Jessie Benton Fremont

Jessie Benton Fremont on the porch of “Porter’s Lodge”, overlooking Alcatraz and Angel Island.

Photo circa 1860's.

Look in the direction of the path leading north. Imagine a modest Victorian cottage perched at the edge of the bluff, surrounded by rose bushes and garden paths. Jessie Benton Fremont, wife of explorer John Fremont and daughter of Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton, lived here at the end of this street. Mrs. Fremont carved out her own special recognition as a bright, courageous, and ambitious woman at a time when these attributes were discouraged in women. Throughout her life, Jessie Fremont was politically active; both she and her husband were freesoilers and lobbied hard to eliminate slavery.

The Fremonts moved to Black Point in 1860 and situated their house and grounds on the bluff. Their home, nicknamed Porter's Lodge, became the center of San Francisco's intellectual life, where Mrs. Benton invited likeminded writers, spiritual leaders, and artists to engage in lively conversation. When the Civil War broke out, the Union Army summoned John Fremont for active military service and the family moved to the east coast.