At the corner of Tripp and Kings Mountain roads sits a plain redwood building that tells a big part of the Peninsula's story. The Woodside Store dates to the Gold Rush logging boom, and the business gave the area its name.

Shingles, lumber and a dentist

In October 1849, 20-year-old Matthias Parkhurst bought 127 acres near old Mexican saw pits and started making shingles and lumber, according to San Mateo County Parks. His partners included Robert Orville Tripp, a 33-year-old dentist from Massachusetts. They dragged timber along Redwood Creek to an embarcadero at what is now Redwood City, then floated it to San Francisco, where Gold Rush growth and repeated fires drove up demand for building materials.

Parkhurst first sold goods from a modest hut. In 1853, when stage service reached the store "in the Red Woods," the partners renamed the site Woodside. They built the present store in 1854, after an earlier version burned in 1851, according to Wikipedia.

Store, post office and more

For a time it was the only general store and stagecoach stop between San Francisco and Santa Clara. It also served as a post office, bank, saloon and dentist's office. Parkhurst died in 1863. Tripp ran the store until his death in 1909, at 93. He also served as a San Francisco County supervisor, postmaster and deputy sheriff. Local lore says the ghost of his large dog still haunts the store.

Saving it

The San Mateo County Historical Association pushed to preserve the store, and the county bought it in 1940. It opened as a museum in 1947 and was restored to its 1880s appearance, stocked with period goods "from canned fruit and frying pans to nails and sewing machines." It is a California Historical Landmark and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1985.

Visiting

  • Where: 3300 Tripp Road, Woodside
  • Drop-ins: Families and individuals don't need reservations. The county says visitors are served first come, first served.
  • Who runs it: The San Mateo County Historical Association operates the store for county parks, with volunteer docents.
  • Big event: Old Woodside Store Day, held the first Sunday in May, offers demonstrations and hands-on activities.

Check the county parks page for current open days. If you're driving up from the flats, check the latest Highway 84 roadwork first.