Palo Alto Stanford Heritage
Frederick William Henshaw (1858–1929), a descendant of an illustrious colonial family, moved to California from Illinois in 1873. After graduating from Oakland High School and matriculating at the University of California, he read for the law and was admitted to practice at the age of 22. He was then appointed Justice of the Peace for Oakland, a post he held for 10 years. In 1890, Henshaw was elected judge of the Superior Court of Alameda County, the youngest judge to hold that post. Four years later he became an Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court, where he served until 1918. Those were heady days for Frederick Henshaw, including his marriage in 1888 to Grace Susan Tubbs, the daughter of wealthy businessman Hiram Tubbs. Four sons, born between 1889 and 1897, enlivened the Henshaws’ elegant house in Oakland – a house generously provided by Grace’s father. Perhaps it was love, infatuation or a mysterious increase in fortune that led Frederick to marry Helen Walker Tay on February 16, 1904. Fifteen years his junior and with a child from a prior marriage, Helen was touted in society columns “as one… whose beauty was a sensation in San Francisco.” It is unclear when or if Henshaw divorced Grace, as she is not listed as divorced until the 1920 census; he did, however, maintain a familial relationship with her and his sons.
Henshaw was a mover and shaker in the turbulent and colorful period of California history from the great earthquake through the graft scandals involving San Francisco’s leaders. He was regarded as a towering personality on the Supreme Court; a fellow jurist described Henshaw’s “magnificent intellectual and literary efforts (which) tend to overshadow those of his associates.” Despite his brilliance, Henshaw was forced to resign from the bench in 1918, when Fremont Older, the publisher of the San Francisco Bulletin belatedly revealed that Justice Henshaw had accepted a $400,000 bribe in 1902 for reversing his opinion in a case involving the estate of Comstock Lode millionaire, James G. Fair. This sizable addition to Henshaw’s $6,000 salary may explain his second marriage, his membership in the Pacific Union Club and his 1906 purchase with two partners of the venerable Ibis Hunting Club in Suisun Marsh. The Ibis Club purchase was preceded by Henshaw’s purchase at the turn of the century of the Hunting Lodge in Redwood City. Thought to have been built around 1870, the building was moved from Selby Lane to its present location at 302 Orchard Avenue circa 1900. Census records from 1910 show Frederick, Helen and Helen’s mother and daughter living at the lodge.
It quite amazing to see a 1 and ½ story redwood log house with a slate roof and leaded glass windows sitting pristinely on a 6,000 square foot lot in the Redwood Oaks neighborhood. Redwood logs of a saddle-joining technique sit on a concrete foundation and are hewn on the interior to accommodate old redwood and redwood burl paneling. Burls yield a very peculiar and highly figured wood, prized for its beauty and rarity.
The exterior, with its steeply sloped gable roof and dark siding, might suggest a dark interior. However, the banks of double and triple casement windows with their diamond pattern fill the interior with light. A brick path and steps lead to the planked, burnished honey-colored door. The burled door is protected by a three sided hipped roof, which is supported by carved ¾ length brackets at each side. Two small, leaded glass windows perch delicately above the porch roof. Upper and lower hammered brass strips and oversized entry hardware decorate the entry door that leads to the foyer.
At the left of the entry hall is a stairway to a large living space in the attic area, while, at the right, one enters a huge living and dining area. This room has richly hued fir floors with border strips of madrone, deep baseboards, 10’ tall paneled walls, 2 sets of leaded glass windows and a 22’ high beamed ceiling. The centerpiece is a massive Rumford fireplace with a beautifully carved and paneled sandstone surround. (In the 1790’s Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, originally of Massachusetts and one of the fathers of thermodynamics, designed these fireplaces, with their shallow, curved walls and streamlined throat in order to reflect greater heat and eliminate smoke. Testing of Rumford's designs has shown that their efficiency qualifies them as clean-burning stoves.) This space truly evokes the great hall of a luxurious lodge.
Once you’ve seen this unique house you’ll never forget it, nor will you forget the enigmatic, compelling and tragic figure of Frederick Henshaw.©
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