Camden House Historic District: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area, National Park Service

Eastman, Bright; Fitzgerald, Kathleen

The Camden House Historic District is located within the Whiskeytown Unit of the Whiskeytown‑Shasta‑Trinity National Recreation Area in Shasta County, California. The 293‑acre district lies in the mountains of the Klamath Range of the Trinity Mountains on creek terraces formed by the Clear, Willow, and Mill Creeks. The landscape is comprised of the two primary building clusters, the Charles Camden house and orchards and the tenant house and barn. The alluvial soils provided agricultural land for the orchards and gardens developed by Levi Tower and Charles Camden. The hillsides surrounding the historic district are comprised of native forests of manzanita, live oak, black oak, and California buckeye. Scattered conifers such as grey pine, Douglas fir, and ponderosa pine also occur within the site. Along the creeks, riparian vegetation consists of white alder, mixed willow species, big leaf maple, and wild grape. The Tower House complex appears today much as it did during the period of significance of 1869 to 1933 when the site was initially laid out and occupied by the Tower and Camden families. This period encompasses the construction of the major developments at the “home ranch” including the roads, buildings, structures, fencelines, and landscape vegetation. The natural systems and features surrounding the Tower House, namely Crystal, Clear, and Mill Creeks, are still integral to the development providing irrigation water and the creek terraces which influenced the spatial organization of the historic district. The Tower house, California Stage Company stable, and the sawmill were removed or destroyed during the period of significance and limited buildings have been added to the landscape, subsequently buildings and structures in conjunction with the remaining historic roads and their related cluster arrangements remain basically unchanged. New archeological sites have been found that may potentially add to the understanding of the operations of historic district. Natural systems and features, spatial organization, buildings and structures, cluster arrangement, and archeology are contributing characteristics of the farming landscape. Land use does not contribute as the family limited their agriculture and residential use of the site in 1933. Little is known about the historic small‑scale features, most of which are modern and do not contribute the landscape. Due to the extensive loss of the orchards, vegetable gardens, and ornamental gardens, vegetation no longer contributes to landscape. Topography does not contribute due to the extensive re‑grading and new alignment of California State Hwy 299. Circulation no longer contributes to the landscape due to the addition of California State Hwy 299 and loss of the old highway/toll road. The Camden House Historic District was originally listed as the Tower House Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 under Criterion A, for its association with early Euro‑American settlement in northern California. The district includes resources associated with transportation, agricultural, and mining contexts. In 1985, the 470‑acre Tower House Archeological District was added to the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion D. The Tower House Archeological District includes nine prehistoric sites, as well as debris scatters and foundations that may be associated with the Tower or Camden improvements. As currently listed, the Camden House Historic District incorporates approximately 300 acres and includes resources that relate to gold mining (both placer and hard rock mining), transportation, early settlement and agriculture. The landscape associated with the developments of Levi Tower and Charles Camden retains integrity according to the National Register of Historic Places’ standards. Overall, the landscape is in fair condition.

Camden House Historic District: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area, National Park Service

Series

Collections