On Aug. 9 at 9 a.m., as crowds gathered to watch the parade on San Benito Street in honor of Hollister’s 150th anniversary, members of E Clampus Vitus were a block away at McKinnon’s Lumberyard dedicating a plaque to mark the founding of the city in 1872.
As it is the oldest retail business in San Benito County, founded in 1869 by Angus Boyd, three years before the city was incorporated, McKinnon’s is an appropriate place for the memorial.
“Today, we are gathered to unveil this plaque, which is dedicated to the City of Hollister Sesquicentennial,” said Jeff Ward, president of the Monterey Viejo Chapter of E Clampus Vitus. “On that plaque is a little bit of history about the city’s founding. And this lumberyard has been here since the beginning of Hollister and provided the materials for most of the early buildings in this town. It is appropriate we put this plaque here in recognition not just of the lumberyard’s history but of its continuing importance to our community.”
As part of the ceremony, a large tapestry reproduction of an 1880s street map of Hollister, provided by the San Benito County Historical Society, was displayed near the plaque. The original buildings on the McKinnon’s site were clearly visible.
“This was one of the first lumber yards on the Central Coast,” said Hollister City Councilmember Rick Perez. “Hollister would not be Hollister without it.”
Historical Society president and fellow Clamper John Wrobel ended the ceremony with a Clamper tradition: pouring a beer over the bronze plaque.
Wrobel took a moment to pay tribute to McKinnon’s owner John Barrett, who died on May 26, saying, “I have known Mr. Barrett since he bought the business over 30 years ago. John was always helpful and always supplied materials for every project I have done.”
Perez also used the occasion to eulogize Barrett and praise his lumberyard.
“John exemplified and encapsulated Hollister residents,” he said. “Nice, funny, generous, and he cared about people. I run a handyman service, and if you come in the mornings, you will see the contractors who are the ones building Hollister. There is only one McKinnon’s, and with it staying in the family, the business will continue just like John was still here.”
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