2647 Arroyo Rd., Livermore

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Ravenswood Historic Site 

Ravenswood, once a country estate was the property of Christopher A. Buckley, a powerful political figure known as the "Blind Boss" due to his influence in San Francisco politics despite his blindness. Buckley, born in 1845 in New York, moved to San Francisco in 1862 and became a businessman, gaining political power by using his influence to secure city contracts. He bought the Ravenswood estate in 1885 as a rural retreat and became more involved in local life after the birth of his son in 1893.

The 1906 earthquake affected his finances, but he recovered and left an estate worth nearly $1,000,000 at his death in 1922. The Ravenswood property was later sold to a German Catholic order, then to developer Masud Mehran, who donated part of it to the city of Livermore in 1971. The estate includes Queen Anne-style buildings constructed in 1893, such as the main house, guest house, carriage house, and other structures. Today, Ravenswood is a historical site open for tours and events, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Credit: Marshall Homan, A. (2007). Historic Livermore, California: Illustrated A - Z . Hardscratch Press.