John Marsh House, Marsh Creek Road, Brentwood, Contra Costa County, CA

Significance: Built by a pioneer physician between 1853 and 1856, its history has been ill-starred. Dr. Marsh (possessed of only a BA, not an MD) was murdered soon after the completion of the house; his wife, Abby Tuck Marsh, died slightly earlier from the results of child-birth. The house was designed by Thomas Boyod (Pierce and Wood contractors). It was constructed of native sandstone and brick made on the property. Once the center of a vast cattle empire, the house has gradually declined into a derelict state in the 20th century. Stylistically a cross between a Victorian Gothic "cottage" and a Italian Villa, it now sits in lonely isolation amidst the valleys and hills of northeast Mount Diablo...
Survey number: HABS CA-1500
Building/structure dates: ca. 1856 Initial Construction