Situated in a canyon which runs perpendicular to the Pacific Ocean, the John Michael Price Anniversary House is a single family home of a vernacular, late 19th century American type.

The house is the oldest building in Pismo Beach and was the final home of its founder, John Michael Price. Constructed in a valley that was the heart of Price's vast land holdings, it remains today in much the same rural setting as at the time of construction, separated from the coastal enclave of Pismo Beach.

Price and his wife Maria Andrea Carlon had fifteen children, of whom thirteen survived and were raised on the ranch. In 1884, Price began to divide his substantial holdings amongst his heirs, retaining the heart of the rancho for his wife and himself.

Price Historical Park, comprising four acres owned by the City of Pismo Beach, is significant for its association with John M. Price. The Anniversary House is the only surviving building in Pismo Beach from the second generation of architecture in San Luis Obispo County.

Source: Adapted from the NRHP nomination submitted in 1988.

Meherin House

In 1905, Michael and Mary Ann Meherin built a house in Shell Beach.

As roads widened and improved it was moved uphill more than once. It finally came to rest on Mattie Road where it weathered for years until it was planned for demolition.

In 2001, Friends of Price House moved the house to Price Historical Park. A new foundation, roof, repairs and reconstruction of the kitchen addition and picturesque front porch have followed.

Source: Price Historical Park website.

Buildings that Moved

It's not just that the people of the American West are restless, the buildings themselves sometimes pack up and move when - for one reason or another - the neighborhood no longer suits them or the neighbors no longer want them or opportunity waits down the road.

And when buildings remain in place, they are often searching for their identities.

Of the buildings and structures we have visited, the original Reno Arch holds the record for number of moves. It has been moved five times since it was built in 1926.

Jax Truckee Diner holds the distance title. The building moved from New Jersry to Pennsylvanis in 1948, then from Pennsylvania to Califonia in 1992.

Probably the most ambitious relocation occurred on July 4th 1904, when the Southern Pacific Railroad loaded most of the town of Wadsworth, Nevada, onto rail cars and transported the town thirty miles west to create a new town which became known as Sparks.