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Exhibits

William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection

Item set

Title
William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection
Description
Capturing the rich history of the early twentieth century, the William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection (Identification #96-07-08) highlights well-known landmarks, historic events, and scenic vistas from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic, from the Deep South to Canada, and from Mexico to Cuba. Scenes across the Golden State are captured in stunning shots from Lake Tahoe to Yosemite and the Central Coast to Southern California cities. The collection features nearly 3,000 photographs taken by native Californians William M. and Grace McCarthy from approximately 1905 to 1938. The McCarthys traveled extensively during the early years of automobile travel, as newly constructed highways connected people and places throughout the United States and beyond, providing pictorial documentation of a pivotal period in our nation's history.

William M. McCarthy (1876 – 1956) and Grace C. Kane (1878 – 1957) wed in the early 1900s and lived in San Francisco for most of their lives where William was stationed as an armament expert for the U.S. War Department. The collection features photographs of the McCarthys' travels, as well as the many family members and friends they encountered along the way. Always ready with his camera, William McCarthy also captured remarkable images of significant events, including shots of San Francisco before and after the 1906 earthquake, the fire that destroyed that city's iconic Cliff House in 1907, the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, and their 1938 journey into Mexico along the newly constructed Pan American Highway. The original black and white photographs, mounted in eleven albums, make up one of the few private collections preserved by the California State Archives. The entire collection was digitized by the State Archives' curatorial staff.

To request a high-resolution scan of one or more of these images, contact the California State Archives at ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov or (916) 653-2246. Please include the Title or Identifier for each photograph in which you are interested, as well as the desired format (tiff, jpg, pdf) and resolution (DPI) for the requested scan. Duplication fees will apply.

DISCLAIMER
The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the creators of the materials presented (William and Grace McCarthy) are theirs alone. As noted in image descriptions, certain photographs are restricted or have been cropped due to sensitive content deemed unsuitable for online distribution.
Date
1905-1938
Contributor
Audrey Fullerton-Samora of Sacramento, great niece of William and Grace McCarthy, donated the William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection to the California State Archives in 1996.
Creator
William M. McCarthy
Publisher
California State Archives, a division of the California Secretary of State's Office
Rights
The California State Archives, a division of the California Secretary of State’s Office, owns the copyright to the William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection. The images and content may be used for personal use, research, or educational purposes. For any use of these materials, please credit the “California State Archives, William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection, Identification #96-07-08.” Commercial use or distribution of the images or content is not permitted without prior written permission from the California State Archives. Please note that the materials contained in this collection may include copyrighted material (such as postcards) not held by the California State Archives. Additionally, other limitations, such as the right of publicity, may limit use of the materials in this collection.

For more information about the copyrights related to this collection or to request permission to use the digital images or content, please contact the California State Archives at ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov or (916) 653-2246.
Identifier
Collection ID#96-07-08

