The Street Seen: Fountain Glen Tract
Both sides of Marine Street between Highland Ave to Lincoln Blvd
Located in the southeast corner of Ocean Park, the 1905 Fountain Glen Tract (Marine St between Highland and Lincoln) is a subdivision of the northern half of Block 29 of the Lucas Tract.
In August 1904, Bishop Garrison deeds to Julia, his wife, a 1/2 interest in the Smith & Garrison Tract. In July 1905, W. Geo. J. S. Bentley,1 B.S. Garrison, Julia A. Garrison,2 and Washington Hair3 subdivide the north half (10.1 acres) of Block 29 of the Lucas Tract. The Fountain Glen Tract4 (yellow) includes the absorption and re-subdivision of the 1904 Smith & Garrison Tract (green).
With the Fountain Glen Tract, the name Fountain Glen appears.5 Capitalized real estate investors W. Geo. J. S. Bentley and Washington Hair appear. Sallie A. Smith is out of the picture. Bishop S. Garrison and Julia A. Garrison stand out as unlikely real estate developers.6
The Fountain Glen Tract is subdivided into 8 blocks (Blocks 1 to 8) with a total of 100 lots - mostly 25-ft x 100-ft lots north of Marine and 25-ft x 121-ft lots7 south of Marine. Compared to the earlier Smith & Garrison Tract subdivision, this new subdivision is more residential-buyer friendly - with smaller (cheaper) lots and rear alley access. Someone (Julia ?) comes up with some literary street names - Goldsmith, Ruskin, and Longfellow.
Streets established with the Fountain Glen Tract
Highland Ave - continuation of existing
Goldsmith St - (Oliver Goldsmith ?)
7th St - continuation of existing
Ruskin St - (John Ruskin ?)
Mills St - ( ?) becomes Bentley Court (for George Bentley) in 1906.
Longfellow St - (Henry Longfellow ?)
Marine Place - Alley
Navy Place - Alley
William George John Samuel Bentley (1869 - 1938). We don’t know much about Bentley - other than he has a lot of given names! Born in Ontario, Canada, Bentley comes to the US in 1889 (age 20). In 1905, Bentley is a real estate investor and a subdivider of the Fountain Glen tracts. In 1906, Bentley sells a large part of Fountain Glen No. 2 and Fountain Glen No. 3 to Summerland Realty Company. In 1911, George Bentley sponsors Edwin Fisk’s aviation operation on Marine St. In 1922, Bentley marries Kathleen Esther Hennig (1870 – ) in Orange, CA.
Julia Ann Stevens Fish Schlesinger Garrison (1847 – 1929). Born in MI, Julia marries Eugene P. Fish (1835 – 1902) in 1864. Milo Herbert Fish is born in Iowa in 1867, and Richard Stevens Fish is born in Nebraska in 1874. Eugene and Julia divorce. After the death of their daughter, Mary Fish, Julia moves to California with her two boys. In 1880, Julia Fish joins the vegetarian, spiritualist, and free-love community “Societas Fraterna” (derogatorily known as the “Placentia Grass Eaters”) in Placentia, CA. The leader of the community is Louis Schlesinger (1832-1906), a self-professed medium and clairvoyant. In 1881, Louis Schlesinger abandons the sect, taking with him everything of value (including Julia Fish) to San Francisco.
In 1882, Julia opens the Oakland Lyceum and starts The Carrier Dove – publishing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent Spiritualists. In 1898, Julia Schlesinger confesses to participating in a Spiritualist fraud ring. Julia Schlesinger separates from Louis Schlesinger, and cohabits with Bishop Simpson Garrison (1860 – 1949), a younger slate-writing and materializing medium. Garrison and Julia Schlesinger give lectures explaining the tricks of fake mediums. They produce a short-lived magazine, the Liberator, exposing fraudulent mediums with Julia as editor and Garrison publisher. In 1900, Garrison and Julia are married in Oakland.
In 1900, the Garrisons are in Los Angeles giving lectures outing fake mediums. In 1905, Julia A. Garrison appears in real estate transactions involving the Fountain Glen Tract. In 1907, Julia’s brothers Anson and Charles are living in Pasadena, and her sister Amy lives in Garden Grove. In 1910, B.S. Garrison disappears (there are death threats from outed mediums). Julia Garrison is living as a widow in Garden Grove with Louis A. Schlesinger, one of her sons from her common-law marriage to Schlesinger. From 1910 to 1911, Julia A. Garrison is a Los Angeles Herald columnist for the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). From 1916, she writes WCTU related material and poetry for the Santa Ana Daily Register. In 1929, Mrs. Julia A. Garrison dies (age 82) in Santa Ana.
Washington Hair (1832 – 1905). Born in OH. In 1875, Hair (age 43) marries Dora M. Beam (1854 - 1925). They move to farm in Harlan County, NE, where daughter Iva Leone Hair (1877 - 1946) is born. The family moves to Ocean Park in 1903, and invests in Ocean Park real estate. Dora Hair is prominent in Ocean Park social circles.
The Fountain Glen (sometimes misspelled Glenn) Tract is the correct name of the tract. To avoid confusion with the subsequent Fountain Glen No. 2 Tract and Fountain Glen No. 3 Tract, it is helpful to think of the tract as the “Fountain Glen No. 1 Tract.”
In July 1905, the Fountain Glen Water Company is organized with directors W.Geo.J.S. Bentley, B.S. Garrison, M.E. Briggs, B.G. Hurlburt, and T.H. Dudley. The company doesn’t seem to do anything. A week later, Everybody’s Land & Water Company is organized with directors Bentley, Garrison, Biggs, Hurlburt, and D.C. Crookshank - Crookshank replacing Dudley. This new company doesn’t seem to do anything either.
In 1905, the Woman’s Realty Company is organized with directors J.A. Garrison, Laura C. Holden, Nettie C. Weir, Maggie Reilly, and Rozetta Bailey - all of Ocean Park. The company doesn’t seem to do anything.
The Fountain Glen Tract 25-ft x 121-ft lots on the south side of Marine are offered at $375 each.
Presumably, “only 2 blocks from school” refers to the Washington School at 4th St and Ashland Ave.