# Stow House

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Historic house in California, United States

United States historic place

Stow House U.S. National Register of Historic Places The Stow House, Goleta, California Show map of California Show map of the United States Location 304 N. Los Carneros Rd., Goleta, California Coordinates 34°26′34″N 119°51′3″W / 34.44278°N 119.85083°W / 34.44278; -119.85083 Area less than one acre Architectural style Gothic Revival, Italianate NRHP reference No. 00001166[1] Added to NRHP September 28, 2000

The **Stow House** is a [U.S.](/source/United_States) historical landmark in [Goleta](/source/Goleta%2C_California), [California](/source/California), United States. Formerly the headquarters of Rancho La Patera, the Stow House, in the [Carpenter Gothic](/source/Carpenter_Gothic) style, is now the headquarters of Goleta Historical Society which preserves and interprets the history of the Goleta Valley.[2]

## History

The Stow House was once the headquarters of Rancho La Patera, on the original [Rancho La Goleta](/source/Rancho_La_Goleta). In 1871, William Whitney Stow, a legal counsel for Southern Pacific Railroad in San Francisco, purchased 1,043 acres (4.22 km2) costing $28,677 for his son, Sherman P. Stow. Sherman Stow built a Carpenter Gothic [Victorian](/source/Victorian_architecture) home on the site and moved into the house with his bride, Ida G. Hollister, in 1873. The family expanded the house in two major renovations in the 1880s and 1910s. The house was occupied by three generations of Stow descendants.[2]

Stow House in Goleta Valley, California.

### Lemon orchard

Stow House area, orchards, and Lake Los Carneros

In 1875, 3,000 lemon trees were planted in the first commercial [lemon](/source/Lemon) [orchard](/source/Orchard) planting in California. Sherman Stow's son, state senator Edgar Whitney Stow, set up a research laboratory at the ranch and developed disease resistant lemon [rootstock](/source/Rootstock) of great value to local growers. The earliest commercial irrigation in the area took place on the ranch using the pond created by the Stows. The pond was expanded to create Lake Los Carneros which remains within the park.[2]

## Museum

The house museum displays family photographs and furniture, with stories of Sherman and Ida Stow and their descendants.

## Nearby attractions

The Stow House is located next to [Lake Los Carneros](/source/Carneros_Creek_(Santa_Barbara_County%2C_California)#Recreation) with walking trails and bird watching, [Goleta Depot](/source/Goleta_Depot) at the [South Coast Railroad Museum](/source/South_Coast_Railroad_Museum), and other points of interest in Goleta.[3][4] Wildlife including [coyotes](/source/Coyotes) and [bobcats](/source/Bobcats) have been observed from the trails.[5][4]

## Hauntings

The Stow House was featured on episode 4, season 26 of *[Ghost Adventures](/source/Ghost_Adventures)* which first aired on June 28, 2023. During the episode, the Ghost Adventures crew investigated the Stow House and interviewed people who claimed to have witnessed [supernatural](/source/Supernatural) activity within the house.[6]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-nris_1-0)** ["National Register Information System"](https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP). *[National Register of Historic Places](/source/National_Register_of_Historic_Places)*. [National Park Service](/source/National_Park_Service). March 13, 2009.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-goletahist_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-goletahist_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-goletahist_2-2) [The Goleta Valley Historical Society: The Stow House](http://goletahistory.org/wstow.html)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Molina, Joshua (October 28, 2025). ["Several Trees Illegally Chopped Down at Lake Los Carneros in Goleta"](https://www.noozhawk.com/several-trees-illegally-chopped-down-at-lake-los-carneros-in-goleta/). *Noozhawk*.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-santabarb_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-santabarb_4-1) [John Dickson's Santa Barbara Attractions Guide: Stow House](http://www.santabarbara.com/points_of_interest/stowhouse)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-wildlife_5-0)** [Edhat News wildlife report and photos](http://www.edhat.com/site/tidbit.cfm?nid=55452)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Stow House Haunting"](https://www.discovery.com/shows/ghost-adventures/episodes/stow-house-haunting). *discovery.com*. June 28, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Stow House](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Stow_House).

- [Stow House](http://www.stowhouse.com/) - Goleta Valley Historical Society official site

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Stow House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stow_House) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stow_House?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.