The Albert H Beach House

In 1897 the house was purchased by H. A. Putnam, from Vermont who was the inventor of the safety pin and other fasteners as well as water developer. For several years Putnam helped develop and finance The Escondido Irrigation District. He was also the uncle of the Putnam sisters, Anne, Amy, and Irene, who donated their art collection to The Timken Gallery and started The Putnam Foundation that supports the gallery today. Henry Putnam convinced his relatives to move to San Diego from his "Alpine property" (Escondido). Henry had actually come to California during the 1840s and peddled water by the bottle. After making a small fortune he returned home and invented many things we now take for granted such as double pointed carpet tacks, the mop squeezer, the clothes wringer, a barb wire fence machine and the bottle cap. The San Diego Reader reports: "In 1864 Henry bought the Bennington (Vermont) Water Company. Financially, this was his El Dorado. He was on his way to becoming a wealthy man. He bought out the town's grist mill, its brick factory, constructed its leading hotel, built and operated an opulent opera house, and became the town's largest employer and holder of the majority of its real estate." When H. A. Putnam retired to Alpine Escondido, California he created a new job in water. He became the main financier for The Escondido Irrigation District.
Escondido historian Alan McGrew credits him with saving the project. In about 1905 he retired to his second home near Balboa Park in San Diego.  

​