A Mystery In History
The Washington Hotel, Monterey California
Washington Hotel Register
MHOD has an original Guest Register from the Washington Hotel. The Register dates from the early 1860's and includes some mysterious entries as you will see in the right column below. Click on the images to enlarge them. A little background is provided by the following excerpt from:
Claire Martin CAGenWeb Monterey County Coordinator. The Old Washington Hotel was California's first hotel and stood on the northwest corner of Washington and Pearl streets. The building was erected in 1832 and for a few years was the private residence of Don Enrique Montenegro. The hotel, which was fifty feet in width and over two hundred feet in length was built of adobe in 1840, the adobe being obtained from the rear of the San Carlos Church. The trees which were cut down to make way for the building were used to support the roof. The building would accommodate over a hundred lodgers. In 1849 during the Constitutional Convention the hotel was leased for $1200 per month, its rates being then $200 a month without board. The Old Washington Hotel was torn down in 1914-15, it too becoming a victim of progress. |
Cover page for the Washington Hotel Guest Resister.
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The first curious entry is to the right. Jeff Davis of Richmond! Really? There can't be many Jeff Davis' in Richmond. Is it Richmond, California?
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Jeff Davis again! Going Home to Richmond?
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Jeff Davis again.
OK, is this a joke? Is it a hoax? Is it a message? We know that about this time, Jeff Davis, the President of the Confederate States of America, lost a child. One of his young children fell from a balcony in Richmond and died from the injuries. Jeff Davis was reported to be at home when this child died. So, what are these register entries about? We don't know the answer, but invite the interested to investigate and educate us. |
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Another odd entry is Sam Houston. Sam Houston "THE FATHER OF TEXAS" was already dead at this point in time, but he had a son named Sam Houston. Sam Houston, the younger, was a Confederate soldier, wounded in battle, captured by the Union Army, and then released under promise not to fight further in the cause of the South.
It is not impossible that Sam Houston became involved in supporting the Confederate cause in other ways, e.g. as an arms merchant, buying where he could and shipping via Mexico to the Southern States. This could be someone unrelated to anything to do with the South, or it could be a joke, hoax, or something else. Any guess is good, as we don't know the answer to either the Jeff Davis nor the Sam Houston entries. |
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