Places to Visit — Pasadena-Orosi-Tulare-California From Mountain View Cemetery in Altadena to the Central Valley farms and towns where the family took root for decades, real places remain to visit.
George Mercer Pierson and Rena Waltz Pierson George Mercer Pierson became an attorney, inheriting his mother Libbie’s gift for public speaking. His wife Rena Waltz was a force to be reckoned with, a singer and church leader.
Libbie Pierson — A Life in Full As a child, Libbie Mercer had to stand on a box to be seen when she gave her elocution recitals. She learned at the Friends Academy in LeGrand, Iowa, and the gift came from both parents, her mother a schoolteacher, and her father “an excellent public speaker.” Libbie…
Iowa to Pasadena A land boom drew crowds to Pasadena in 1887. Deborah Pierson’s adult children, the Strangs, and other Iowa families came too, enough to start an annual picnic.
Sixty Years of Letters Sixty-six years of letters. Crops and courtships, tornadoes and war, cheese-making and grief. An extraordinary window into one family’s daily life, in their own words.
Our Stories Introduction Barak Pierson went from carpenter and nurseryman to caretaker of Pasadena’s Lowe Mansion, one of the largest houses in the United States at the turn of the century. He and his wife Libbie lived in this 40-room house with their three children, and at times with both of their parents. The history…
Our Stories Source materials regarding Libbie’s childhood. These photographs and documents introduce Libbie Mercer Pierson (1863-1947), offering a glimpse into her life, character, and place within the Pierson family story. Through images and contextual materials, we see not only how Libbie was represented in her time, but also the social world she inhabited. This section invites…
