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The Roman Catholic Church was blessed on February 7, 1864. Today, Saint Matthew’s is located at 1 Notre Dame Ave. The Episcopalians followed with the construction of their own church on land donated by the George Howard family. It was consecrated on May 23, 1866. The church was constructed from stones taken from the Crystal Springs quarry and, for many years, was the only stone church in California.
Two schools were established in the San Mateo area, one for girls and one for boys. In 1864, Ms. Buckmaster’s School for Girls opened with eleven students. Ms. Buckmaster’s School was short-lived. In 1887, her estate rented the school to a private school for boys.
In 1866, the Episcopal Reverend A.L. Brewer opened St. Mathew’s Hall, a classical and military school, at what is today 415 South Ellsworth. St. Mathew’s Hall’s reputation as an outstanding school became well-known. It drew students from as far away as Hawaii, which included three Hawaiian princes. The growing town was not immune to challenges. For instance, after two disastrous fires in five years, five community members called for a public meeting on April 6, 1887, at Library Hall. That same afternoon, the hall burned to the ground because they had no way to fight the fire and had to wait until Redwood City could arrive on the scene.
Continued next week…
Everything else is just history
