PHOTO COURTESY OF MORGAN HILL HISTORICAL SOCIETY / VILLA MIRA MONTE |
at Bullocks as a dashing model who was seen around San Francisco in a swanky carriage with matching trotters ( perhaps akin today to a Ferrari ). Diana ’ s and Morgan ’ s courtship was not well received by her parents . In fact , on his deathbed in Nevada , Daniel Murphy extracted a false promise from his daughter not to marry Mr . Hill . It was too late . The couple had already eloped , and the story goes that Diana was remorseful throughout her marriage for deceiving her father .
Upon Daniel Murphy ’ s death , Diana received a substantial inheritance including half of the lands originally granted to Juan Hernandez in 1835 that make up most of today ’ s city of Morgan Hill ( nearly 4,500 acres ). Villa Mira Monte was situated with an inspiring view of Murphy ’ s Peak ( El Toro ) and conveniently close to the railroad tracks across from the back of the house to welcome friends to the Morgan Hill ’ s ranch . This “ country cottage ” was intended by the Hill ’ s to be a getaway place from hub-bub of San Francisco , and afforded Mr . Hill the opportunity to personally review the management of their ranch holdings . The Hill ’ s traveled a great deal , and so Villa Mira Monte was leased for a time then sold after Hiram ’ s death in November of 1913 .
After a succession of occupants , the historical importance of Villa Mira Monte
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was recognized , and in 1978 , with the help of the Morgan Hill Historical Society , the property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The house sat vacant for several years until 1993 when the all-volunteer Historical Society agreed to take on the job of restoring the house and grounds to their former glory . It took five years and considerable sweat equity to realize the grand re-opening in 1998 and welcome the community once again to Villa Mira Monte . It ’ s been nearly twenty years now that the public tours , school field trips and private events have been able to avail themselves of the cherished home of our city ’ s namesake .
Villa Mira Monte is more than just a home site , the property also includes the Morgan Hill Museum located inside the 1911 Acton House , and the Centennial History Trail , which was dedicated in 2006 . The Morgan Hill Historical Society and the City of Morgan Hill are currently moving in a direction which hopefully will lead to Villa Mira Monte being designated as an historic park , providing much-needed support to maintain and embellish this symbol of our local heritage .
In my opinion , the fundamental issue when discussing historic properties such as Villa Mira Monte revolves around the the idea of “ rootedness .” We need to provide ourselves with as many
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chances as we can to put down deep roots that spread in all directions . These roots manifest themselves in the many volunteer and charitable organizations we are fortunate to have . In South County alone , there are more than fifteen structures , special historical or archeological settings that have earned a place on the National Registery of Historic Places . The last nomination was for the Miller Red Barn in Gilroy ’ s Christmas Hill Park , which occurred in late 2016 . Plus , we have a number of county and city historic listings that cumulatively tell a remarkable story of people ’ s determination to thrive in this valley .
I firmly believe in the sentiment that it ’ s difficult to fully appreciate the present or contemplate the future without an understanding of our history . Does an appreciation of our local history provide a value to the community ? I certainly think so . This sense of place I ’ m referring to suggests feelings of humility and gratitude for the opportunity of living in such a glorious landscape . It should inspire us to preserve and act as stewards of our natural history . My concern is that our fast-paced culture will overwhelm the nuance of place and that we will forgo historical memory because it may seem irrelevant . Let ’ s work together to relish and celebrate the history and traditions that make our valley a wonderful place to live .
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