Guide to the California First
Theater Collection
Monterey State Historic Park, Monterey, CA
Collection processed and finding aid created by Lori
Lindberg, Archivist, San Francisco, CA
Edited First Draft
California State Parks
Pacific House Museum
Monterey State Historic Park
20 Custom House Plaza
Monterey, CA 93940
Note
History--California History--Central Coast History
Geographical (By
Place)--California--Central Coast
Arts and
Humanities--Theater--General
- California State Parks
P.O. Box 942896
Sacramento, CA 94296
Guide to the California First Theatre Collection
Monterey State Historic Park
Monterey, CA
- Collection processed and finding aid created by
- Lori Lindberg, Certified Archivist
San
Francisco,
CA
- Machine-readable finding aid created by
- Dayna Holz
Richmond, CA
- California First Theatre
Monterey State Historic Park
20 Custom House Plaza
Monterey, CA 93940
http://www.mbay.net/~mshp/
- Email:
- mshp2@mbay.net
Note
Edited First Draft
June 12, 2002
Descriptive Summary
Title: California. Department of Parks and
Recreation. California First Theatre (Monterey State Historic Park) Collection,
Date Range: 1840-1981.
Collection number: 455.1
Collector: California State Parks
Monterey State Historic
Park
Monterey, CA 93940
Extent:
12.49 cubic ft.
(19 boxes)
Repository:
California State Parks
Monterey State Historic Park
20 Custom House Plaza
Monterey, CA 93940
831-649-7118
Abstract: The California First
Theater Collection consists of records, artifacts, and memorabilia
connected with the oldest theatrical performance house in California.
The
bulk of the documentation is related to the theater's last major period
of activity, from 1937-1999. In addition, the collection contains
significant documentation of contemporary theatrical performance in San
Francisco, Chicago, and New York City.
Physical location: For current information on the
location of these materials, please consult the Monterey District
Museum
Curator at 831-649-7118.
Language:
English.
Legal Status
Public
Administrative Information
Access
The
collections are open for research by appointment only. Appointments may
be
made by calling 831-649-7110.
Publication
Rights
Property rights reside with the California Department
of Parks and
Recreation. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the
records and their
heirs. For permission to reproduce or to publish, please contact the
California
Department of Parks and Recreation, Monterey State Historic
Park.
Preferred
Citation
Suggested citation of these records is:
[Identification of item],
California First Theatre Collection, Monterey State Historic Park,
Monterey,
CA.
Additional Materials
This collection
contains only those materials suitable for treatment as archives.
Artifacts,
monographs (books), and decorative objects housed in the California
First Theatre are not included in this collection. For information on
these additional materials, contact the Monterey District Museum
Curator at
831-649-7118.
Separated Materials
All books, with
the exception
of part- and songbooks, in the collection are collected and stored on
adjacent shelving with books from other Park archives collections. They
are not included in this collection and have been inventoried
separately.
History of the California First Theatre
The building in which the first paid public dramatic
entertainment in California was staged is located in Old Monterey. John
Alfred
(Jack) Swan, a sailor of Scottish descent, arrived in Monterey in 1843
as a
crew member on the
Soledad, a Mexican brig
engaged in the coast trade between Mexico and Alta California. Upon
arriving in Monterey, Swan likes the small city and decides to stay. A
lack of immediate employment forces him to sea again, this time as a
cook
on the Mexican schooner
California,
captained by John B.R. Cooper, another American destined to historical
importance in Monterey. After a pair of successful trade voyages
between
Monterey and the Mexican port of Mazatlan, Swan's culinary skills lose
their luster with Captain Cooper and he loses his post. Whether he was
fired or jumped ship is unknown, but he arrives in Monterey at the end
of
1844, once again with no work. This time, enterprising Swan decides to
make a name for himself as a baker and manages to set up a small shop.
The American influx to California has begun in earnest by this time and
Swan's Yankee patrons soon make Swan's pies a favored concoction. By
1846, with money acquired from the business, he purchases some land on
the old Calle Estrada, now the southwest corner of Pacific and Scott
Streets. In the summer of the following year he begins construction on
an
adobe structure, a small house already having been built, with the idea
of turning it into a boarding house for itinerant sailors such as he
was just a few years prior.
