Bridget Oates - Sams Castle

On April 18, 1906, the largest earthquake in North American history struck at 5:12 a.m. Though it lasted less than one minute, fires ravaged San Francisco for four days and displaced over 250,000 people. Deeply affected by the widespread devastation, Henry Harrison McCloskey decided to create a fortress that would never burn or fall, and that is how Pacificas grand castle came to be. (Jim Coen.)

Henry McCloskeys law office in the prestigious Merchants Exchange Building (on right) was completely gutted in the post-quake fire. His client, the Ocean Shore Land Company, however, provided a bright spark of hope for the future. With interests in Salada Beach, they believed that the small country town was ripe for development and could become a booming tourist haven. (Private collection.)

Sold on his clients future vision, Henry McCloskey formulated his plan while the family camped out alongside their neighbors for fear of aftershocks. There were refugee camps all across the city, and the US Army, shown here in Golden Gate Park, kept the peace. Though their Sixth Avenue home was intact, minus the chimney, McCloskey was determined to move his family out of the city as quickly as possible. (Private collection.)

Henry McCloskey first came to Salada Beach by horse and buggy, and he chose a spot high on the hill for his unshakeable stronghold. There were many who contributed to the building effort of the 24-room castle, but one man in particular, Mathius Math Anderson, left an enduring legacy with his woodworking craftsmanship. For more intricate details on how the castle was built, see chapter seven. (Jon Sullberg, Unknown Pacifica .)

Math Anderson was an accomplished carpenter who built his own business, Salada Mercantile, just down the hill from the castle. His market kept the town stocked with supplies, and it would one day lead the love of his life right into his own backyardthe castle kitchen. But it would be a few more years before that happened. (Jim Coen.)

Henry and Emily McCloskey moved into the castle with their daughters, Marion and Laura, and their son, Paul, before it was completely finished. One of their daughters had consumption, and doctors thought the sea air would help her heal. During construction, the McCloskeys were one of only 12 families living in San Carlos. It must have been quite a commute to Henry McCloskeys new office in the penthouse of the Crocker Building in downtown San Francisco. (Pacifica Historical Society.)

When Math Anderson and the McCloskeys first moved to Salada Beach in the early 1900s, the town was largely made up of artichoke farms and little else, as seen here. Artichokes were in high demand as distributors could pay the local farmers 5.5 per artichoke and sell them in New York for 75 each. ( Pacifica Tribune photograph.)

Here is the queen of the castle, Emily (Purinton) McCloskey, enjoying the garden with the family dog. Henry McCloskey spared no expense in creating their dream home, and John McLaren, famous head gardener of Golden Gate Park, reportedly landscaped the grounds. (Virginia McCloskey Hartzell.)

Paul McCloskey was an avid baseball fan, and he often practiced in Golden Gate Park when the family lived next to it on Sixth Avenue. He is pictured here (far right, first row) with his Lowell High School teammates around 1908. After baseball practice, Paul would catch the Ocean Shore Railroads Half Moon Bay Express train at 5:45 p.m. and make it home in just about an hour. (Virginia McCloskey Hartzell.)