| Dr. Oscar Stansbury (1852-1925) | Libbie Manlove Stansbury (1852-1923) | Middleton Pemberton Stansbury (1878-1964) |
| Angeline Hardcastle Stansbury (1883-1974) | Ellen Gilder Stansbury Clough (1885-1985) |
HISTORY OF THE STANSBURY HOME
Chico’s historic Stansbury Home, located at the southwest corner of Fifth and Salem streets, and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
Built in 1883, the house was designed by Sacramento architect, A.A. Cook, and is a classic example of Italianate Victorian—a style patterned after the sturdy square manor houses of the Italian countryside. The exterior of the house incorporates beautifully molded and arched windows accented with carved rosettes at their peak, angled bay windows flanked by colonettes; entrance porches rippled with slender fluted columns; carved balustrades and decorated pediments, all topped by bracketed cornices. Centered on the roof is a low decorative wrought iron fence accentuated by a fleur-de-lis design.
The quarter block on which the home was built was purchased for $1,000 and the 10-room house was constructed for just under $8,000.
The home remained in the Stansbury family from the time it was occupied in 1883 until the death of the Stansbury’s oldest daughter, Miss Angeline Stansbury, on Christmas Day, 1974.
In 1976, the historic old house was acquired by the City of Chico through a generous donation by the Stansbury family heirs combined with partial purchase. It is presently open to the public under the auspices of The Stansbury Home Preservation Association, Inc., and a community-wide non-profit organization whose goal is to assist the City to preserve, operate, and maintain this important symbol of Chico’s Victorian heritage.
