Woodside in San Mateo County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Woodside Store
Photographed by Syd Whittle, April 24, 2009
1. Woodside Store Marker
Built in 1854 among sawmills and redwood groves by Dr. R.O. Tripp and M.A. Parkhurst. Operated by Dr. Tripp in person (who also served as dentist, librarian, postmaster and community leader) until his death in 1909. Purchased by the County of San Mateo 1940. Opened as a public museum September 7, 1947.
State Registered Landmark No. 93
Tablet placed by California Centennials Commission. Base furnished by County Board of Supervisors in cooperation with the San Mateo County Historical Association.
Dedicated October 16, 1969
Erected 1969 by The California Centennials Commission, The County Board of Supervisors in cooperation with the San Mateo County Historical Commission. (Marker Number 93.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the California Historical Landmarks series list. A significant historical date for this entry is September 7, 1918.
Location. 37° 25.815′ N, 122° 16.63′ W. Marker is in Woodside, California, in San Mateo County. It is on Tripp Road, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address:
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, in Silicon Valley, and on the Coast Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Independence Hall (approx. 1½ miles away); Pioneer Hotel (approx. 1½ miles away); Folger Stable c.1905 (approx. 1.6 miles away); The Chinese Walls (approx. 1.6 miles away); First Saw Mill (approx. 2.1 miles away); Methusela (approx. 2.2 miles away); Gaspar de Portolα Expedition Campsite (approx. 2.3 miles away); Town of West Union (approx. 2.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Woodside.
Regarding Woodside Store. This site was designated as California Registered Historical Landmark No. 93 on 3/29/1933.
This
Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, July 17, 2022
2. Woodside Store Marker
Also see . . . Plan Your Visit to the Woodside Store. The San Mateo County History Museum Trip Brochure. (Submitted on April 30, 2009, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona.)
Additional commentary.
1. Woodside Store
In October 1849, Matthias Alfred Parkhurst, age 20, purchased 127 acres of John Copinger's Rancho Canada de Raymundo near old Mexican saw pits and began shingle making and lumbering. His partners were a man named Ellis (who even those in the lumbering community said drank to much), James H. "Grizzly" Ryder, a Mexican War veteran, and a 33-year-old dentist named Robert Orville Tripp who had accompanied Ryder to California. All were from Massachusetts.
Parkhurst and Ellis began with a shingle camp. Tripp and others joined them. Using an old trail along Redwood Creek to the bay, the partners dragged wharf timbers to a Mexican embarcadero at the site of present day Redwood City. There they made rafts and floated them on the tides to San Francisco's bay waterfront. Gold Rush growth and several severe fires in the city created high demand
Photographed by Syd Whittle, April 24, 2009
3. Woodside Store Marker and Feed Shed
Parkhurst at first sold goods from his modest hut, then Tripp joined him in a small store building. In 1853 when stage service began to their store in the Red Woods, they renamed their business site Woodside. A year later, they built a new store, the present building. Their partnership was dissolved in 1860. In 1863 Parkhurst died. Dr. Tripp took over, operating the store until his death in 1909. He became a legendary character, his name synonymous with Woodside.
During his lifetime, Tripp was a San Francisco county supervisor, U.S postmaster, San Mateo County deputy sheriff, public administrator, deputy assessor, and custodian of the library.
In 1940 the San Mateo County Historical Association urged the store's preservation and it was purchased by San Mateo County. The store has since been restored to its 1880s condition and stocked with period items.
Source: San Mateo County Parks
— Submitted April 30, 2009, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona.
Photographed by Syd Whittle, April 24, 2009
4. Woodside Store
Photographed by Syd Whittle, April 24, 2009
5. Woodside Store
Photographed by Syd Whittle, April 24, 2009
6. Woodside Store
Historic American Buildings Survey (LOC)
7. Woodside Store - Interior
Building/structure dates: 1854 initial construction
Significance: Built for Mathias Parkhurst and Robert Tripp as a general store, post office, dental office, saloon, and after 1859 a library, this store was operated by Tripp until his death in 1909 at the age of 93.
HABS CAL,41-WOOD,4- (LOC)
Click for more information.
Click for more information.
Historic American Buildings Survey (LOC)
8. Woodside Store - Interior
Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, July 17, 2022
9. New Marker Location
Photographed by Syd Whittle, April 24, 2009
10. Sign at Entrance to Site
Photographed by Syd Whittle, April 24, 2009
11. California Historical Landmark Directional Sign
Credits. This page was last revised on January 9, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 30, 2009, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona. This page has been viewed 1,987 times since then and 43 times this year. Last updated on July 19, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. Photos: 1. submitted on April 30, 2009, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona. 2. submitted on July 20, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on April 30, 2009, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona. 9. submitted on July 20, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. 10, 11. submitted on April 30, 2009, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
