NOT FOR GOVERNORS ONLY: FIVE VIEWS FROM THE BACK STAIRS OF CALIFORNIA’S HISTORIC GOVERNOR’S MANSION A Project Presented to the faculty of the Department of History California State University, Sacramento Submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in Public History by Diane Marie Barclay SPRING 2012 © 2012 Diane Marie Barclay ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii NOT FOR GOVERNORS ONLY: FIVE VIEWS FROM THE BACK STAIRS OF CALIFORNIA’S HISTORIC GOVERNOR’S MANSION A Project by Diane Marie Barclay Approved by: __________________________________, Committee Chair Lee Simpson, Ph.D. __________________________________, Second Reader Kendra Dillard, Curator III, California State Parks _____________________________ Date iii Student: Diane Marie Barclay I certify that this student has met the requirements for format contained in the University format manual, and that this project is suitable for shelving in the Library and credit is to be awarded for the project. __________________________, Graduate Coordinator ___________________ Patrick Ettinger, Ph.D. Date Department of History iv Abstract of NOT FOR GOVERNORS ONLY: FIVE VIEWS FROM THE BACK STAIRS OF CALIFORNIA’S HISTORIC GOVERNOR’S MANSION by Diane Marie Barclay In the field of public history today, it is generally argued that sites such as historic house museums should interpret the history of “others” (i.e. servants, slaves, workers) as well as that of famous residents, so as to provide visitors with a more complete and accurate history. California’s Governor’s Mansion currently operates as a State Historic Park. Interpretive programming consists of guided tours, outreach programs and holiday events. All programming focuses predominantly on the gubernatorial families who resided in the home, and on the large collection of original artifacts extant within the Mansion. There is at present no regular or comprehensive interpretation of the servants and working culture of the Governor’s Mansion. This thesis project, through creation of historical profiles of five Governor’s Mansion servants, provides material with which to incorporate servant history into the Mansion’s interpretive programming, thereby providing visitors with a more complete history of the site. Sources used to develop the profiles included the oral history and the secondary and primary document collections of the Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park. Equally important were the resources and collections of the California State Library, the Sacramento County Recorder’s Office, the Sacramento Room of the Sacramento County Public Library, the United States Census Bureau, and the library of California State University Sacramento. Additionally, interviews were conducted with staff at the Governor’s Mansion, historic house museum professionals, members of the greater Sacramento community, and with some of the descendants of the servants being profiled. , Committee Chair Lee Simpson, Ph.D. ______________________ Date v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Anyone who has faced the challenge of creating and completing a masters thesis knows that such an endeavor would not be possible without the support and encouragement of a great many people. Such is the case with this thesis. Sincere appreciation goes to my thesis committee: to Professor Lee Simpson for her patience, guidance, and empowering support throughout this process. To Kendra Dillard, curator at the Governor’s Mansion, who first suggested the idea of doing a thesis on the Mansion’s servants, and then generously agreed to serve as second reader for the thesis. I extend a special debt of gratitude to the descendants of servants Delia Melloy Gallagher, and Mary and Joseph Nevis. The willingness of these two families to share memories, photographs, and artifacts related to their beloved grandparents enriched this project and the Governor’s Mansion collections, beyond expectation. Appreciation and admiration goes to the guides, docents, gardeners, maintenance crew, and security personnel who keep the Governor’s Mansion “alive” by protecting its resources, and sharing its stories and treasures with the public. A special thank you, too, for making a particularly pesky graduate student always feel welcome whenever she came poking around the Mansion. Thank you, also, to the dedicated and always friendly staffs in charge of collections at the Bancroft Library, the California State Archives, the California Room of the California State Library, and the Sacramento Room of the Sacramento County Public Library. Since the focus of this thesis is on families, it seems fitting to thank the “families” of individuals whose faith in this project and in me, means more to me than I can adequately express here. To my California State Parks family in the Interpretation and Education Division. A more professional, dedicated, wacky and wonderful group of co-workers cannot be found. Thank you to Carol Cullens of the Division for proofreading this manuscript. Any errors or imperfections are mine. To my family of friends, from California to the East Coast. Without friends with whom to laugh, cry, gripe, and celebrate, the world would be a very dull and empty place indeed. Finally, to my own family to whom I owe everything, and who is everything to me. I dedicate this work to you. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgments....................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 1 2. SERVANT HISTORIES IN PUBLIC HISTORY .................................................. 8 Making a Case................................................................................................... 8 Challenges and Approaches ............................................................................ 14 3. SERVANT HISTORIES AT THE GOVERNOR’S MANSION ......................... 19 Interpretive Programming at the Mansion .......................................................19 Servant Histories: Challenges ......................................................................... 24 The Case for Servant Histories at the Mansion ...............................................26 4. CREATING THE SERVANT PROFILES ............................................................31 Appendix A. Servant Profiles ....................................................................................37 Chart: Governor’s Mansion Residents .............................................................38 Working at the Mansion: An Overview ...........................................................39 On the Stairs, 1903-1906: Delia Melloy ..........................................................52 In the Kitchen, 1911-1917: Joey Johnson (Jue Ying) ..................................... 65 In Her Lady’s Chamber, 1923-1934: Mary Nevis ...........................................79 With the Family, 1943-1953: Edgar “Pat” Patterson ...................................... 89 The Face in the Picture, 1959-1966: Amanda Ferguson................................103 Appendix B. Photographs .........................................................................................112 Bibliography .............................................................................................................122 vii 1 Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION California’s historic Governor’s Mansion stands atop a slight rise of land at 16th and H Streets in Sacramento. Prosperous Sacramento hardware merchant Albert Gallatin, and his wife Clemenza, commissioned construction of the Second Empire Italianate style residence in 1877. The elegant residence served as the Gallatins’ private home and as a manifestation of their standing in Sacramento’s social and business circles. The Mansion was a showcase of elegant detail, from marble fireplaces to inlaid parquet floors, to ornate crown moldings, and finely wrought door hinges and other hardware. Gallatin, his wife and their three children, lived and entertained in the Mansion for ten years before selling it to the equally prominent family of Joseph and Louisa Steffens. For the next fifteen years, the Steffens and their four children continued the Mansion’s tradition as both family home and venue for elegant social entertaining. Finally, in 1903, the State of California purchased the Gallatin-Steffens Mansion, making it the official residence of California’s governors.1 Over a span of sixty-four years, the Mansion housed thirteen governors and their families. The Governor’s Mansion served primarily as a family home for the First Families, but also as the site of official dinners, First Lady Teas, and visits from distinguished guests. When Governor Ronald Reagan, his wife Nancy, and their son Ron, Jr. moved out of the Mansion in 1967, the residence’s role as a private and executive 1 California State Parks, “Governor’s Mansion General Plan” (Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, 1989), 20. 2 home ended. The California Department of Parks and Recreation then took over stewardship of the estate, opening the Mansion to the public as a State Historical Monument in that same year.2 Today, the stately presence of the Governor’s Mansion contrasts sharply with the traffic and city life that passes swiftly and noisily outside its doors. Once part of a neighborhood of elegant homes populated by affluent and socially prominent Sacramento families, the Mansion alone remains, surrounded by modern parking lots, nightclubs, and hotels. Sixteenth