The interior of the Stansbury Home remains much as it was in its heyday. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Standing regal on the corner of Fifth and Salem streets in Chico is the Stansbury Home.

The 10-room house cost less than $8,000 to build in 1883. The quarter block of land was another $1,000.

This was the home of Oscar and Libbie Stansbury and their two daughters, Ellen and Angeline.

The Stansburys built their home in the late 1800s on what was the edge of Chico. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Oscar Stansbury was a doctor in town. He had an office in the home where he would see people on weekends and after hours. An early version of an intercom system was created so those on the front stoop could wake him if he were in bed. He always let these patients in via a side door so as not to arouse suspicions of nosy neighbors who might see someone not of their social circle entering through the front door.

At the time the house was considered on the outskirts of town. Now it’s a stone’s throw from the heart of downtown. Back in the day goats roamed around the open land.

Angeline Stansbury decorated her room with travel destinations she never visited. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Angeline Stansbury lived in the home until her death in 1974. Even though she was in her early 90s when she died, Stansbury never moved from her childhood room into the more spacious primary bedroom. She taught at Chico High School for 40 years.

Today the house is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a museum that is partially owned by the city of Chico and the Stansbury Home Preservation Association. The latter is responsible for most of the oversight of the property, operation of the house and maintenance.

Angeline Stansbury watched what happened to the Bidwell Mansion after John and Annie Bidwell’s deaths—at one time it served as a dorm for Chico State—and she didn’t want that same outcome for her family home. In fact, there was a time she wanted her home to be torn down.

The second floor bathroom is concrete so in case it flooded it would not damage the lower floor. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

An agreement was reached where she would live out her life in the home, sell it upon her death at a much reduced price to the city and preservation society.

The Stansburys and Bidwells were not friends, as the latter were more affluent.

Since the loss of Bidwell Mansion at the hands of an arsonist in December 2024, the fire marshal has suggested things the association could do, and other experts are offering advice on how to preserve things in the event of disaster.

The original dining table and chairs at the Stansbury Home. (Kathryn Reed)

Eighty percent of the furnishings are original, with other pieces from that time period.

A few improvements have occurred like new windows that have a film on them to preserve the interior artifacts. The roof was replaced during the pandemic.

The home is like stepping back in time. Docent stories about the family are interesting. The Stansbury Home is an excellent example of public-private partnerships that benefit the community.