Rosemont Manor, the vast estate that sits proudly on the corner of West Main Street and Grant Avenue in Turlock, held an estate sale Friday, allowing community members to walk through the historic home and purchase items ranging from mantle place knick knacks to trading cards.
The home is over 100 years old and has a rich history, nestled into one of the oldest neighborhoods in Turlock. Rosemont Manor was built in 1914 by John E. Weaver, who had controlling interests in one of the city’s first banks, People’s State Bank. At that time, the property stretched from West Main Street to West Olive Avenue, and upon its completion, the two-story colonial home was one of the first in the area to feature central heating.
After the Weavers, the home went through a succession of owners before Beulah Elness bought it in 1963 for $17,000. Before her death in 2000, Elness told the story of her trip to Turlock in the 1930s where she saw the home and vowed that she would one day live there. The house was named Rosemont Manor because of Elness’ love for roses, and at one point the property reportedly had over 450 varieties of flowers in its gardens. After her death, the home fell under the ownership of the Beulah Elness Trust, now known as Rosemont Manor Incorporated.
The estate sale comes as the property prepares for a change of ownership, said Rosemont Manor Incorporated treasurer Ray Delworth. RMI has been working closely with the Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in the Bay Area and is in the process of donating Rosemont Manor to the organization. From there, PLTS will either restore the building and use it for the church, or sell the property and put the funds toward a scholarship for seminary students in Elness’ name.
According to Delworth, RMI has tried numerous times to get permission from the City of Turlock to agree to the late Elness’ former wishes for the manor, but to no avail.
“We’ve tried to get permission from three different administrations,” said Delworth.
It was Elness’ hope that Rosemont Manor would one day become a bed and breakfast for travelling pastors or a nonprofit location for men’s and women’s groups to hold events. After failing to come to an agreement with the City numerous times, RMI decided to collaborate with PLTS instead of making one more attempt with the City’s current administration. A home inspection was conducted last week by PLTS, which will now decide if they’d like to overtake the property from RMI.
The estate sale, which will continue from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, consisted of Elness’ belongings that were still in the home, as well as items donated from three other families. Proceeds generated from the estate sale will be put toward the Elness scholarship as well, said Delworth.
Rosemont Manor is located at 589 W. Main Street.
