Forestville The Good Life by Richard Naegle - July 2017
Development of property adjacent to the Downtown Park – Catherine Bartolomei, one of the partners who own this property, reports that they have submitted a preliminary design to the County for a hotel – multi-level with 70 rooms (her Farmhouse Inn now has 25 rooms). It will have underground parking. They hope that something will happen in the next 12-18 months. (One sticking issue is whether or not the proposed roundabout at the intersection of Mirabel and 116 will be constructed in the foreseeable future.)
The Forestville Farmers Market Now Open! Every Tuesday, 4 - 7p. Local farmers, delicious foods, local crafters, beer & wine! Shop, eat, drink, and visit with friends and family. West County Regional Trail (which runs between Forestville and Sebastopol) meanders through the Market offering beautiful oak trees and welcomed shade. This makes for an excellent destination and meeting place after a summer’s evening walk or bike ride. There are plenty of picnic tables and giant redwood benches throughout the park.
The 2017 Market has been made possible through a collaborative effort by the Forestville Chamber of Commerce, the market’s new sponsor; the Forestville Planning Association, owner of the downtown park space where the market is held;Chris O’Neill, former market owner and owner of Russian River Vineyards; and Mary Rand, past and present Farmers Market Manager.
What’s Old?
While Forestville today may seem like a somewhat quiet little blink-your-eye-and-you’ll-miss-it town, but a little digging into its history suggests otherwise. “Back in the day, Forestville was home to some of the first electric hotels, two railroad stations, a newspaper, and one of the first powered saw mills in California,” said Penny Hutton, one of the founders of the Forestville Historical Society (FHS) and author of “Forestville, ” a book about the small town’s historical roots. A rustic chair factory, pumping out rawhide-seated wooden chairs, was another claim to fame of the area and collectors still search high and low for the quality “Faudre Chairs,” that were a fixture of the town around the year 1869.
All this information and more can be found on the Forestville Historical Society website at fhs.webvanta.com. (Some historical info also at 95436.org – hit the “About Forestville” link.).
Speer Family in Forestville
By Darleen Speer, Granddaughter (adapted from he Historical Society website)
The Speer family were really “Johnnie come lately’s” to Forestville. They didn’t move there until about 1908. They came to California after the 1906 earthquake, to help rebuild San Francisco – James Forest Speer Sr. being an engineer, having built several bridges and buildings back in Pennsylvania, in the Beaver Co., and Pittsburgh areas.
[They sent lots of postcards back to the family in Pennsylvania.]. One of those postcards sent in February of 1910 told that Grandpa had just bought a horse for the farm, there is a picture of him, Grandma and the three boys, with this new horse in front of the barn, which looks brand new in this picture, and probably was. Most all of older Forestvillians will remember that old barn that stood across the street from the Sunny Slope Rest Home there on Mirabel road, before the Speer ranch subdivision went in. So this postcard dates the picture, my father, Paul Speer, who was born there at the ranch, 19 April 1909, looks about 10 or 11 months old, so this confirms it. The census, taken later that summer, listed my father’s name as “baby” Speer, as they hadn’t thought of a name for him yet...
Bertha, the last child, was born a few years later. The children went to Forestville school, there is a picture of the school taken about 1911 with James Jr. sitting in the front row...
Maude raised the children pretty much by herself. When James Sr. was working close enough, such as in the bay area, he would come home on weekends. One of the stories that both my father Paul Speer and Aunt Bertha told me was that Grandpa would ride the electric train home to Forestville on Friday nights and play cards the rest of the night at the hotel where there was usually a hot poker game to be found. Then he would go home Saturday morning, Grandma never knew he actually arrived on Fridays!
Later, when Grandpa quit building things because of his paralysis, he worked the ranch. They’d planted apple trees, and he and his oldest son Jim took care of several other orchards there in the Forestville area too...
Grandpa had lots of different properties there in Forestville, including what is now known as Speer’s market. I have a picture of it in the early 1930’s, when it was mainly a gas station with a small store. James Speer Jr lived there for several years with his family and ran the store, my father, Paul Speer Sr was working at the gas station the night he met my mother, she had come to Forestville to dance on the wonderful springboard floor they had then, in town. Uncle Howard purchased the corner from Grandpa after WWII, I still remember when it was mainly a gas station. I remember when they enlarged the store and had the bar, and supposedly they had the best poker games in Sonoma Co.....
Historical Society
...needs you! Please! Forestville Historical Society needs volunteers for the board to help preserve the history of our unique town (see its great website, FHS.webvanta.com). Our older locals are in fact getting older, and need help from those 75 or younger! If no one steps forward, the FHS will have to shut down. To learn more, call Ron Davis, President, at 707-823-2921. Please help!
Hollydale Club
July “Last Sunday of the Month” Breakfast, Sunday morning, 7/30, 9am to noon with Table Tennis following 1-4 pm. Serving NY Steak and Eggs with Hollydale Fries, fresh fruit and coffee/tea/juice bar. Special treat, tasty Bloody Marys, Mimosas at the Bar. $10 donation, kids under 10 free.
These fundraising breakfasts have been very successful in not only generating funds for the new main room flooring, which has been purchased, but helping to rebuild a sense of community here at the 70-year-old Hollydale Clubhouse...once a little social gathering spot originally used by the immediate community, now being enjoyed by many locals, passing thru’s and neighbors near and far...
And Now...
Starting next month you will have a new writer for this column. Lucy Barnett-Hardcastle has been deeply involved in serving our community for many years. I wish her and you well! Thank you for this opportunity to communicate with you each month.
-Richard Naegle
