A short 18-mile drive from the Pacific Ocean, the greater Fallbrook area is well known for its gently rolling hills, lush groves, ancient oak trees, equestrian and walking trails, riparian areas, nature preserves, and Mediterranean climate.
The Building Contest
Contributed by the Fallbrook Historical Society
Don Rivers, President
Some time back, old-timer Tom Ellis related a story to his wife Maie about a
good-hearted contest that took place in about 1883. It seems that three friendly
competitors decided to hold a competition between themselves to see who could
build the best and most attractive home for no more than $3,000. The criteria
for judging has been lost in time but the results were interesting.
F.W. Bartlett purchased land from Albert M. Hayward on the north side of the 300
block of Juniper Street (today's East Mission). He built a two-story frame house
of redwood using rectangular shaped nails which no doubt were hand made. It had
a shingle roof. In the back yard was a thick walled adobe windowless building
used as a pantry to store food. There were no iceboxes or refrigerators to
retard spoilage of food so a vent pipe was placed in a section of the pantry.
The pipe created a draft or circulation of air that was lead through damp or wet
cloth. This created an evaporator cooler effect to preserve the more perishable
foods like meat and milk. The remainder of the building was kept cool and dry to
store fruits and vegetables etc.
Behind the adobe pantry building was the "out-house," as there was no running
water inside the main house. Bartlett's house stood until the early 50s and was
known as The Pines. Today on the site is a professional building housing dental
offices.
Elmore Shipley constructed a two-story house on the south side of Juniper Street
between Orange and Vine streets. Today Berry-Bell & Hall Mortuary and Fallbrook
Chamber of Commerce are on the site. It was a beautiful, ornate home. Some years
later Victor Westfall purchased the house and moved it to the north side of the
100 block of West Elder Street, just west of where the railroad tracks crossed
Main Street. An outside staircase was added to lead to the second story of the
house and it was used for several years as rentals. Today it is the only
remaining evidence of the "contest," and houses the Fallbrook Country Day
School.
Mr. Blackburn constructed his home on the north side of Fallbrook Street west of
Hill Street (South Mission Road) where today the Fallbrook Street School is
located. This house burned leaving no record of the construction or any known
pictures.
Mr. F.W. Bartlett won the contest, however there is no record of what the
winnings were but we wonder what $3,000 would build today?
The above bit of trivia was taken from a Pictorial History of Fallbrook,
California 1880-1920 compiled by Maie Ellis.
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