Winchester Mystery House Centennial Speaker Series: Jim Carter

In April, I was excited to return to the Winchester Mystery House for another Centennial Speaker Series featuring Jim Carter. The previous series I attended discussed Japonism in the Victorian era. This series discussed the fire engine that saved San Jose. Sadly, the speaker himself, Jim Carter, had a last minute cancelation, but still sent in his power point for the house historian to present.

Centennial Speaker Series Topic: The 1906 Earthquake and the Engine That Saved San Jose

The1906 Earthquake is well known, especially to Californians. It is also known as the San Francisco earthquake and destroyed 80% of the city. Although not the largest earthquake in the state’s history, it was the most devastating. Many historians agree that over three thousand lives were lost and 200,000 left homeless. Ironically, it was not the quake itself that caused the most damage, but the fire that affected San Francisco. At the time, fire stations were volunteer-based. If there were no volunteers to respond to the call, a fire could be disastrous.

Although the earthquake’s epicenter was two miles from San Francisco, it was felt 200 miles both north and south. This included the San Jose area, where the Winchester Mystery House resided. At the time, the Santa Clara valley was mostly agricultural with a population of around 60,000. The soft soil left most homes ok. However, the many historic structures in San Jose proper were most affected due to their filled foundations.

San Jose’s fortune in managing the earthquake lay in the fact that their water manes did not break during the event. Beneath the valley was a huge water table and a hydration pipe system. As fires began to break out, Engine Company # on Market Street, got to work with Fire Engine #3. This special engine was steam powered to allow fighters to push water up to 200 feet in the air. The men worked for three days extinguishing fires around the area, ultimately saving San Jose.

What The 1906 Earthquake Did to the Winchester Mystery House

The Winchester Mystery House was no exception to being affected by the 1906 earthquake. Debris still remained around the property as seen in photos as late as 1911. However, certain things about the house allowed it to remain standing in the aftermath of the quake. Thanks to being made with woodwork instead of mainly brick, the house was able to absorb and sway with shocks. Sadly, the seven story tower was one of the biggest damages to the house. Fortunately, many of the pieces from the collapsed floors were repurposed elsewhere in continued construction on the house. For instance, leaded cobweb windows were built into a building off to the side of the house.

After the earthquake, Sarah went to her house boat in Burlingame while the bulk of the rubble was removed. The towers and floors that had collapsed were deconstructed down to the fourth floor. As such any following construction to the house would build out instead of up. Although Sarah would still frequent the property, following the earthquake, she spent more time at her home in Atherton.

The photos above show some of the scars that remain from the 1906 earthquake. This includes several woodwork pieces that were never repurposed. Sharp-eyes visitors may also spy some cracks in several walls, left untouched to serve as a reminder of this event.

My Takeaway from the Centennial Speaker Series with Jim Carter

I would have loved to hear Jim Carter speak himself on the topic. Luckily, his power point was so detailed that Janan was able to make a wonderful presentation on his behalf. Being the house historian, she was able to dive more into how the house was affected by the earthquake.

Whenever we visit San Jose, we always end up passing the San Jose Fire Museum. This centennial speaker series motivated me to want to visit it. In complete honesty, I didn’t know the museum had opened yet! As a Californian, you can’t not know about the 1906 earthquake. However, it was still wild to learn even more about this event that affected more than San Francisco.

Craving More from Jim Carter?

Jim Carter is a curator of the San Jose Fire Museum. It is open to the public from 10am to 12pm on the first Saturday of each month and every Tuesday. When you explore the exhibit’s inventory, keep an eye out for the steam-powered fire engine similar to Engine #3.

What else can be discovered beyond the Centennial Speaker Series at Winchester Mystery House?

Below you will find other posts I’ve written regarding the Winchester Mystery House’s assorted experiences and educational programs. At Llanda Villa, there is always something new to learn! More often than not, I like to think myself one of the first in line to attend.