When the Morey House was being constructed in Redlands around 1890, daily life was a fascinating blend of a rapidly growing citrus town and the slower rhythms of a small Southern California community. Orange groves were spreading across the landscape, and the citrus industry was becoming the heart of the local economy; in fact, about 1,000 railroad cars of navel oranges were marketed from the area that year. People would have traveled largely by foot, horse, wagon, or the recently established railroad, while local merchants, farmers, carpenters, laborers, and tradesmen kept the young community busy. Against this backdrop, David Morey, a carpenter and former shipbuilder, was overseeing the creation of his elaborate Queen Anne home, working with architect Jerome Seymour and woodworker Lee Wilmarth on the mansion’s extraordinary carved woodwork and other details. Life was undoubtedly dusty, industrious, and considerably less convenient than today, but there was also a sense of optimism as Redlands developed into a prosperous citrus community filled with new homes, businesses, orchards, and ambitious residents who were helping transform a young settlement into the beautiful city it would become.
