Paulding History House

Registered as a California Historic Resource, the Paulding History House was built in 1889 and inhabited by only two families since then. The Paulding History House was the home of Arroyo Grande’s first resident medical doctor, Dr. Ed Paulding. He came to Arroyo Grande in 1882 and married Clara Edwards; together they bought the house in 1891. A grand old oak tree believed to be 250 years old still dominates the front yard today. Dr. Paulding, also a talented wood worker spent many hours working on carvings which can be seen in the house along with countless other artifacts, among them the only authentic Chumash Indian basket in the County.

The Pauldings had a daughter, Ruth, in 1892, who became a schoolteacher in Arroyo Grande for many years. The Paulding Middle School across the street from the house is named for her. Ruth passed away at in 1985 in the same house. She generously left the house and its contents to the San Luis Obispo Historical Society and in 1998 the property was passed on to the South County Historical Society.

The house is open and free to tour the first Saturday of most months, call (805) 489-8282 for dates and hours. It is located at 551 Crown Hill Road in Arroyo Grande.

To see all of the locations along the Highway 1 History & Heritage Trail, check out our interactive map.