In March 1847 the first of three American transport ships arrives
in San Francisco, carrying detachments of the First New York Volunteer
Regiment, under the command of Colonel Jonathan Drake Stevenson. By
April 1848, Companies D, E, F, G, and I were assigned to Monterey,
where
the soldiers remained for some months until they were either
transferred to other coast cities or mustered out of the service. A
number of New
Yorkers from Companies D and I, used to the myriad of entertainment
choices afforded their leave time in the large cities of the East
Coast,
devised their own entertainments in Monterey to help relieve the
monotony of camp life. The war with Mexico by this time virtually over,
a few
of the sailors knew their muster was soon to come and, concluding that
their entertainments might fetch them money and a possible living after
the government's paychecks stopped, approached Swan with the idea of
leasing part of his adobe as a theatre. Swan, ever mindful of new and
enterprising ways to make money, was favorable to the idea.
Pressed into service quickly, the building was fitted with
whatever could be used to make the building suitable for dramatic
performance: scraps of lumber, shipping crates, and barrels for the
stage and
seats, blankets for the curtains. As money came in from admissions,
better
materials were used, scenery and costumes of higher quality. With no
programs or handbills in existence, it is not definitely known what
play
was the first play performed in Swan's theatre. According to Bancroft,
one of the plays given in the Spring of 1848 was
Putnam, or, the Lion Son of '76, which was quite profitable.
In fact, the theatre was by all accounts a remarkable success, having
taken in $500 in admissions on the first night's performance alone.
Melodramas popular at the time were the prevailing works performed in
the
theatre, complete with a small orchestra adept at accenting every
heroine's anguished wail and every villain's mustache twitch.
By 1849, Gold Rush fever was sweeping California, and Monterey
was not immune to the loss of population to the gold mines of the
Sierras. Performers from Los Angeles came north to attempt to fill the
gap,
but by the end of 1849, the lure of gold and riches had taken its
number
of men to the mountains, including Swan, and the company disbanded.
Over the ensuing years, Swan leased his building to a number of
business people and it served a variety of functions: whaling station,
drug dispensary and store, and eventually a tea room and shop. Swan
traveled both in and out of Monterey over the next 35 years, retiring
by
1885 to the old adobe, having won and lost a number of fortunes in
different ventures. In 1896 Jack Swan died with no heirs, and the old
adobe
and house began to deteriorate, sitting abandoned until 1906.
1906 brings the crumbling adobe some good fortune when a group of
local Monterey citizens, assisted with funds from W.R. Hearst's
California Historic Landmarks League, purchase the building and deed it
to the
State. By 1920 the adobe and house undergo a complete restoration and
open to the public as a museum. In 1937, the State leased the
buildings
to Denny-Watrous Management, a performing arts organization dedicated
to reviving the performance of melodrama in the old First Theatre. A
company, Troupers of the Gold Coast, comprised of mostly local
residents,
revive the performances of late 19th-century melodrama followed by an
Olio, an audience sing-along. These performances continued without
interruption through a couple of management changes until the buildings
closed again for further restoration in 1999.
Chronology
| 1846 |
John A. (Jack) Swan acquires land on Calle Estrada, now sw
corner of Pacific and Scott Streets in Monterey. House is built. Part
of it later becomes a saloon.
|
| 1847 |
Long adobe complete by the end of the year and serves as a
boarding house for sailors, along with the saloon. Swan a successful
businessman.
|
| 1848-50 |
Begins conversion of building into a theatre. First play
produced in spring. Performances continue with a resident group of
locals
and mustered sailors through February 1850. Ten plays are produced over
the twenty one months.
|
| 1850-96 |
Swan rents his adobe and begins a life seeking gold in the
Sierra. The house and adobe function over the next 46 years as a
lodging house, whaling station (addition of a look out tower occurred
in the
1850s), a drug store in the 1870s and finally a tea room and
shop.
