Built 1876 CHISL # 659 Designated CHISL 1958 | NRHP Reference # 75000495 Added to NRHP December 30, 1975 | |
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Location 51 Ventu Park Rd., Newbury Park, California | ||
The Stagecoach Inn in Newbury Park, California, originally known as the Grand Union Hotel, was used as a resting area for people who traveled from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara. It is California Historical Landmark no. 659 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Grand Union Hotel was built in 1876 near what is now the Ventura Freeway and Ventu Park Road. Its redwood lumber came by sea and was freighted up the steep Conejo Grade (between Thousand Oaks and Camarillo) by multiteam wagons. From 1887 to 1901, the hotel served as a regular depot for the Coast Stage Line, which carried both passengers and mail.
Following the drought of 1877- 78 Hammell no longer owned the hotel. After passing through several owners, it was purchased in 1885 by Cecil Haigh, an Englishman. H. Allen Hays, grandson of Cecil Haigh, gave the building and about four acres of land at the present location to the CVHS, who later deeded the property to the Conejo Recreation and Park District in return for a 50-year renewable lease to operate the facilities for cultural and educational purposes. In the 1960s, the hotel was threatened with demolition by the expansion of the Ventura Freeway, but it was granted Historical Landmark status and moved to its present location in 1965. On April 25, 1970, a fire entirely destroyed the museum and its contents. Although the reconstructed museum was dedicated and opened on July 4, 1976, the second floor was not completed until 1980. The structure was rebuilt using the original Monterey style architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
Today, the inn is owned by the Conejo Recreation and Park Department and operated as a historic museum. The museum includes a replica of Timber School (originally built in 1889), the carriage house and blacksmith shop, a nature trail, and the 'Tri-Village', a small group of three houses: the pioneer house, the adobe, and the Chumash village. There is also a gift shop located inside the museum. Volunteers operate the museum, although it is run by the Conejo Valley Historical Society. There is also a Jr. Docent program for children and teenagers aged 8–18.
The Stagecoach Inn is allegedly haunted, and is considered one of California's most famous haunted places.
The Stagecoach Inn is open Wednesday through Sunday, from 1-4 pm., in Newbury Park, CA.