Historical Places

Photo of George L. Center's Manor House at Twin Pines Park.

Belmont's history begins with the Native Americans who lived off the land and the Bay, then the Spanish who built ranchos, then other Europeans, then those Americans attracted west by the lure of the Gold Rush. They were joined by people of all backgrounds and races, from dairy farmers, to sanitarium operators, to shop and hotel owners.

John McDougal, an early governor of California, was a landowner, as was William Chapman Ralston. Ralston, a perfectionist and lavish spender, remodeled Count Leonetto Cipriani's modest villa in the rugged Canada del Diablo. The villa became Ralston Hall, a sumptuous mansion that was host to many San Francisco notables and celebrities (such as Mark Twain) in its early days. Ralston Hall is listed in the National Register of Historical Landmarks.

After Ralston, the railroad built tracks from San Francisco south, and Belmont became a small farming town. Chinese farmers grew chrysanthemums, and others raised dairy cows, and others farmed subsistence and cash crops. Then, after the 1906 earthquake, Belmont became home to "capitalists" from San Francisco. George L. Center, businessman, San Francisco Supervisor, and the builder of the Manor House in Twin Pines park, moved here in 1908.

Visit the Belmont Historical Society, at the back of the Manor House.