|
| 1885 |
After a Gold Rush boom-and-bust life, Swan retires
penniless to his house.
|
| 1896 |
Swan dies. The adobe and house sit empty and begin to
deteriorate.
|
| 1906 |
Building purchased by a group of Monterey citizens and
deeded to the State of California.
|
| 1920 |
Restoration complete and buildings reopened as a
museum.
|
| 1937 |
Denny-Watrous Management of Carmel lease the building for
theatrical performances. The Troupers of the Gold Coast begin
residence.
|
| 1999 |
Building closed for renovation. |
Scope and Content
The California First Theatre Collection consists of records,
artifacts, and memorabilia connected with the oldest theatrical
performance
house in California, the site of the first minstrelsy production on the
West Coast in 1847, and in 1848, the first play. While the collection
contains only one real document and some reproductions of the original
documents recording the building's existence, such as the land title and
promissory notes,
and virtually no evidence of its storied first activity period as a
theater,1848-1850, the collection is rich in documentation of the plays
and
music performed in the theatre during its last major period of
activity, the years 1937 to 1999. In addition, the collection contains
significant documentation for both activity periods of contemporary
theatrical
performance in San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City. This is
revealed in the collection's large holding of American sheet music and
song
books, with copyright dates spanning a century, as well as scrapbook
collections of playbills, theatrical advertisements, and reviews.
Additional materials of note are the autograph manuscript essay
by Jack Swan, "My Old Spectacles," the collection of cartes de
visite featuring popular San Francisco and international theatrical
personalities of the late 19th century, as well as a large number of
stereopticon cards. The stereopticon cards include, among many views, images of
pre-1906 earthquake San Francisco and prominent mansions and hotels of
the city, along with Yosemite Valley images photographed and published
by the Carlton E. Watkins studio.
Bibliography
Additional information about the California First Theatre may be
found in the following publications:
Bancroft, Hubert Howe, 1832-1918.
History of
California.
San Francisco, CA:
The
History Company,
1884-1890.
MacMinn, George Rupert.
The Theatre of the Golden Era in
California.
Caldwell, ID:
The Caxton Printers,
1941.
Tays, George.
First Theater in California.
Berkeley, CA:
Works
Progress
Administration,
1936.
Works Progress Administration.
Historical Survey
of the
Monterey Peninsula, Project #4080.
San
Francisco, CA:
Works Progress Administration,
1937.
Arrangement of Materials
Materials in this collection are mainly arranged alphabetically
by document type and then chronologically if necessary.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of
this collection
in a library's online public access catalog:
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Personal Names:
Booth,
Edwin,
1833-1893.
Montez,
Lola,
1818-1861.
Swan, John
Alfred,
1817-1896.
Subjects:
California--History.
California--Pioneers.
California--Monterey--Historic structures.
Monterey
(Calif.)--History.
Theater--California--Monterey.
Box Boxes 1-4
Series I:
Administrative
records, 1939-1999
Physical Description:
45 folders in 4 boxes
Scope and Content Note
This series contains records of the California
First Theatre State Historic Monument and State Parks documentation of
visitors, production attendance, weather, and historical collections
provenance. In addition, this series contains one of the significant
documents in the building's history, the original bill of sale for the land to
Jack Swan, signed by both Swan and Marcelino Escobar, Alcalde of
Monterey, 1844, and a reproduction of the abstract of title. An interesting
anecdote by Swan, "My Old Spectacles," in autograph, is also in this
series.
Box 2, Folder 1-14
Supervisor's weekly report
Box 3, Folder 1-8
Supervisor's weekly report
Box 4, Folder 1
Abstract of Title (reproduction).
Box 4, Folder 2
Original bill of sale for land to Jack Swan,
1844.
Box 4, Folder 3
Manuscript essay by Swan, "My Old Spectacles,"
1874.
Box 4, Folder 4
Gift agreements and loan documentation.
Box 4, Folder 5
List of First Theatre productions under Denny-Watrous
Management, 1937-1959.
