After the passing of Margaret Rich in 1935 and Rebecca Rich in 1939, the old house known as Down Home was now empty, following 73 years of continuous Rich family residency. The house that had once stood almost alone on the West End, and which at one time had been a farm, now stood at a crossroads. Would the house be sold to new owners, or would the relatives of original owners Abram and Catherine Rich keep the house in the family?
West End pioneers
In Part 1 of this story, we learned that Abram Rich, a native of Maine, and Catherine Tubbs, a native of Ireland, had come to California in 1861 and married in 1864. In 1865 they bought land from Alameda’s original landlord, William W. Chipman, and built their home on a rural plot bordering the settlement of Woodstock. Their street came to be known as West End Avenue, and was later renamed Fourth Street. The house probably didn’t have the number 1620 at the time, since back then the location would have been referred to simply as “West End Avenue near Pacific.” A consistent house numbering system evolved over time as more homes and streets were added.
End of an era
Abram Rich had a long career working as a manager for E. M. Derby & Company, Alameda’s largest lumber supplier. Catherine devoted her life to the church and to raising their four daughters. After 35 happy years living at Down Home and 68 years of life, Catherine passed away in 1901. Her husband Abram went on to live six more years before he died in 1907.
For the next 32 years, the Rich family would continue on at 1620 Fourth Street, as sisters Margaret and Rebecca, who never married, remained living in the old house. In Part 2 of this story, we learned about Rebecca’s successful 24-year career as head bookkeeper for the H. C. Capwell department store in downtown Oakland. This was a notable achievement at a time when relatively few women worked outside of the home in non-family owned businesses.
Who’s next?
By the summer of 1939, all of the original residents of 1620 Fourth Street had either passed away or were living elsewhere with their own families. Down Home was now vacant. Of the original seven members of the Rich family, only sisters Lucy and Mary Helen remained living. Would one of these sisters move back into the family home, or would it be sold for its proceeds?
A clue emerges
In trying to determine who moved into 1620 Fourth Street after the passing of Rebecca Rich in 1939, a clue emerged in the form of a World War II Draft Registration card from the year 1942. Gerald W. Goggin, an employee of the Alameda Dairy Company, was listed as living at 1620 Fourth Street. Gerald W. Goggin was the son of Abram Rich’s daughter Mary Helen and her husband Gerald E. Goggin. Thus, it appears that shortly after the death of the last remaining Rich family member on the Down Home property, Abram Rich’s grandson Gerald W. Goggin and his wife Iola Mary moved into the house, thus keeping the family ownership intact. Gerald W. Goggin was about 40 years old at this time, and his wife lola Mary was 31.
Down Home
The old family farm at 1620 Fourth Street must have been the site of many family gatherings over the ensuing years. Gerald W. Goggin’s parents, Gerald E. Goggin and Mary Helen Rich Goggin, lived on San Jose Avenue, and his Aunt Lucy Rich Derby lived in Oakland. Gerald W. and his wife Iola Mary had three children—a daughter and two sons—so the house was full of life once again. One of those sons, Charles A. Goggin (1938-2004) would much later play the role of passing the house on to a new family for the first time ever in its 133 years. Chuck, as he was known, would ensure that the oldest house on the West End of Alameda was transferred to a new owner who would respect its history, leave it largely intact, and not subdivide the land. Chuck found such respectful owners in the Campbells, who have owned the property since 1999.
A dairy tradition
You may recall from Part 2 of this series that original owner Abram Rich kept a Holstein cow at 1620 Fourth Street. Since a Holstein is one of the best dairy cows in terms of milk production, it can be assumed that the Riches did at least some dairy production on their farm. That dairy tradition continued with the Rich’s grandson Gerald W. Goggin, who is listed in census records as being an employee of the Alameda Dairy Company. At one time, Alameda had numerous local dairies, and products would be delivered to your door by the milkman.
According to an article in the Alameda Museum Quarterly by Myrna van Lunteren, entitled “Dairies in Alameda—A Thing of the Past,” dairies were a big business in Alameda in the late 19th century. The article mentions numerous dairies that once supplied fresh milk, butter, and cheese to the local market, and this quote reveals the origins of what may be the dairy where Gerald W. Goggin ended up working: “…we find the first mention of the word ‘dairy’ in Bishop’s 1875 directory, ‘Brower, William, dairy, Pacific Avenue bet. Chestnut and Willow. In 1876 he’s teamed up with Charles Powell, calling the business ‘Alameda Dairy.” The article goes on to say, “The cooperation with Powell failed, and in 1877 Brower teamed up with Enos Barber. But that apparently didn’t end well either, and after 1880 William is on his own, calling the business ‘Brower’s Dairy’.” We don’t know for sure whether the Alameda Dairy where Gerald W. Goggin ended up working is the direct descendant of the original Alameda Dairy, but in any case, he was a part of a long tradition of local dairies in our Island City.
A time capsule
When Abram Rich’s grandson Gerald W. Goggin moved into 1620 Fourth Street around 1940, he and his family were moving into a piece of history. A house of this age was constructed very differently than homes of the past 100 years. According to owner Steve Campbell, it uses an old construction technique known as “board on board,” with hand-cut, one-inch-thick boards laid against each other in a diagonal orientation, creating a two-inch thick wall held together with wooden pegs, and with glued horsehair insulation sheets in between. Floors are slightly uneven, and are of different heights where newer wooden floors in adjoining rooms were added on top of older floors over the years. The glass in the windows is original, and has imperfections and waviness in the panes, displaying the same unique patterns of light that Abram and Catherine Rich saw when they looked through these windows in the 1860s. A closet in the front room was once used as a confessional during the time period when church services were held at the home.
We are very lucky that Goggin and his family maintained the integrity of their beloved and storied Down Home property for the next 60 years, so that it could be passed down to the current owners as a perfect time capsule of an early Alameda pioneer home. Most homes of this age have long since disappeared from the scene, or been so severely remodeled as to be almost unrecognizable. Fortunately, that is not the case with 1620 Fourth Street, which is why it is one of our most special Alameda Treasures.
Up Next
When our story continues, we’ll trace the history of the Goggin family at 1620 Fourth Street and will explore a 1961 Alameda Times Star newspaper article entitled, “West End Family Lives in Same Home Since 1866.” While the article gets a couple of details wrong (which we’ll correct), it offers a fascinating look at a home that hadn’t changed much in almost a hundred years of the same family ownership. It also includes the only photos of Gerald and Iola Mary Goggin that I have been able to find.
In addition, we’ll find evidence of the old tank house and well that once supplied water to the property. We’ll also see a collection of antique apothecary bottles discovered underground at the property, which once contained various medicines and drugs. We’ll learn how walking a dog led to the Campbell family purchasing the old house in 1999, and how they’ve kept the promise they made to Chuck Goggin over 25 years ago, while at the same time making the house more functional for their family. All that, and more, when the story of Down Home continues.
Thanks to Alameda research librarian Beth Sibley for help with historical materials, including the 1942 World War II Draft Registration for Gerald W. Goggin. Special thanks to Steve and Susan Campbell, for maintaining this special piece of Alameda’s history.
Contributing writer Steve Gorman has been a resident of Alameda since 2000, when he fell in love with the history and architecture of this unique town. Contact him via [email protected]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Steve-Gorman.
