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Mary LaCount Hamlin
Mary LaCount Hamlin, ca. 1876
Born
Mary E. LaCount

September 8, 1856
Auburn, New York, US
Died11 August 1947(1947-08-11) (aged 90)
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, US
OccupationHotelier
SpouseWilliam H. Hamlin
Children2

Mary L. Hamlin (September 8, 1856 – August 11, 1947) was a pioneering American hotelier and businesswoman, who played a major role in the development of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. She is known for founding the Monte Verde Inn and co-founding the Sundial Lodge with Mayor Allen Knight. Both hotels are in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea, and remain operational today.[1]

Early life

Hamlin was born as Mary E. LaCount, on September 8, 1856, in Auburn, New York. Her father was Peter LaCount and mother was Maria Boon. Her father served in the American Civil War from 1862 through 1865. Her parents separated and Hamlin moved in with her eldest sister, Emma, in Syracuse. Her early years were spent in upstate New York.[1]

She married William Hamlin in 1879, and together they lived in Syracuse, raising two children. Following 31 years of marriage, Hamlin made the decision to divorce her husband once her children had grown up.[2] Departing from her family in New York, she moved to California in 1908 to reunite with her now wealthy sister Emma, who resided in Fresno, California.[1] Together, Hamlin and her sister acquired a summer residence in Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Career

The Monte Verde Inn

After moving to Carmel-by-the-Sea in 1915, Hamlin built the El Monte Verde, sometimes referred to as the Monte Verde Apartments, or the Monte Verde Inn,[3] at the southwest corner of Monte Verde Street and Ocean Avenue.[4][1]

From 1909 to 1911, Hamlin was the manager of the Pine Inn, the first Carmel hotel on Ocean Avenue in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Arriving at the Pine Inn in 1909, Hamlin was in her fifties. For two seasons, she oversaw the management of both the Monte Verde Apartments and the Pine Inn. The Monte Verde Apartments were in proximity to the Pine Inn, diagonally across from it.[1] She became the last manager appointed before the property's sale by James F. Devendorf in late 1911.[5]

After years of a difficult marriage, Hamlin became involved in the activities of the Episcopal Church, which was founded in 1912 at the Pine Inn under the leadership of Dora Wingate. Hamlin maintained her active engagement with the church throughout her years in Carmel.[1]

In 1918, Hamlin put the Monte Verde Apartments up for sale. When the property did not find a buyer, Hamlin enlisted the services of contractor S. J. Wyatt in October 1918 to do improvements. Four years later she had plans to build a boardinghouse on the opposite corner of Monte Verde, where she had several acquired lots. On February 7, 1923, Hamlin acquired two more lots midway between Ocean and 7th Avenues on the east side of Monte Verde.[1]

In September 1924, Hamlin hired contractor Percy Parkes to undertake a remodel of the Monte Verde Apartments to modernize and enhance them. Hamlin managed the apartments as a hotel with both short and long-term tenants, remaining in charge of the property until 1928.[1]

The Sundial Lodgel

In 1927, after establishing the Monte Verde Apartments, Hamlin decided to sale them to Ethel P. Young, who was the mother-in-law of architect Robert Stanton (1900-1983). She then joined with Allen Knight (Carmel city councilman and mayor) to build and manage the Sundial Lodge, on Monte Verde Street and 7th Avenue, a Medieval Revival-style hotel that was built in 1930.[6][4][7]

Allen Knight had inherited a portion of the land on Monte Verde Avenue from his parents. Knight's aunt Alice "Alys" Miller also contributed to the partnership. The three partners collectively owned the Sundial Lodge, and Hamlin served as the initial president and manager. She managed the property through the Great Depression and the early years of the World War I. During this period, some of the shop space changed into galleries, and specific apartments were repurposed to serve as artists' studios.[1]

Death and legacy

Hamlin died on August 11, 1947 at 90 years of age.[8]

The legacy of Hamlin and her partners includes two hotels established in Carmel-by-the-Sea, which continue to thrive to this day.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Neal Hotelling (16 Sep 2022). "A Thoroughly Modern Sundial" (PDF). Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. pp. 27–29. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
  2. ^ "Three Couples Married 25 Years Want Divorce". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. May 24, 1910. p. 11. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  3. ^ Hale, Sharron Lee (1980). A Tribute to Yesterday: The History of Carmel, Carmel Valley, Big Sur, Point Lobos, Carmelite Monastery, and Los Burros. Santa Cruz, California: Valley Publishers. p. 96. ISBN 9780913548738. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
  4. ^ a b Kent L. Seavey (November 10, 2002). "Carmel Historic Survey Volume Blocks a69". National Park Service. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  5. ^ Neal Hotelling (9 Sep 2022). "Early 20th-century tourism required two Hotel Carmelos" (PDF). Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. pp. 27, 31. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  6. ^ Dramov, Alissandra (2019). Historic Buildings of Downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California: Arcadia Publishing. pp. 52–53. ISBN 9781467103039. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  7. ^ Seavey, Kent (2007). Carmel, A History in Architecture. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California: Arcadia Pub. p. 75. ISBN 9780738547053. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  8. ^ "Mary Hamlin". Carmel Pine Cone. August 15, 1947. Retrieved June 19, 2023.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mary L. Hamlin.


Category:1856 births Category:1947 deaths Category:People from New York (state) Category:People from Carmel-by-the-Sea, California Category:Businesspeople from California Category:American hoteliers

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