Box 4, Folder 6
List of First Theatre productions, 1937-1962, prepared by Vera Stewart.
Box 4, Folder 8
Supervisory Practices Course SP-1 study guide, Dept.
of Parks and Recreation, January,
1966. Robert Reese, trainee.
Box 4, Folder 9
Visitor Register, 2/27/1927-8/11/1928.
Box Box 5
Series II:
Correspondence, 1848-1958
Physical Description:
2 folders in 1/2 box
Scope and Content Note
Scope and Content:
This small series
highlights correspondence related to the California First Theatre, in
particular
that related to gifts received as part of the historical
collections.
Box 5, Folder 1
Correspondence - Isabel Hartigan with Lucille Lane,
1948.
Box 5, Folder 2
Gift Correspondence, 1958.
Box Box 5
Series III:
Ephemera, 1880-1972
Physical Description:
14 folders in 1/2 box
Scope and Content Note
Scope and Content:
This series contains
ephemeral items such as performance programs and tickets from the
California
First Theatre, and other interesting theatrical and festival
memorabilia from San Francisco, Monterey, and
Chicago.
Subseries i:
First
Theatre ephemera,
1944-1972
Physical Description:
(5 folders)
Scope and Content Note
This subseries contains only California First
Theatre-related ephemera.
Box 5, Folder 3
Hand-written song lyrics for two songs, n.d.:
All for a Woman's Love, The Black
Sheep Loves You Best of All.
Box 5, Folder 7
Performance ticket from
"The
Unkissed Bride"
Subseries ii:
Non-First
Theatre ephemera,
1880-1962
Physical Description:
(9 folders)
Scope and Content Note
This series contains a number of interesting ephemeral
items from other
performance houses and entertainment venues
Box 5, Folder 8
1939 Golden Gate
International Exposition brochure and admission ticket.
Box 5, Folder 9
Kirby's Opera House (Chicago, IL) performance
program, 1880s
Box 5, Folder 10
Lake County promotional brochure, n.d.
Box 5, Folder 11
Leavitt's Bush St. Theatre (San Francisco, CA)
performance program, 1885
Box 5, Folder 12
Monterey, CA event and informational brochures: Hotel
Del Monte,n.d.; Merienda celebration, 1945; Native Sons and Daughters of the Golden West Admission Day
Celebration program, 1954; State
Historical Monuments at Monterey brochure, n.d.
Box 5, Folder 13
Orpheum Theatre (San Francisco, CA) 10th anniversary
souvenir booklet, 1897.
Box 5, Folder 14
Picture post cards, various Monterey area views:
Hotel Del Monte, Monterey cypress trees, California First Theatre, etc.
n.d.
Box 5, Folder 15
Tivoli Opera House (San Francisco, CA) performance
program, 1899
Box 5, Folder 16
Zepeda's Mexican restaurant (Monterey, CA) menu,
1962
Box Boxes 6-11
Series IV:
Olio
Performance
Sheet Music, 1840s-1940
Physical Description:
47 folders in 6 boxes
Scope and Content Note
This series contains approximately 150 pieces per
box of an extensive collection of American sheet
music. Date range spans 1840-1940.
Not arranged in any particular order.
Box 6
Box 1 of 61840s-1940
Physical Description:
7 folders
Box 7
Box 2 of 61840s-1940
Physical Description:
6 folders
Box 8
Box 3 of 61840s-1940
Physical Description:
9 folders
Box 9
Box 4 of 61840s-1940
Physical Description:
8 folders
Box 10
Box 5 of 61840s-1940
Physical Description:
8 folders
Box 11
Box 6 of 61840s-1940
Physical Description:
9 folders
Box Box 12
Series V:
Oversize
Materials, 1903-
Physical Description:
5 folders in 1 box
Scope and Content Note
This series contains materials larger than the
standard letter format that need to be stored flat.
Includes a nice watercolor of the California First Theatre, maker
unidentified.
Box 12, Folder 1
Periodical:
California Ladies
Magazine
, December,
1903.
Box 12, Folder 2
Photograph, mounted: Interior of California First
Theatre, WPA photo series taken by Sibyl Anikeeff.
