Located in San José, California, Diridon Station has become a major mass transportation hub for the Silicon Valley and the northern part of the state. Amtrak and commuter trains, local and regional bus lines and light rail all operate out of Diridon and if California’s high-speed rail line ever comes to fruition, it too will connect at Diridon. The station itself was built in 1935 and was originally known as the Cahill Depot due to the street it’s located on as well as the Southern Pacific Depot as it was predominantly served by that railroad company. It has faithfully served the San José area ever since. Diridon Station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993 due to its architecture and historical significance.
Founded in 1861, Temple Emanu-El is San Jose's oldest Jewish Congregation. It was originally called Bickur Cholim ("visiting the sick" in Hebrew) and located on 3rd Street between Fernando and San Carlos Streets. It is one of the oldest Reform congregations on the West Coast and remains a vibrant community today.
Santa Clara Depot (a.k.a., Santa Clara Station) is a one-story wood frame combination (passenger and freight) railroad depot located in Santa Clara, CA. According to its National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, the structure "is the oldest railroad station building in California in continuous service; is the only remaining station from the period of initial construction of the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad (California's second railroad after the pioneer Sacramento Valley Railroad); is one of only two structures of the SF & SJ to survive to the present (the other being the much-modified Menlo Park Depot); is one of the largest surviving wood frame depots in California; [and] is one of few remaining examples of board-and-batten depots. It retains a high degree of integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association, and represents the distinctive characteristics of a type, period and method of construction." It was begun in 1859 (before the Civil War), was mostly completed by the autumn of 1863, when rail service began, and was probably finished by the end of December of that year. The construction of the railroad led to the growth of the Santa Clara area as a center for farming and fruit-related industries and was also associated with the growth of Santa Clara College (founded in 1851, later known as the University of Santa Clara). In 1983, the state of California, through Caltrans, acquired the building from the railroad, and two years later the South Bay Historical Railroad Society (SBHRS) leased the depot and started to restore it. SBHRS now maintains a small museum in the station, a model railroad display and a library of railroad history. Santa Clara Depot was entered in the National Register of Historic Places in February, 1985.
The Santa Clara Tower is home to the first computer ever installed in Silicon Valley: the Santa Clara interlocking machine. It was used from 1927-1993 and is now part of the South Bay Historical Railroad Society. The society is located in the historic Santa Clara Station, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The tower is situated just to the west of the depot building.
Combining the best elements of a history and art museum, the de Saisset displays both historical artifacts and works of art with unique skill and class. Owned and operated by Santa Clara University, the de Saisset first opened its doors in 1955 and has been telling the story of the local area and inspiring its visitors with exquisite works of art ever since. Admission to the museum is free, but donations are accepted and greatly appreciated.
The 8th of 21 missions established in California, Mission Santa Clara was ruined and rebuilt six times, and relocated on five separate occasions. Its final location now resides within Santa Clara University, California's oldest college, where it serves as the university's main chapel. In addition to being the second mission established in the San Francisco Bay Area, it was also the first mission named after a woman: Saint Clare of Assisi.
Though Santa Clara and the Silicon Valley are now famous for its role in the technological revolution, the Landrum House stands as an example of innovation pre-dating the invention of the computer. Landrum, a carpenter, constructed the house in 1875. The home is an example of eclecticism in architectural styles; he combined the then-popular Italianate and Carpenter Gothic styles in his "T" shaped plan for the house. It is believed the Landrum House was one of the few Santa Clara buildings whose chimney to survive the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Built in the late 1840s, the Berryessa Adobe is one of only two historic adobe homes constructed prior to California statehood. There were once hundreds of adobe homes in what is now Santa Clara County, but now there are only two and this is the only one that is fully intact. This historic adobe home is the oldest residential structure in San Jose and is owned by the city. The home was acquired by the city in 1997. After yeasts of restoration efforts, the Berryessa Adobe opened in 2004 as a local history museum containing artifacts and documents relating to California's colonial period.
Constructed in 1892 by wealthy entrepreneur Charles Copeland Morse (1842–1900) this home demonstrates the importance of agriculture to the growth of the region at the turn of the century. Morse arrived in California from Maine in 1859 as one of the many future residents who were attracted to California as a result of the Gold Rush, but it was not precious metals that brought him fortune, but rather agriculture. His 1877 purchase of a small farm led to the formation of the Ferry-Morse Seed Company, which became the world's leading flower and vegetable seed producer. The mansion was built in 1892 and the local newspaper at the time gave the home its future nickname as "The house that seed built."
Between January 2-7, 1847, Mexican and American forces fought in a skirmish that was nicknamed the "Battle of the Mustard Stalks." It was the only battle during the Mexican-American War fought in Northern California. It received its nicknamed because the American forces were in a mustard field when the Mexicans opened fire. A historical marker indicates the location of the skirmish. The actual battle only lasted a couple of hours on the first day but negotiations lasted for the full five days. Four Mexican soldiers died and four were wounded; only two Americans were injured.
This Tour is a Driving or Biking Tour.
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Start out west of downtown San Jose and drive to historical sites and museums in West San Jose and Santa Clara. The stops include nineteenth-century mansions, the synagogue of San Jose's oldest Jewish congregation, railroad stations, a tower with the first Silicon Valley computer, and a Spanish mission.
