedence over mass production.  Eric gave us a tour starting with the carpentry shop.

The print shop brought back so many memories to me.  My dad was a printer and I remember the type, and typesetting equipment so well.  After my dad retired he had a printing press like this down our basement.  When they moved to Arizona, they had an awful time getting it out.  It weighted tons.

In the Community School students learn to operate these printing presses and print their own yearbooks.  They bind their own book and then get to keep them.  Eureka has a 30% drop out rate and this community school gives students an alternative to regular high school.  Students here can learn craftsmanship techniques of the last century and preserve these techniques for the future.

The property had all kinds of old things: stage coaches, boats and even a general store.  It was all very interesting and well worth the entrance fee  One more thing.  The community school even has a radio station.  Thank you Eric and Vivan for caring for students who others had given up on in this community.  If you want to know more about this project, click The Blue Ox Millwork link in the first paragraph.