Camron-Stanford House, Victorian house museum at Lake Merritt, Oakland, United States.
The Camron-Stanford House is a two-story Victorian mansion built in 1876 beside Lake Merritt, the last survivor of the lakeside estates that once ringed the water. Its Italianate design includes a broad veranda facing the lake. Inside, period rooms display original furnishings, and the surrounding garden is maintained as part of the house museum.
Built in 1876 by Samuel Merritt, the house was bought by Alice Camron using her inheritance from her father John Marsh. The David Hewes family followed, then Josiah Stanford, brother of Leland Stanford, owned it from 1882 to 1903. Oakland purchased it in 1907, razed the neighbouring mansions to create Lakeside Park, and opened its first museum here; the collection moved out in 1965 and the house is now an independent museum, listed on the National Register since 1972.
The house takes its double name from two of its resident families: William and Alice Camron, who bought it from builder Samuel Merritt, and the Josiah Stanford family, who lived there from 1882 to 1903. Alice Camron was the daughter of California pioneer John Marsh, and her inheritance paid for the purchase.
The house stands on the shore of Lake Merritt, at the edge of Lakeside Park, and is reached from the lake's perimeter path. It is run by a volunteer-based nonprofit and open on set days, so check opening times before travelling. The 1876 rooms are seen on a self-guided walk-through; group tours and private events are booked ahead and use the house and its garden.
The house was bought in 1876 by Alice Camron using an inheritance from her father John Marsh, a California pioneer who owned the 13,000-acre Rancho los Meganos and was murdered by a disgruntled employee. The builder was Samuel Merritt.
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