The History of Morgan Hill

Morgan Hill is one of the fastest growing communities in Santa Clara County. In this course you will learn about its history including: Native Americans Mexican Land Grants The Murphy family Turn of the century subdivisions Madrone City incorporation 1906 Early Business on Monterey Street (El Camino Real) Santa Clara Valley, the prune capital of the world (Coates Nursery) Gertrude Strong Achilles, heiress to the Kodak fortune and Fountain Oaks estate The last class will be a historical walking tour of downtown Morgan Hill (Monterey Street from Wright Avenue to Dunne Avenue). Tours of the following: Morgan Hill house, the Votaw house, the Grange hall, the Methodist church and the restored Christian Science church, now a community playhouse are included. The class will end with a sack picnic lunch under the oaks at the house museum. Beth Wyman is the author of Hiram Morgan Hill. She served as Morgan Hill council member and mayor from1979 -1983. Wyman holds an M.A. in history from San José State and taught in the urban planning department. She also worked for Santa Clara County and is an independent consultant.