Monterey State Historic Park - Path of History-Part 11

Stevenson House, Casa Abrego, Casa Pacheco,
Madariaga Adobe, & San Carlos Chapel

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Casa Amesti	Casa Alvarado	Cooper-Molera Adobe	El Cuartel Site	Casa Munras

Right behind the site of El Cuartel is the Stevenson House.

Stevenson House Originally, the house was the home of Jose Rafael Gonzales, Alcade of Monterey in 1835. Later, in 1846-49, it was also home of Alcade Walter Colton. Swiss immigrant Juan Giardin and his wife Manuela Perez bought the building in 1856 and turned it into a hotel. Most famous guest was Robert Louis Stevenson, who stayed here in autumn of 1879 and later wrote the essay "The Old Pacific Capital" about his stay.

Guided tours Monday, Friday and Saturday at 2 p.m. Tours are approximately 40-minutes. More at the sites of California State Parks, Monterey County and Monterey County Historical Society. Evans Monterey has a really good picture.

Stevenson House, ca. 1900; (c) California History Room

Casa Abrego Soap manufacturer Jose Abrego came to Monterey in 1834 and built this house a year later. From 1839-1836, Abrego was Alta California's treasurer. He was also the government contractor who built El Cuartel and - for a while - the owner of Casa del Oro. In 1836, during the revolt against governor Gutierrez, a cannon was mounted at the house and the only shot fired during the uprising promptly caused Gutierrez to surrender his office and to leave California.

Markeroni has pictures of Casa Abrego and Madariaga Adobe.

Casa Pacheco	Madariaga Adobe
Carriage maker Don Francisco Perez Pacheco came to California in 1819 with an artillery unit. Pacheco bought this house in 1825 and later became one of the largest landowners in Monterey County (amongst others, he owned the land around what is now Pacheco Pass.)	This house in named after Jose Maria Madariaga, who built it in 1847 and after his mother who lived here until she died at the age of 101 in 1856.

Presidio Site Not far from Casa Pacheco is the area where Miguel Costanso planned and built the original Monterey Presidio in 1770, just "a gunshot from the beach..." Though most of the cannons and other armament were moved to El Castillo in 1792, the original Presidio continued to serve as the Capitol of Monterey until 18401, when El Cuartel was finished.

Jose Cardero, Presidio of Monterey, 1791

San Carlos Chapel

This is the last building remaining from the original Presidio and the last remaining presidio chapel in California.

The first chapel at this place was made of brush of palisades. It was later replaced by and adobe chapel which burned down with most of the presidio in 1789. The current chapel was completed in 1795 and has been used almost continually ever since.

From here, you can either take a little detour and check out two other historic buildings a little bit off the path; or you can continue on the path by walking back to the Stevenson House and then proceed to Casa Estrada.

Detour to Lake El Estero

Next Page

La Mirada Adobe	French Consulate		Casa De Castro Site	Casa Estrada

Casa Sanchez	Old Monterey Hotel	Golden State Theatre	Osio-Rodriguez Adobe	Casa Jimeno Site

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