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| Artifact Of The Month - January 2006 |
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The artifact of the month for January, 2006, is a
pair of men’s leather gloves which were worn by William Frank “Will”
Cummings (1884-1977), and donated to the Healdsburg Museum in 1991
by Will’s wife, Maude Evelyn Cummings. |
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William Cummings' Gloves |
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The gloves were worn by Cummings from
1902 through 1906 while he drove a stagecoach from
Healdsburg to the Socrates mercury mine in Pine
Flat. In May of 1904 the Healdsburg Enterprise
newspaper reported that the Pine Flat stage line
operated by the Cummings Bros. was doing the largest
business in the history of the line. Every other
day, two stages left town laden with passengers and
supplies for the quicksilver mines. |
Will Cummings driving Pine Flat Stage
across Russian River |
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Will
Cummings was named after his grandfather, William M.
Cummings (1829-1891), who opened a livery stable in
Healdsburg in 1877. William Cummings Sr. and his
wife, Caroline, had five children, including Will’s
father Frank Cummings, who continued to operate the
family business, Cummings Bros. City Livery Stable,
on West and North Streets.
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Cummings Brothers' Stable |
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Will Cummings was born in
Healdsburg in 1884, attended local schools and graduated from
Sweet’s Business College in Santa Rosa in 1902. Following
graduation, with his father Will owned and operated the Cummings’
Healdsburg livery stable. It was during this time that Will Cummings
operated the stagecoach to Pine Flat, which departed from the livery
stable. After this Will Cummings embarked in a longtime ranching
career in the Healdsburg area. He owned a sheep ranch that included
the Picnic Flats in the Skaggs Springs area, a fruit ranch in Dry
Creek on the Parker Ranch, and for 14 years was a foreman at the old
Hotchkiss Ranch. Will Cummings married Virginia Parker in 1908.
Following the death of his first wife, in 1932 he married Mrs. Maude
Evelyn (Spencer) Bourne. He died in Healdsburg in 1977. |
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The above was researched and
written by Whitney Hopkins
For more information about the
Museum's collection of historical artifacts,
contact the Museum |
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