PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM 97 How does an Irish man with an eighth-grade education go from being an apprentice for a New York carriage-maker to one of the 100 wealthiest Americans of his day with a lavish estate in Atherton? It all begins when James Clair Flood made the decision to head out West and open a tavern in San Francisco. Like all good saloonkeepers, James and his business partner were great listeners—tuning in as stockbrokers blathered over beers. Joining forces with two miners, James and his partner gleaned insider knowledge of the Nevada silver mines. So while many believed the area had been depleted of its Lindenwood and the Bonanza King precious metals, the optimistic barkeepers quietly started buying mining shares as they plummeted in price. In 1859, when their miner buddies discovered the “big bonanza,” the largest single silver strike in history, all four men were launched into unimaginable wealth. Now known as one of the Bonanza Kings, James splurged on a huge home in San Francisco. He also purchased a 600-acre farm in Atherton, where he erected an Italianate mansion decked out with turrets, cupolas and gables. Known as the "White Castle" (or to neighbors as "that beautiful atrocity"), this wedding cake of a mansion was almost seven stories in height with a 150-foot tower. It’s estimated that the paint job alone cost somewhere in the ballpark of $25,000. After James’ death, the expensive mansion changed hands like a hot potato. It was passed down to James’ daughter, who gifted it to the University of California, which sold it back to her brother. Finally, in 1936, the mansion was demolished, its luscious décor sold at auction and its land divided by developers. Traces of its historic grandeur remain, including the estate’s wrought-iron gates, which still grant entry to all those entering the lovely Lindenwood neighborhood. PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS / ROBB MOST
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