Historic Furnishings Report
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National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Media Services Harpers Ferry Center Historic Furnishings Report John Muir National Historic Site Martinez, California Strentzel-Muir House APPROVED: Martha Lee Superintendent, John Muir National Historic Site November 15, 2005 Historic Furnishings Report Strentzel-Muir House John Muir National Historic Site Martinez, California by Mary Grassick Staff Curator Offi ce of Media Development Harpers Ferry Center National Park Service, 2006 Cover: Muir Family at home, Martinez, 1902 (fi gure 3). NATIONAL PARK SERVICE HISTORIC FURNISHINGS REPORT Contents Acknowledgments 1 Administrative Information 3 Management Summary 5 Interpretive Objectives 6 Operating Plan 7 Prior Planning Documents 8 Historical Information 9 History of the Structure 11 Analysis of Historical Occupancy 15 Evidence of Room Use and Recommended Furnishings 39 Hall 42 West Parlor 45 Library 49 Dr. Strentzel’s Offi ce 51 Kitchen 53 Dining Room 57 Conservatory 60 East Parlor 61 Second Floor Hall 64 Scribble Den 66 Study Annex 76 Helen’s Bedroom 79 John Muir’s Bedroom 84 Guest Rooms 86 Practice Room 87 Illustrations 89 List of Illustrations 91 Illustrations 94 STRENTZEL-MUIR HOUSE CONTENTS Appendixes 175 Appendix A: Parlor Furniture, from Historic Furnishings Report, John Muir National Historic Site, Martinez, California. Prepared under contract by Sally Johnson Ketcham, February 1971, revised 1982. U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Harpers Ferry Center. West Parlor, pages 58–61. 178 Appendix B: Library, from Historic Furnishings Report, John Muir National Historic Site, Martinez, California. Prepared under contract by Sally Johnson Ketcham, February 1971, revised 1982. U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Harpers Ferry Center. Library, pages 64–66. 180 Appendix C: Books Owned by John Muir. List compiled by David H. Wallace, 1980. From Historic Furnishings Report, John Muir National Historic Site, Martinez, California. Prepared under contract by Sally Johnson Ketcham, February 1971, revised 1982. U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Harpers Ferry Center, pages 346–61. 182 Appendix D: John Muir’s Clock 188 Appendix E: Letter regarding a type of bed John Muir invented, W. W. Church to Charles E. Brown, Chief, State Historical Museum, December 5, 1927. Wisconsin Historical Society Archives. 189 Bibliography 193 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE HISTORIC FURNISHINGS REPORT Acknowledgments I would like to thank David Blackburn, Chief Finally, I thank my colleagues in the former 1 of Interpretation, and Leslie Berman, former Division of Historic Furnishings, especially principal investigator, Architectural Resourc- Carol Petravage and Patressa Smelser, for es Group, for their assistance with this report their ongoing generosity in sharing their and their enthusiasm for the resource. knowledge and suggestions. I also thank John Martini for his detailed Mary Grassick research and thoughtful use of California November 2005 sources. STRENTZEL-MUIR HOUSE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 2 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE HISTORIC FURNISHINGS REPORT Administrative Information 3 STRENTZEL-MUIR HOUSE ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMAITON 4 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE HISTORIC FURNISHINGS REPORT Administrative Information Management Summary and Mrs. Henry Sax in 1955. The house remained 5 Dr. John T. Strentzel and his wife, Louisiana Erwin vacant for nearly a year before the Saxes moved in, Strentzel, moved to Martinez, California, in 1853. Dr. and during that time the interior of the house was Strentzel practiced medicine, grew fruit commer- vandalized. Mr. and Mrs. Sax continued to renovate cially, and made wine. The Strentzels’ only daughter, the house during their tenure. They sold the house to Louisiana, married John Muir in 1880 and they all the National Park Service in 1964. lived together in the Strentzels’ ranch house until early 1883, when Dr. and Mrs. Strentzel constructed John Muir National Historic Site was established in a new house on the property. At that point, the 1964 by Public Law 88-47. It originally included the Strentzels moved into the spacious two-story home Strentzel-Muir House, the Vicente Martinez Adobe that would come to be known as the Strentzel-Muir – an early Martinez home once occupied by Muir’s house. The Muirs remained in the ranch house on daughter, Wanda – and nearly nine of the original the Strentzel property, which was a wedding gift from 2,300 acres of ranch land. The site has been open to “Louie’s” parents. the public since 1964. In 1988, the park purchased a tract of land on nearby Mt. Wanda, which was part of After Dr. Strentzel died in 1890, John and Louie Muir the original Muir property, and Muir’s gravesite was and their two small daughters moved into the big added to the park. house with Mrs. Strentzel. Muir continued to live in the house until his death in December 1914. With The Strentzel-Muir house is situated at