The Historic Atkinson House
Louis and Joseph Atkinson, brothers and owners of a successful shirt making business in Philadelphia and San Francisco, purchased 153 acres of vacant land south of Rutherford in 1881. The brothers planted vines and began construction on the Queen Anne Victorian home but, sadly, a year later, Louis died after succumbing to a long illness. Joseph sold the shirt making company and over the next decade distinguished himself by planting 115 acres of vines, supporting the Rutherford School and investing in the new St. Helena Bank. In 1895, Joseph partnered with California State Senator Seneca Ewer to build Ewer & Atkinson Winery, now Beaulieu Vineyards. Their wines won awards at the 1888 state Viticulture Convention in San Francisco and the following year at the World’s Fair in Paris. By 1889, Joseph was among the wealthiest men in Napa County based on property values, achieving financial success on par with fellow vintners, Charles Krug and Gustave Niebaum.