The Willoughby Home

The Willoughby Home is an old home located in Tamalpais Valley, California, and is a key location to Mission 246.

The Willoughby Family
The Willoughby Home was built by the family of James Willoughby, a banking family from San Rafael. Willoughby's father was passing through Tamalpais Valley in 1869 and immediately fell in love with the area. He bought a plot of land and had a home issued to be built in 1871. The home was completed on May 3, 1872 and stood on what is now 6th Street and Montoya Avenue. The Willoughby family moved in that same year.

After the tragic passing of his father, James Willoughby inherited the home in 1889. There he lived alone for several years, running his family's banking company. In 1905, on a trip to San Francisco, Willoughby met Lorena Chen. He hired her as a home caretaker, and she moved up with him to the home. Lorena fell in love with the trees and hills of the surrounding area. She grew afraid of dying and decided to perform a secret family ritual on a family relic in the shed behind the home, as a way of granting eternal life.

In April of 1906, Lorena Chen left Willoughby to live off in the hills of the Montoya Wilderness. She never returned, breaking Willoughby's heart. In the great 1906 Earthquake that struck San Francisco, minor damage was caused to the Willoughby Home. A beam fell and broke Willoughby's leg. Willoughby lived alone in his home until his death in 1918.

Notable Events

 * May 3, 1872 - The Willoughby Home is built on the corner of 6th Street and Montoya Avenue in Tamalpais Valley.
 * November 24, 1889 - James Willoughby inherits the Willoughby Home.
 * September 14, 1905 - Lorena Chen meets James Willoughby in San Francisco. He invites her to come work at his home.
 * April 16, 1906 - Lorena Chen performs a ritual on a family relic, and leaves James Willoughby to live off in the Montoya Wilderness.
 * August 18, 1918 - James Willoughby dies in the home.