Weathervane marks spot at Dow pony barn

Albert Dow built this barn alongside his new house in northwest

Glendale in 1896.

The barn, a large structure with three stories, was built to match

the nearby American Foursquare house. Completely finished inside, it

stored the family’s horses and carriages. A square cupola at the top

of the wood-shingle roof was topped by a very large, ornate wind vane

designed as a prancing horse harnessed to a buggy.

Although the barn was torn down many years ago, the house has been

home to several families in the 100-plus years since it was built.

When the present owner, Jan Craig, moved in, she contacted members

of each of those families and they sent her photos, family histories

and newspaper clippings she assembled into an album.

Tucked in among the pages of Craig’s album was a letter from Dan

Campbell written in 1962, detailing little-known information on the

Dows and the house.

Campbell, president of the Old Settlers Assn. for many years,

wrote his letter to George S. Goshorn, then a staff writer for the

News-Press. Campbell was writing to add some details to a story

Goshorn had previously written about the Dows.

Campbell described the barn in great detail and recalled a young

relative of his always pointed to the weathervane when they drove by

and happily exclaimed, “Dow’s pony horse.”

When the barn was torn down by the second owners, the weathervane

was placed on a high post near the house. When that family moved,

they took the weathervane with them.

One of the clippings in the scrapbook, an article in the Glendale

News, Aug. 4, 1911, was a fount of information on Dow.

Born in Boston in 1841, he was just 5 when his father died. As the

oldest of four children, he soon left school and began working to

help his struggling mother.

His first job was with a firm that manufactured paints and oils.

His salary the first year was $50 and, during his second year of

work, he earned $100.

At 21, he married Harriet Hutchinson and they established a home

near Boston, where three sons were born.

After 31 years at Banker and Carpenter, he took his family to

Chicago, taking on the job of general manager of the Chicago White

Lead and Oil Co.

He retired from business in 1896 and came to California, settling

in Glendale on what came to be known as the Kenneth ranch.

* KATHERINE YAMADA is a volunteer with the Special Collections

Room at the Central Library. To reach her, leave a message at

637-3241. The Special Collections Room is open from 1:30 to 5:30

p.m. Saturdays or by appointment. For more information on Glendale’s

history, contact the reference desk at the Central Library, 548-2027.