the top of a the house as his home base and the fruit ranching rise outside the city of Martinez, in California’s Al- business providing fi nancial support, Muir traveled hambra Valley. The house faces north, towards the the world, worked to organize the Sierra Club, and city and the Suisun Bay in the distance. Two parlors, published important conservation works such as Our a center hall, a dining room, a library, a kitchen, a National Parks and Yosemite. bathroom, and a servant’s bedroom are located on the ground fl oor, with a glassed-in conservatory and Louie died in 1905 and grown daughters Wanda and sun porch on the east and west faces of the house. Helen lived with Muir at various times before their marriages. Muir made minor renovations to the Muir’s well-known Study, or “Scribble Den,” is on house after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake shook the second fl oor, in addition to fi ve bedrooms, a bath- the Alhambra Valley, and again shortly before his room, a water tank room, and the room he converted death in 1914. to a Study Annex in 1914. A room on the south end of the house was used as a music practice room by Helen Muir Funk inherited the house at Muir’s death Muir’s daughters, and is part of the 1890s addition and sold it soon thereafter. The house was owned by that included the servant’s room on the ground fl oor. various people until the Kriess family acquired it in See fi gure 54. 1937. They renovated the house, then sold it to Mr. STRENTZEL-MUIR HOUSE ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION The interpretive period for historic furnishings in Situations change over time. Current research for the Strentzel-Muir house ranges from 1900 to 1914. this report confi rms the paucity of evidence about The 1996 Interpretive Prospectus (IP) recommends furnishings during the Muir occupation. Recom- “straddling time periods” at the site in order to thor- mendations to use exhibits within historic spaces oughly interpret the house using furnishings. This confl ict with existing IP recommendations; however, fl exibility in interpretive period allows for furnishings the park has requested funding for a new interpre- installations to encompass physical changes to the tive framework document called a Comprehensive house, as well as to highlight family occupants at dif- Interpretive Plan (CIP). A new CIP will address these ferent times in their lives. issues and can suggest new directions to explore to improve site interpretation. The 1996 IP recommends furnishing 12 rooms, with 6 historic furnishings remaining the main interpretive The HFR recommends use of traditional exhibits fea- medium used inside the house. Recent park review turing original Muir objects in spaces such as the East of primary source furnishings research conducted for and West Parlors, the Dining Room, and selected this report, however, has led to the decision to fully bedrooms. This report also includes recommenda- furnish only four rooms in the house. Although some tions for wall, fl oor, lighting, and window treatments original Muir furnishings survive and are owned by throughout the house. These recommendations are family members, relatively little information about based on site-specifi c evidence where available and room arrangement and other furnishings has been on documented period treatments in other cases. located. The only interior photographs of the house Photographic, physical, or written documentation are portraits of Muir taken in his Study, although specifi c to individual rooms is not available for most even these do not reveal many details about room of the house. The 2003 Historic Structures Report furnishings. This Historic Furnishings Report (HFR) provides additional detail and evidence about his- recommends fully furnishing Muir’s Study, the Study toric fi nishes. Annex, Helen’s girlhood Bedroom, and the Kitchen. In the case of the Study, the Annex, and Helen’s Bed- Furnishings originally used in the Strentzel-Muir room, written references to the rooms have survived. house have survived, but most are owned by Muir’s descendents. Most of these pieces were documented The Kitchen will be furnished using comparative evi- in the 1971/1982 historic furnishings report. Pho- dence such as period illustrations and other printed tographs of existing furnishings are included in this resources. The park specifi cally requested that this edition of the furnishings report, along with the cur- space be furnished in order to provide access to at rent locations of family pieces, if known. least one historically furnished interior for visitors unable to visit the second fl oor, and to introduce the Interpretive Objectives presence of domestic workers who supported Muir The 1996 Interpretive Prospectus for John Muir NHS and his family. establishes interpretive themes and goals for the park. Use of accurate and detailed historic furnishings The 1996 IP supports the use of historic furnishings installations in the house supports the third interpre- only in rooms where documentation is good, stating: tive theme outlined in the prospectus: “Not all rooms should be furnished or made available for viewing.