Museum At Tehama
By Rosemary Tingley

While the Tehama County Museum in the town of Tehama houses historical artifacts, memorabilia, photos, etc., it has quite an impressive history of its own. It is one of the four oldest buildings in the county, the other three being the Ide Adobe north of Red Bluff, the Henry Wilson Stone House (Leo Clark home) northwest of Corning and the Andrew Jelly house (Elbert Haakonson home) in the Bend-Jelly area.

In the 1850's, when the riverside town of Tehama was developing into a thriving frontier metropolis, the trustees of the Tehama school district felt a pressing need to provide a new school building. At the same time the growing number of men of the Masonic order in the area had ambitions for a permanent meeting place. The two groups combined forces to plan a two-story building that would serve both purposes, the ground floor for the school and the upper floor for the Masonic Lodge.

A centrally located town lot was donated by the founders of Tehama, A. G. Toomes and R. H. Thomes. Sylvanus H. Depuy was contracted to erect a 30 x 40 foot two-story brick building 24 feet high and to add the roof, floors, windows, doors and a stairway. Each of the two groups were to complete and furnish their own quarters.

Another early day citizen, Charles Harvey, generously donated a school bell. It was placed on top of the building, where it remained until after the turn of the century when adequate equipment for its removal was available. The bell was cast in England in 1858 by the Naylor Vickers Company, was shipped by sailing vessel round the horn and by boat up the Sacramento River to Tehama, and was placed. on the building in 1860. Today it rests on a pedestal on the grounds of the last school built in Tehama.

The school was ready for use in 1860. But the first authorized meeting of the. Molino Lodge No. 150 F. & A.M. was not held until August 23, 1861. According to a historic mechanic's lien placed by the builder, Depuy, in 1860 for non-payment of his bill, it was disclosed that some 136,508 bricks were used in the original structure.

Dual ownership of the building by the school district and the Masons caused occasional differences. In 1871 the school trustees, no doubt feeling the need for more space, questioned the Mason's right to the space taken up by the stairway to the second floor. However, the stairway continued to remain in place and no outside stairway was constructed. In 1875 when repairs that included a new roof were made the expenses were shared equally by the two groups. The school district was somewhat slow in paying its share.

In 1881 the school quarters became inadequate; so a new two story wood frame school building was constructed. Dual ownership of the first building continued for many years. Both the school district and the Masons rented out portions of the building from time to time to such organizations as The Sons of Temperance, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Tehama Odd Fellows Lodge No. 183 and others.

In 1884 the grounds were enlarged by the purchase of two more adjoining lots from Mrs. Isabella Butler, one of the administrators of the Isabella Toomes estate.

Negotiations for the sale of the school district's share in 1901 were made at a price of $500. The Masons would offer only $400. It was not until 1010 that the Masons bought the school district's share for $300.

In that, same year a major building project was undertaken by extending the west end 35 feet in length. An architect's appraisal of the extension states that "the addition was of poor quality and is of wood construction covered with sheet metal. The column effect of the Greek Revival style of architecture was repeated in the extension, however the attempt to capture the original character failed miserably." Regardless of such an appraisal, it is of the general opinion that the extension enhanced the architectural lines of both the exterior and the interior.

In 1935 the Masonic building was designated as California Historical Landmark Number 183, a status that it held for many years. However, a phrase used in s description as an early county court house proved in later research to be in error. No court house ever existed in Tehama. The first court rooms in the county during the brief period that Tehama was first county seat were in the historic Union Hotel. So when the Dedication of the Plaque was held in 1981, the No. 183 Landmark was placed at the site of the old Union Hotel.

For years a highway sign on Highway 99E directed travelers to the First Tehama County Court House, which was to the Masonic building. In 1962 when the Masons were celebrating their 100th Anniversary, they arranged to have Superior Court Judge Curtiss Wetter hold court there for one session. However, the act did not succeed in saving the California Historical Landmark designation for the building.

In 1980 the building was designated as a National Historic Site.

When the new Masonic building was erected in Los Molinos for Molino Lodge No. 150 on land donated by Arthur Banta and largely financed by him in 1977, the old building became the property of the Community Light House, a local church. When it proved unsatisfactory for the church's needs, it became available in September, 1980, to a citizens' group, the Tehama County Museum Foundation, and has been in operation as a museum since that time. So it stands today having served as a school for 21 years, a Masonic Hall for 116 years, briefly as a church and now as a museum that hopefully will continue to serve the community for many years to come.

Museum as it appeared in 1983
Tingley, Rosemary; (1983), Museum at Tehama, Tehama County Memories, 1983 (pp. 44-48)