The Ainsley House

The Ainsley House was built in 1925 by one of Santa Clara Valley’s first fruit canning pioneers, John Colpitts Ainsley and his wife, Alcinda. The Ainsley family and their home, with its original furnishings, are a tangible reminder of the past when Santa Clara Valley, famous for its fruit, was known as the Valley of the Hearts Delight and Campbell was The Orchard City., The Ainsley Family , John Colpitts Ainsley was born in 1860 in Stokesley of Yorkshire, England. He was 24 years old when he immigrated to the United States. Arriving in Campbell in 1886, he immersed himself in the fruit growing and processing industry., J.C. Ainsley married Alcinda Shelley in 1894 and the couple had two children: Ernest Gordon and Dorothy (Lloyd). In 1937, at age 77, J.C. Ainsley died. After his death, Alcinda Ainsley left the house to live with friends and never returned. The house remained in the family until 1989 when the house was given to the city of Campbell by J.C. Ainsley’s two granddaughters: Geraldine Lloyd Hicks and Georgene Lloyd Bowen., An architectural Gem , The Ainsley house was built on the southwest corner of an 88-acre orchard at present day Hamilton and Bascom Avenues. Construction began in January 1925 and was completed by December that year. The house cost a little over $50,000 to build and another $25,000 was spent to decorate the house with furniture and fixtures that reflected the best money could buy for the time., The Ainsley House is an architectural gem and a beautifully preserved example of English Tudor Revival with half-timbering, lead windows, chimneys with fluting corbels, and bay and oriel windows. The original roof, made to resemble and English thatched roof, was made of cedar shingles shaped by steaming, nailed with copper nails, and treated with linseed oil. The Carriage House was comprised of a three-car garage, a tool room, a laundry room, and an apartment on the second floor for the gardener., On November 18, 1990, the Ainsley House was moved to its present location, at a cost of $230,000. It opened as a historic house museum in 1994, and was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005., The Economic Engine , In 1891, J.C. Ainsley exported his first 1,000 cases of canned fruit to England and found a receptive market. Thus, a fruit canning company was begun. In 1892, he bought land alongside the railway line on Harrison Ave., which would become the J.C. Ainsley Packing Company. The company was a huge success and became the largest employer in Campbell. Production averaged from 5,000 to 6,000 tons of fruit each year, with most of it shipped to England. J.C. Ainsley retired in 1933 and sold the company to Drew Canning Company., Ainsley House Tours , The Ainsley House is open for public tours: Thursday-Sunday, 12-4pm. The last tour leaves at 3:15pm. The Ainsley House closes annually for cleaning and restaging mid-December through the end of February. Aside from public tours, the Ainsley House and Carriage House host a number of events throughout the year, field trips for area schools and community groups, garden event rentals, and more. For the latest information, please visit www.campbellmuseums.com, Inset Image: , The 185-ton Ainsley House being moved 1.5 miles, November 18, 1990.