Box 12, Folder 3
Photoreproduction: Newspaper article re: Lola Montez
residence in Grass Valley, CA. n.d.
Box 12, Folder 4
Promotional brochure: Monterey Chamber of Commerce re:
Monterey Peninsula recreation and living.
n.d.
Box 12, Folder 5
Watercolor on paper, unframed: California First
Theatre. Unidentified maker. n.d.
Box Boxes 13-15
Series VI:
Photographs, 1852-1890
Physical Description:
7 folders and 172 items in 3
boxes
Scope and Content Note
This series contains all photographs and
photographic material in the collection. Contains a large
number of stereopticon cards of various Monterey, other California and
European views.
Box 13
Subseries i:
First
Theatre related photographs,
n.d.
Physical Description:
(2 folders)
Scope and Content Note
In this subseries are a pair of audience photographs
and two photos used as props in productions.
Box 13, Folder 1
Photographs
Physical Description:
(4
items)
Box 13, Folder 2
Photoreproduction, "Lola coming!" political
cartoon
Physical Description:
(1 item)
Box 13-15
Subseries ii:
Non-First
Theatre related photographs,
1852-1890
Physical Description:
(3 folders in Box 13 and 2 additional
boxes)
Scope and Content Note
None of these photographs are directly related to
the First Theatre, but many do portray the surrounding environment of
the Monterey Peninsula.
Box 13, Folder 3
2 mounted albumen prints: Unidentified man, n.d.;
View of San Francisco waterfront, 1852.
Box 13, Folder 4
13 card-mounted albumen prints, various subjects,
incl. Pacific Grove, Del Monte, Monterey, Mission San
Miguel.
Box 13, Folder 5
Souvenir photogravure album: cast of
Trilby, London stage production, 1895.
Box 14, Group 1
Cartes de visite and cabinet card
photographs
Scope and Content Note
43 cartes de visite and cabinet card photographs,
various subjects, including late 19th century theatrical personalities
in
San Francisco, along with various San Francisco views such as interior
views of the Palace Hotel, Mark Hopkins mansion, Stanford mansion, and
other California and non-California locales.
Box 14, Group 2
Stereopticon cards
Scope and Content Note
55 stereopticon cards, various views, including
Yosemite Valley and other California locations, European and Asian
landmarks.
Box 15, Group 3
More stereopticon cards
Scope and Content Note
74 stereopticon cards, various views, including
Yosemite Valley and other California locations and non-California
locations,
European and Asian landmarks.
Box Box 16
Series VII:
Publicity, 1874-1965
Physical Description:
12 folders in 1 box
Scope and Content Note
This series contains periodicals, some containing
articles related to the California First
Theatre, others with articles relating to Monterey in general.
Arranged alphabetically by title of publication and then
chronologically if more than one issue.
Box Box 16, section 1
Subseries i:
First
Theatre-related publications,
1937-1962
Physical Description:
(2 folders)
Scope and Content Note
This subseries contains multiple copies of an
article about the reopening of the California First Theatre and a
selection of newsclippings.
Box 16, Folder 1
Californian, The. V:29.
August 11,1937
Physical Description:
Six
copies.
Box 16, Folder 2
Assorted newsclippings, 1937-1962.
Physical Description:
10 items.
Box Box 16, section 2
Subseries ii:
Non-First
Theatre-related publications,
1874-1965
Physical Description:
(9 folders)
Scope and Content Note
Publications in this subseries do not contain any
articles that mention the California First Theatre and were likely used
as props.
Box 16, Folder 3
American West, The. I:1,
Winter 1965.
Buick Magazine. II:6, September
1936.
Box 16, Folder 4
Californian, The. V:10,
March 31, 1937.
Box 16, Folder 5
Days Doings, The.
XIII:333, October 10,
1874.
Box 16, Folder 7
MotorLand. XXXII:4.
April 1933; XXXV:2. August 1934.
Box 16, Folder 8
"The Mid-Spring Stage - A Season Still Active."
New York Times, The.