Items

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  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 124
    Caption: "Annheuser Busch Residence. Los Angeles," c. 1906. Unidentified woman standing in front of Tudor-style mansion, with several gables and chimneys covered in ivy. Built in 1898 in Pasadena and designed by Frederick Roehrig, the Ivy Wall (the mansion's nickname) was purchased by Adolphus Busch in 1905. Busch gradually bought up much of the surrounding property, and subsequently created the first Busch Gardens. After his death in 1913, his wife Lily continued to develop the gardens. Lily died in 1928. Over the next two decades, the gardens were gradually sold off to real estate developers. The Ivy Wall itself was torn down in 1952.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 123
    No caption, c. 1920. Sacramento River scene, with trees and shrubs lining both banks.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 122
    No caption, c. 1920. River scene with a boat, possibly a paddle steamer, traveling close to the riverbank at the left side of the photograph.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 121
    Caption: "Brothers Light House" and "Scenes on the Sacramento River.," c. 1920. Shows the island and structures associated with the East Brother Island Lighthouse, lit in 1874 in San Rafael Bay near Richmond, California. The light was automated in 1969. After restoration in the early 1980s, the lighthouse now operates as a bed-and-breakfast.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 120
    No caption, c. 1920. Scene along the Sacramento River, showing a small two-masted ship carrying freight.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 119
    No caption, c. 1920. Scene along the Sacramento River, showing some houses on the bank and two small rowboats.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 118
    Caption: "Sutter [sic] Fort. Sacramento.," c. 1920. Image of the main building of Sutter's Fort. John Sutter established the fort in 1839, calling it New Helvetia. After the discovery of gold at one of Sutter's mills (at Coloma, on the American River), almost all of the fort's inhabitants left for the gold fields in the foothills. The fort deteriorated until being restored from 1891-1893. The fort is now the site of a State Historic Park. See also 96-07-08-alb05-117.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 117
    Caption: "Sutter [sic] Fort. Sacramento.," c. 1920. A gun tower at Sutter's Fort, and a gate bracketed by two cannons. John Sutter established the fort in 1839, calling it New Helvetia. After the discovery of gold at one of Sutter's mills (at Coloma, on the American River), almost all of the fort's inhabitants left for the gold fields in the foothills. The fort deteriorated until being restored from 1891-1893. The fort is now the site of a State Historic Park. See also 96-07-08-alb05-118.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 116
    Caption: "Alum Rock," c. 1910. Grace McCarthy standing in front of a gazebo in Alum Rock Park. The park, founded in 1872, is one of California's oldest municipal parks. The gazebo, the park's oldest standing structure (built in about 1890), features a fountain that used to supply water from the mineral springs in the area. Today, the fountain's water comes from the City of San Jose's municipal supply.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 115
    Caption: "Hotel Vendome. San Jose.," c. 1910. View of the Hotel Vendome, a resort hotel built in San Jose in 1889. The hotel was demolished in 1930, the land subdivided and sold as residential lots.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 114
    Caption: "Sleighing in Port Townsend," c. 1910. Grace McCarthy sitting in horse-drawn sleigh in front of a snow-covered residence in Port Townsend, Washington. See also 96-07-08-alb08-049.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 113
    No caption, c. 1910. Image of the Dutch Windmill in Golden Gate Park, built in 1903 to pump ground water within the park for irrigation purposes.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 112
    No caption, c. 1910. William McCarthy holding a branch from an apple tree, with several apples still attached.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 111
    Caption: "Ocean Beach, S.F.," c. 1910. Scene at Ocean Beach, San Francisco, with eating establishment Murray's in the background. The photograph features both motor car and horse-and-buggy transportation methods.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 110
    Caption: "1st St San Jose," c. 1910. Street scene showing stately buildings on the right side of the photograph, while trees line the street on the left. A trolley car can be seen in the distance.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 109
    Caption: "Santa Clara Mission," c. 1910. Founded in 1777, Mission Santa Clara featured several different churches over the years. This photograph shows the mission church as it appeared from roughly 1861 to 1926. In the 1860s, Santa Clara College President Burchard Villager decided to rebuild many of the buildings on the campus. In the process, the mission church was renovated in the Italianate style, with a second bell tower. This Italianate-style church burned in 1926. The church was then rebuilt as a modern reconstruction of the fifth church on the site, the original of which was destroyed by fire in 1825.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 108
