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Pictured above is the Hudson B. Gillis Home built in 1895. The photo in the image above appeared in a magazine article dated May, 1897. This lovely victorian stands at the corner of North Oregon and Yama Streets in Yreka, California. The home has had some changes and updating throughout the years, but largely looks much the same today as in the photo, however mature trees and plants currently grace the yard. In this image the streets are not yet paved, but if you notice at the far right a power pole can be seen. By 1897 Yreka had electrical service and by 1898 telephone service!Hudson B. Gillis was born in 1842 in New York State, but his family moved to Iowa in 1849 and Hudson was raised there. He attended the Iowa Wesleyan University of Mount Pleasant, Iowa and graduated from a study in Law in June of 1869. In the fall of that same year he came west to California. He continued his law studies in Sacramento and following moved to Yreka. While in Yreka he continued to study law under Judge E. Steele and was admitted to the Siskiyou Bar in 1871. It was in the fall of this same year he married Anna M. Reynolds in Yreka and established his home and his own successful law practice. In 1875 he became the District Attorney, and he was a active and dedicated Master Mason, holding the honor of Worthy Master. Gillis was active in political affairs as well as holding many local interests. Hudson B. Gillis died on 1 May, 1907.
As of this writing the "Gillis Mansion" is currently for sale, it has been operating as a Bed and Breakfast but other than that has been a private home since it was built. During mid-century the building was "updated" with asbestos shingle siding, a popular surface put on the exterior of buildings to provide additional insulation, some fireproofing, and the ability to provide years of service without additional painting. During the 1990s the owners lovingly removed the siding and restored the buildings exterior to its original beauty. The interior of the house has a great deal of its original charm, hosting a beautiful curved staircase at the foyer entrance to the home. The home boasts a total of 7,562 square feet of living space in three stories, with most of that being original footage.
You can learn a bit more about this wonderful Yreka home in our book, Yreka, Images of America Series from Arcadia Publishing. You will find it on page 56.
Copyright: Claudia A. East, 2008.
7 comments:
I have toured this home, and it is magnificent. If you are traveling thru Yreka and need a place to stop, the bed and breakfast will be high point to your stay.
I have been in love with this home for many years since my grandmother lives just down the street. I finally was able to get a tour of the house without any other tourists and got all the personal attention and answers that I needed about my dream home. Words cannot describe the beauty of this house.
I used to play with a friend Sarah who lived in this house during the late 1960's. It is an awesome house & I remember the tower rooms are smaller as they go up, with a large ballroom on the top floor.
We used to sneak up the servant's stairs which was spooky!I also remember the extra large front door & all the bedrooms on the second.There was rumour of a secret passage thru the basement but we weren't allowed down there.The house behind it was a converted barn another friend lived in.Yreka was my favorite place to live growing up!
Delores Smock
We used to think it was haunted when I was growing up in Yreka in the 60's. i'd love to see the inside!
There have been several times in the past few years the home was open for public tours. The home is under new ownership and we hope they will continue to do this occasionally.
Thank you for your comment!
My grandparents owned a home in Yreka during the 1920's-1940's before I was born. It had turrets and was turned into apartments in the 1950's. My mother and us 3 kids returned to Yreka in 1956. We rented a duplex next door to this house my mother spent her summers in as a child. I remember going over to visit and see the house. It had a very large wooden staircase. I have pictures of the outside of the house with my older sister as a toddler. That would have been about 1944. I do not remember the address but it was walking distance to the main street. My grandparents were Jospeh and Vera Fletcher. They lived in San Francisco most of the year. If anyone has info
or an address or pictures I would be grateful.Thanks!
If you leave your information with Yreka Preservation they can look to see if there are photos or an address where the Fletchers lived. You can find their information at yrekapreservation.org
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