Sunday, May 13, 1928.
Box 16, Folder 9
Noticias del Puerto de
Monterey
. XIII:4. December
1969.
Monterey: Monterey History and Art Association.
Saludos amigos! City of Monterey: Office of the Mayor.
n.d.
Box 16, Folder 10
Rambler, The. I:8,
March 1936.
Box 16, Folder 11
Theatre World. Vols.
II-V. 1945-46 -
1949-50.
Box 16, Folder 12
Women's City Club
Magazine
. I:9 October 1927.
San Francisco:
Women's City Club.
Box Boxes 17-18
Series VIII:
Scrapbooks, 1870-1960
Physical Description:
10 items in 2 boxes
Scope and Content Note
This series contains scrapbooks of accumulated
news clippings and theatrical advertisements from
New York City, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco from the late 19th and
early 20th centuries, along with a scrapbook of California First
Theatre playbills from 1938-1960.
Box 17, scrapbook 1
455-63-6 FT
Scrapbook of various New York theatrical
advertisements and announcements, 1889 -
1899,
including the Metropolitan Opera House and other prominent 19th century
performance houses.
Box 17, scrapbook 2
455-97-6 FT
Scrapbook of California First Theatre playbills from
1938-1960, incl. handwritten list
of productions on rear pages through 1963 and typewritten list through 1965.
Box 18
Empty scrapbook covers
Physical Description:
3
items
Box 18, scrapbook 4
Scrapbook remnants of few pages and no covers
chronicling the history of the California First Theatre, productions
and
restoration (no dates).
Physical Description:
(2
items)
Box 18, book 5
455-63-2 FT
Scrapbook of song lyrics, newsclippings,
advertisements and envelope of playbills from San Francisco performance
houses,
1894 - 1898.
Box 18, book 6
455-63-3 FT
Broadside advertising sale of livestock, 1870.
Box 18, book 7
455-58-5 FT
Scrapbook of theatre advertisements and playbills,
Virginia City and Boston areas, 1878 -
1883.
Box 18, book 8
455-62-1 FT
Scrapbook of theatre advertisements and playbills,
Chicago and surrounding metropolitan area, 1913.
Box Box 19
Series IX:
Scripts,
Scores,
Musical Instruction and Part Books, 1855-1943
Physical Description:
11 folders in 1 box
Scope and Content Note
This series contains an
assortment of play scripts, musical scores, and music instruction books
with dates ranging from 1855 to 1943. Approximately half of the items
date before 1900. It is possible that some of the musical selections in
these books were used for the Olio performances after the plays
presented
at the Theatre.
In 11 folders arranged chronologically.
Box 19, Folder 1
Rachel, Mlle.
Adrienne
Lecouvreur.
New York: Darcie and Corbyn, 1855.
Box 19, Folder 2
Newburgh Musical
Bulletin
. II:1, January
1872.
Box 19, Folder 3
Peters Musical Monthly.
XIV:85, September 1874.
Box 19, Folder 4
Sherman and Hyde's Musical
Review
. IV:1, January 1876;
IV:7,
July 1877; IV:9, September 1877.
Box 19, Folder 5
455-58-15 to 455-58-19
5 play scripts, plus 1 Samuel French catalog,
1880-81.
Box 19, Folder 6
Bower, Harry A.
Imperial
Method for the Drum.
Cincinnati: John Church Co., 1898.
Box 19, Folder 7
Loeschhorn, A.
Loeschhorn's
Progressive Piano Studies.
New York: T.B. Harms and Co.,
n.d.
Box 19, Folder 8
Dodge, May Hewes and John Wilson.
In the Garden of the Shah. New York (?): Willis Music
Company, 1920.
Box 19, Folder 9
U.S. School of Music.
Home
Study Lessons for Piano.
New York: U.S. School of Music,
1925.
Box 19, Folder 10
Part book: Song, "Taking a Chance on Love" by Duke,
Fetter, and Latouche. New York: Leo Feist, 1940.
Box 19, Folder 11
Big Song Magazine. III:4,
May 1943.