    Caption: "Congress Springs.," c. 1910. Grace McCarthy seated on an unusual bench made from a tree branch and logs, in front of a timber shelter at Pacific Congress Springs near Saratoga in California's Santa Clara Valley. Pacific Congress Springs, a mineral spring named after Congress Springs in New York, operated as a resort area from the nineteenth century until the 1930s.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 107
    Caption: "Mortar Target Practice," c. 1910. Large-caliber mortars with associated gun crews at target practice. At least one gun has just been, or is about to be, fired, given that the men are all holding their hands against their ears. See also 96-07-08-alb05-105 and 107.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 106
    No caption, c. 1910. Large-caliber mortars with associated gun crews at target practice. At least one gun has just been, or is about to be, fired, given that the men are all holding their hands against their ears. See also 96-07-08-alb05-105 and 107.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 105
    No caption, c. 1910. Four large-caliber mortars with associated gun crews at target practice. See also 96-07-08-alb05-106 and 107.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 104
    Caption: "Court House -- Seattle.," c. 1916. The King County Courthouse in downtown Seattle, Washington, was built in 1916 as a five-story structure, as shown in this photograph. Six floors were added in 1930, and another three before 1965. In 1967, a massive remodeling project imposed aluminum curtain walls on the building's east and west sides, changed the main entryway switched to Third Avenue rather than Jefferson Street, and made other changes to the interior.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 103
    No caption, c. 1910. Image of parlor or dining room decorated for a celebration. Strings of beads or bells hang around the entry to the room.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 102
    Caption: "Coast Defense: 14 Inch Disappearing Gun." Another copy of a C.D. Heath photograph, this image shows a heavy artillery gun, with two unidentified men standing next to it, at the Sandy Hook Proving Ground. Located at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, the Sandy Hook Proving Ground was used by the U.S. Army to test ordinance and materiel from 1874-1919. See also 96-07-08-alb05-101.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 101
    Caption: "Firing 14 Inch Disappearing Gun." This is a copy of a photograph taken by C.D. Heath at the Sandy Hook Proving Ground. It shows a heavy artillery gun firing from an embankment upon which several people stand. Located at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, the Sandy Hook Proving Ground was used by the U.S. Army to test ordinance and materiel from 1874-1919. See also 96-07-08-alb05-102.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 100
    No caption, c. 1909-1915. Group of unidentified men gathered around a part of what appears to be a 12-inch mortar at Fort Ruger, Hawaii. Farm buildings and rolling hills appear in the distance. Fort Ruger was established on the Island of O'ahu by the U.S. in 1906 as the Diamond Head Reservation. Its name was changed to Fort Ruger in 1909. See also 96-07-08-alb05-098 and 099.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 099
    No caption, c. 1909-1915. Group of unidentified men gathered around a part of what appears to be a 12-inch mortar at Fort Ruger, Hawaii. Fort Ruger was established on the Island of O'ahu by the U.S. in 1906 as the Diamond Head Reservation. Its name was changed to Fort Ruger in 1909. See also 96-07-08-alb05-098 and 100.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 098
    Caption: "Setting Up Guns, Fort Ruger Honolulu," c. 1909-1915. Group of unidentified men gathered around unassembled pieces of what appears to be a 12-inch mortar at Fort Ruger, Island of O'ahu, Hawaii. Fort Ruger was established by the U.S. in 1906 as the Diamond Head Reservation. Its name was changed to Fort Ruger in 1909. See also 96-07-08-alb05-099 and 100.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 097
    No caption, c. 1915. William and Grace McCarthy posing together in a garden. See also 96-07-08-alb04-250, and 96-07-08-alb05-090, 091, 092, and 096.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 096
    No caption, c. 1915. William and Grace McCarthy posing together in a garden. See also 96-07-08-alb04-0, 250 and 96-07-08-alb05-090, 091, 092, and 097.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 095
    No caption. Photograph of part of a print from the Illustrated London News, regarding placement and operation of coastal artillery defense methods. See also 96-07-08-alb08-231.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 094
    Caption: "Coast Defense." Photograph of part of a print from the Illustrated London News, titled "A Modern Method of Coast Defense: The Arrangement of an Up-To-Date Battery." See also 96-07-08-alb08-230.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 093
    No caption, c. 1915. Grace McCarthy and an unidentified woman posing in garden.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 092
    No caption, c. 1915. William and Grace McCarthy posing together in a garden. See also 96-07-08-alb04-250, and 96-07-08-alb05-090, 091, 096, and 097.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 091
    No caption, c. 1915. Grace McCarthy posing in garden with beaded purse. See also 96-07-08-alb05-092, 093, 096, and 097.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 090
