H.M. Sanborn Nursery - Oakland

1907 catalogue ¹

H.M. Sanborn Co. was a flower shop and nursery c.1900. It was run by Henry M. Sanborn; his son, Edgar M. Sanborn later took over. In its early years the shop was at 517 - 14th Street, next to the First Methodist Episcopal Church; later the shop was on Broadway. The nursery was off Piedmont Avenue. They also had a branch in Berkeley.

Because they noted the temperature and rainfall, it became an informal weather station for the Oakland Enquirer and other local newspapers.

Henry Sanborn worked for James Hutchison,^[*] who was married to Henry's older sister Elizabeth. Henry eventually became a partner in Hutchison and Sanborn, and moved the shop from Washington and 14th to 517 - 14th. A few years after James died, Sanborn bought out Hutchison's share from Elizabeth in 1895. ²

In 1911, they moved the store to 1325 Broadway (1167 before renumbering).

1892 ad
greenhouse area adjacent to 517 - 14th St. ¹1902 Sanborn excerpt1911 ad

The nursery was on Glen Avenue near the C.C. Morse Nursery.

The 1903 Sanborn labels a large area as nursery (in addition to C.C. Morse across the creek.) In 1906, some of the land fronting Piedmont Avenue was sold for development to Julia M. Hershiser, and was to be identified as the Wilda Vale Tract.

1903 Sanborn excerpt1912 Sanborn excerpt

Hutchison's Nursery

* NB: Some records and ads spell the name Hutchinson; his grave marker at Mountain View Cemetery and other records spell it Hutchison.

James Hutchison started a nursery in San Francisco in 1852. He moved to Alameda in 1853, where he married Elizabeth Sanborn in 1855. In 1863, he purchased the land on Telegraph and moved to Oakland.³ Early on it was called Bay Nursery; about 1874 it started being referred to as J. Hutchison's Bay Nursery. Hutchison advertised in newspapers as far away as Mendocino and Santa Barbara.

1869 directory ad1872 directory ad1889 Sanborn excerpt