The landmark house at 234 Hawthorne Ave., a familiar sight from many viewpoints in Larkspur. Variously known as the Beleney house or "The Castle," we always referred to it as "The Turret House." At the time this photo was taken it was being used as a convalescent hospital. This is looking southeast from a slope above Cedar Ave., whose original concrete surface is seen in the bottom foreground. Behind the house is Palm Hill. This view is no longer possible due to subsequent home construction in the brush-covered gully.

We often wondered about the street name. I imagine most people think it's just another Larkspur "tree" street, like Cedar, Walnut, Palm, etc., but the spelling is wrong; the tree has no final "e," but the proper name, as in the author Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), does. The Southern California city, in fact, was named after him. So what's the answer? Was it a memorial to the author of "The Scarlet Letter," or just poor spelling?

Click here for an enlargement of the house.

Kodachrome slide by Will Penna