    No caption, c. 1915. William McCarthy posing in garden. See also 96-07-08-alb04-250, and 96-07-08-alb05-092, 096, and 097.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 089
    Caption: "Camp Herman," c. 1912-1915. View of the Zayante Inn at Mount Herman. Originally the site of Hotel Tuxedo, in 1906 a group later known as the Mount Herman Association, Inc. purchased the building and surrounding property, and renamed it the Zayante Inn. The inn became a Christian retreat center. Although this building was destroyed by fire in 1921, the retreat center was rebuilt as the Mount Herman Christian Conference Center, still operating today.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 088
    Caption: "Court House, Santa Cruz," c. 1912-1915. Image of the courthouse building constructed in Santa Cruz in 1896. The building was periodically renovated, the most extensive occurring after the 1906 earthquake, when much of the courthouse had to be rebuilt. In 1967, the county removed its court facilities to a new building. The old courthouse was subsequently remodeled, opening in 1972 as an office and retail building. Heavy damages sustained in 1989 as a result of the Loma Prieta earthquake necessitated the building's demolition. Please note that this photograph appears to be reversed, as this is a mirror image of the structure.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 087
    No caption, c. 1912-1915. Unidentified toddler standing in field holding teddy bear and ball, with buildings in distance. See also 96-07-08-alb05-083, 085, and 086.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 086
    No caption, c. 1912-1915. Two unidentified women with four children, one of which (standing next to women at far left) is the same toddler who appears in 96-07-08-alb05-083 and 084.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 085
    No caption, c. 1912-1915. Unidentified toddler standing in field with buildings in distance, holding a teddy bear and ball. See also 96-07-08-alb05-083.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 084
    No caption, c. 1912-1915. Grace McCarthy kneeling with unidentified toddler in garden. See also 96-07-08-alb05-082.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 083
    No caption, c. 1912-1915. Unidentified toddler standing in field with buildings in distance. See also 96-07-08-alb05-085.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 082
    No caption, c. 1912-1915. Unidentified toddler standing in yard or garden. See also 96-07-08-alb05-084.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 081
    No caption, c. 1912-1915. Unidentified woman standing at the gate to a white picket fence in front of a residence.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 080
    Caption: "Court House, Redwood City," c. 1912-1915. View of the Redwood City Courthouse building, constructed in 1910 and designed by Glenn Allen. This was the fourth courthouse built on the site. The dome was originally part of the third courthouse building, and was the only portion of that structure to survive the 1906 earthquake. It was subsequently incorporated into the fourth courthouse building, dubbed the Temple of Justice. In 1939 the county removed the courthouse's facade in order to add a new building (the Fiscal Building) to the site. The Fiscal Building was torn down in 2005 and the original facade of the fourth courthouse reconstructed.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 079
    Caption: "Ver De Leu [sic], Santa Cruz Beach.," c. 1910. Ocean shore scene with rocks, waves, and high spray. The Vue de L'eau (View of the Water) was a station on the Santa Cruz, Garfield Park and Capitola Electric Railway electric streetcar line. The station, built in 1891, was located at the very end of the line, on a promontory overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It featured an observatory on the top story. The same company also built a casino, ballroom, and restaurant nearby. The station burned down in 1925.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 078
    Caption: "Ver De Leu [sic], Santa Cruz," c. 1910. Ocean shore scene with rocks, waves, and high spray. The Vue de L'eau (View of the Water) was a station on the Santa Cruz, Garfield Park and Capitola Electric Railway electric streetcar line. The station, built in 1891, was located at the very end of the line, on a promontory overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It featured an observatory on the top story. The same company also built a casino, ballroom, and restaurant nearby. The station burned down in 1925.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 077
    Caption: "Casino Santa Cruz.," c. 1910. View of beach and casino building in Santa Cruz. The casino, designed by William Weeks, was constructed in 1907, replacing a previous casino building that burned down in 1906.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 076
    Caption: "Pajaro River -- Watsonville," c. 1912-1915. River scene on the Pajaro River near Watsonville, with a bridge in the distance.
  • McCarthy Album 05, Photograph 075
    Caption: "Sea Beach Hotel," c. 1910. The Sea Beach Hotel, located on Beach Hill in Santa Cruz, was built in the 1870s by S.A. Hall. Originally called the Ocean View House, it was sold in the 1880s. Its new owner dubbed the building the Sea Beach Hotel. The resort hotel operated until burning down in 1912, never to be reconstructed.