Cultural History
The Archer Taylor Preserve was purchased in 1945 by Drs. Archer and Hasseltine Byrd Taylor, both of whom taught for many years at the University of California Berkeley. In 1950, the Taylors began building the stone house now occupied by the caretakers from materials on the property – quite an accomplishment considering that Hasseltine Taylor often said the most vigorous thing Archer Taylor did before they began building was typewriting! They occupied the house in the summer of 1956 with their two daughters, Constance and Ann, and lived there summers until moving in permanently in 1969. Archer Taylor died in 1973, and Hasseltine in 1993.
Constance and Ann Taylor Schwing loved the land as children and were determined to protect it forever. Early members of The Land Trust of Napa County, they donated the first 80 acres to The Land Trust in 1993. Ann continues to volunteer at the Preserve with her husband every Saturday morning to help maintain and responsibly manage the land.
The Land Trust Web site