Villa Mira Monte:
A Home
for History
B
efore the City of Morgan Hill
was ever born, its namesake
Hiram Morgan Hill lived here
in a country home known
as Villa Mira Monte. Hiram became a
property owner through his marriage
to Diana Murphy, a socialite and
heiress whose Irish immigrant family
were significant landowners in what is
known today as Santa Clara County.
Villa Mira Monte has long been
considered a crown jewel of Morgan
Hill, located just north of the down-
town core on Monterey Road. The
home was built in 1886 on 4,500 acres
of land acquired by family patriarch
Martin Murphy Sr., as part of the
original 9,000-acre Ojo del Agua de la
Coche Mexican land grant. For a time,
Martin’s son Daniel (Diana’s father)
was considered the world’s largest
landowner.
While they enjoyed living in
San Francisco, the Hills also liked to
entertain guests at Villa Mira Monte,
with its views of Murphy’s Peak (now
El Toro Mountain) and miles of fragrant
blossom-filled prune orchards as far as
the eye could see.
The local railroad stop was initially
named Huntington Station after Big
Four railroad baron C.P. Huntington.
But he disliked having his name
attached to what he considered an
insignificant location. And railway pas-
sengers, many of whom came to visit
the Hills, were in the habit of asking the
conductor to let them off at “Morgan
Hill’s ranch.” The name stuck, and
it became official when the City of
Morgan Hill was established in 1906.
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Even so, as the years passed, the
Hills spent less time at Villa Mira
Monte. Diana and daughter Diane
preferred socializing on the East coast
and in Europe, while Hiram Morgan
established ranching and mining
interests in Nevada.
In 1892, the Hills contracted with
developer C.H. Phillips to subdivide
all but 200 acres of their property
surrounding the house. Subdivision
and development work included laying
out the town of Morgan Hill. From that
point on, the Hills rarely visited Villa
Mira Monte. By 1912 they had turned it
into rental property. In 1919 they sold
it to Raymond and Adelaide Costa, who
lived there until 1939.
The last private owners of the Hill
family’s country home, which came to
be known as the Morgan Hill House,
were Paul and Adelaide Walgren,
who divided the home’s large parlor
into living space at the back and the
Homestead Antique Shop in the front.
In 1983, the widow Walgren gifted
Morgan Hill House to the Lions Eye
Foundation of California-Nevada Inc.
The Foundation learned that the Villa
Mira Monte property had been listed in
the National Register of Historic Places
(1978) and they weren’t interested in
maintaining a historical property, so in
1985 they entered into an agreement
with the City of Morgan Hill to transfer
the property to City ownership.
The property was designated as a
public park for community education
and recreation. Because of its landmark
status, the City took on the obligation
to preserve and maintain the property
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
WINTER 2020
in perpetuity. The house sat vacant
until 1993, when the City of Morgan
Hill transferred title to the Morgan Hill
Historical Society. Thus began a part-
nership with the city and the Historical
Society as stewards of the property.
The Historical Society was estab-
lished as a nonprofit organization back
in 1971 with a mission to preserve local
history for the benefit of present and
future generations.
Over the next five years, with help
from the Santa Clara County Parks
Department, the City of Morgan Hill
Redevelopment Agency, and community
support, the Historical Society restored
the Morgan Hill House to its earlier
grandeur. The historic Acton House
(1911), which had been donated to
the City for a community Museum,
was moved to the Villa Mira Monte
campus in 2005 and reopened to the
community in 2008. The Centennial
History Trail and rose garden were
installed for the City’s 100 th birthday.
In 2017, the City of Morgan Hill
and the Historical Society signed
a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU), providing for a three-year con-
tribution of community funds to assist
with the preservation, maintenance
and operation of this community park.
MOU funding ends this year, requir-
ing the Historical Society to return to
City Council to ask the City for con-
tinued support. At present, additional
funds are needed to develop the back
of the property, which would expand
the Historical Society’s ability to host
educational and recreational programs
benefitting the Morgan Hill area.
gmhtoday.com
HISTORICAL
By William Briggs
Morgan Hill Historical Society