History

A partial history of the Shinn family in the area, originally Vallejo Mills, then Niles, and finally Fremont with a focus on the  nursery and the plants and the Japanese garden

The "Big House" was finished in 1876. There was an office room just off the front entry which can be visited today.

In 1877 Lucy Shinn wrote "We have been having a great time over the laying out of the grounds, and had to agree to a compromise as we could do nothing with Papa. Annie made a new plan and Charlie has pitched right in to carry it out for fear he will shut down on it." A newspaper article in 1937 said that cousin, Lucy Clark, Dr. Joseph Clark's daughter also helped.

Today's modern Japanese garden is located in the footprint of the "Circle garden" that you can see in the old etching. Perhaps this is one of the gardens that they were referring to.

History continued

This is a small portion of the bill of lading.

The top portion of the bill of lading with "evergreen trees." The name is written in Japanese and English. The price is on the bottom.

The bottom portion of the bill had the information about where the plants came from.

 The source was translated by one of the pruners of the Japanese garden.  

Who was the nursery or person who sent the shipment? Peony Turtle?

When? "Meichi 9th year 21 Dec" or December 21, 1876

Where? The nursery was located right next to the former Emperor's palace in Kyoto. 

The nursery's address is just a block away from today's Kyoto Garden Palace. This was the Emperor's palace until 1869 when the palace was relocated to Tokyo. So at the time of the shipment, the nursery was no longer next to the Imperial Palace, but rather the former palace.

•1884 John Rock and R.D. Fox established California Nursery Company

•1887-9 abandoned the nursery business for fruit and nut production.

•1954 Sim Cottage moved to where it is now

•1962 property donated to city by Florence Mayhew Shinn

•1962 Mission Peak Heritage Foundation established – Dr. Fisher

•1971 Admiral Shinn blasts city for park condition

•1971 – “Committee of One” – Don Dillon and later a group of volunteers begin clean up and restoration of Shinn Park

What a bold statement! "first established to commemorate trade between the United States and the Orient." Where did this come from in ~1982? Why would a busy nurseryman "commemorate" trade? 

This sounds a bit like some boosterism to encourage the sister city relationship. 

Don Dillon, Sr., the "Committee of One." The future Fremont mayor's family also worked on the garden. Mayor Dillon's family owned the Four Winds Citrus Nursery in Fremont. The flying dragon hedge plants came from there.

Oldest Japanese Garden in the US?

One of the long-standing park legends is that this is the oldest Japanese garden in the US or the oldest "Oriental" garden in the US. What does that mean? Vice Admiral Shinn quashed that question in an undated article.

There were Japanese plants planted here along with plants from elsewhere. There were cherries, Japanese evergreens, maples, and peonies. There were also three Chilean wine palms and many irises. The old maple that was allegedly planted here around 1876 died in 1994 and was replaced with three similar looking garnet cutleaf maples. 

VADM Shinn said that it was not a Japanese garden, but rather a Victorian garden with Japanese plants.

Vice Admiral Shinn made notes on this article about the new Japanese garden. "The original garden had many Oriental [sic] imports, but it was a Victorian garden + park - in no sense a Japanese garden. The Japanese garden has a memorial to George Kato, who had no connection with the Shinn Ranch. Fukaya-connection may have instigated the Japanese garden which, as far as I learn was built of the original area without notice or permission from the family. However, given the level of City Horticultural maintenance during the past 35 years, it was no doubt a good thing that another organization took over the (now) Japanese garden area." IMG_4280.jpg

•1982 Kato Memorial garden planned in memory of George Kato and in honor of the Japanese of the Washington Township

•1982 Mai Kitazawa Arbegast drew up the plans

•1983 Koomei George Kato Memorial Garden dedicated May 1983 built in commemoration of George Kato and contributions of the Southern Alameda County Japanese community

•1985 Azumaya dedicated to our sister city, Fukaya

•1993 Friends of Heirloom Flowers established. Eva and Rod Ricciarelli were involved in both garden and house. 

•1994 the 120 year-old maple died and was replaced with three ‘Garnet’ laceleaf maples. Florence Mayhew Shinn had taken care of the maple all of her married life.

The articles are from the Fremont Main library, Shinn Archives, and the Museum of Local History.

THe Special Maple, RIP

For many years, Florence Shinn took care of the laceleaf maple that was the center of the family "Japanese" garden. Don Dillon mentioned this 120-year old maple in the garden in 1983 in his remarks. This would have dated the planting of the maple in 1863, which is a bit early. Perhaps 1873!  Unfortunately the maple died in the 1990's. It was replaced by three 'Garnet' maples that stand in the center of the garden today. Photo from Shinn Archives.

Nancy Goldstein of Plants Unlimited, Castro Valley. Nancy helped with the construction of the garden and also with replacing the 130 year old maple when it died in 1994. Some references say that Nancy was the person who got a famous landscape architect like Mai Kitazawa Arbegast to create the garden. Photo from Dillon family. Look at those branches!

Unknown date. Notice the Chilean Bellota in the background

Three special maples have taken the place of the original maple. The trees are pruned by the Merritt College Hands On Aesthetic Pruning class. They come twice a year.

References: The Meiji Legacy: Gardens and Parks of Japan and Britain, 1850-1914 Luke Schöppler