National Register of Historic Places

McHenry Mansion

Modesto, Stanislaus County, California
Listed
April 3, 1978
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
78000805

About this property

The McHenry Mansion is a Victorian-Italianate historic house museum situated in the historic downtown of Modesto, California. It was originally built in 1883 as a residence for Robert McHenry, a prominent local resident. In 1880, Robert McHenry, a local rancher and banker, purchased five lots on the corner of 15th and I streets in Modesto for what would become the McHenry Mansion. McHenry hired Jeremiah Robinson, a Stockton contractor, to design and construct the mansion. Construction began in 1882 and was completed in 1883. The mansion was constructed in the High Victorian Italianate style that was popular at the time. After construction, Robert McHenry lived in the mansion with his wife Matilda until his death in 1890. With the death of Matilda in 1896, their son Oramil McHenry moved into the mansion with his wife Louise and their three children. Oramil and Louise divorced in 1901 and Oramil married Myrtie Conneau in 1902. Myrtie inherited the McHenry Mansion following Oramil's death in 1906 from stomach cancer. The mansion changed ownership again when Myrtie remarried, to William Langdon, in 1908. In total, the McHenry mansion was continuously occupied by members of the McHenry family for 36 years, spanning three generations from 1883 to 1919. Subsequently, the mansion became the Elmwood Sanitarium in 1919, then the Langdon Apartments in 1923. It continued to be used as an apartment building until 1976, when it came on the market. At the time, Modesto was rapidly losing much of its historical architecture, so Aileen and Julio Gallo purchased the McHenry Mansion through the Julio R. Gallo Foundation to preserve it. The mansion was restored and opened to the public in 1983 and has since been open as a historical landmark with available tours. In 2011 the front of the mansion was damaged in a major fire and has since been restored to its original state. It has been alleged that hauntings and strange occurrences have occurred at the site. Stanley Bare, Colleen (1985). The McHenry Mansion: Modesto's Heritage. McHenry Mansion Foundation Press. ISBN 9780961592615.

Location

906 15th St.
Modesto, Stanislaus County, California
37.64360, -120.99452

Categories

ARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

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U.S. Post Office
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Whitmore, Daniel, House
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4.3 mi
Bald Eagle Ranch House
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5.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was McHenry Mansion listed on the National Register?

McHenry Mansion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 3, 1978.

What type of historic resource is McHenry Mansion?

McHenry Mansion is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for McHenry Mansion?

The period of significance for McHenry Mansion is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near McHenry Mansion?

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