Meet the Behrens-Eaton Family

Richard Behrens Eaton

Judge Richard B. Eaton served a long and distinguished career as Shasta County Superior Court Judge following a notable military career.

Born in Oregon, Richard was raised in Redding by his mother, his Aunt Ella, and his grandmother. He was also influenced by his Uncle Earl, classmates, and teachers. Richard graduated from high school in 1930 at the age 15 and attended Stanford where he earned his law degree. He returned to Redding in 1938 to practice law.
By 1940 with the war looming, Richard was called to active duty from the reserves and served as a 1st Lieutenant in San Francisco. In 1942, he shipped out to North Africa as a Captain. He also served in Italy and Germany and returned as a Major with decorations and 3 stars. In 1946, he came back to Redding to practice law, but he remained in the reserves until 1974 reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
In 1951, he was appointed a Superior Court Judge of Shasta County - a position he held for 25 years. The Judge dedicated his life to preserving history and was devoted to the Boy Scouts of America, his church and community, as well as many other civic organizations. He died in 2003 in this home at the age of 88 having lived there for 84 years. Since he spent so much of his life here, he wanted his home to be preserved as a Victorian museum. His will specified that his estate be in a trust to be run by 3 governors representing the historical, judicial, and educational communities. (The Eaton Gift)

History of the House

Mary Kountz-Behrens with her mother Susanna Kountz. (1899)

1895 – Carpenter James Scamman built the two-story Victorian house in the Classical Revival style at 1520 West Street (originally 507 West Street) in Redding for John Varner Scott.
1898 – Karl Heinrich Behrens, known as Charles Henry Behrens, is elected Sheriff of Shasta County and buys the house from Mr. Scott.
1899 – Charles, his wife, Mary Kountz Behrens, their three children, Edna Mabel, Ella Genevieve, and Earl Charles, and his mother-in-law, Susanna Kountz, moved from Shasta to their new home on West Street. Charles Behrens takes office.
– Edna Behrens joins the first class at the new Shasta County High School.

The house is decorated for the IOOF Convention in Redding. (1900)

1901 – Edna Behrens passed a teacher’s examination and began 10 years of teaching at rural schools in Mountain, Whitmore, French Gulch, Junction, Sunny Hill, and Coram. During that time, she also completed high school and three and a half semesters at the University of California at Berkeley and Stanford University and received the life diploma of the California State Board of Education.
– Ella Behrens completed high school and began a 25-year career at the Bank of Shasta County and its successors. She become one of the first women in California to become an assistant bank cashier. She continued to live in the family home on West Street.
– Susanna Kountz, mother of Mary Behrens, died on September 24th.
1903 – After serving one four-year term as Sheriff, Charles Behrens switched places with James Richardson and served one term as Deputy Sheriff.

Mary Behrens on porch and Charles Behrens in front yard. Huge hydrangeas flowering. (June 15, 1916)

1911 – Earl Behrens graduated from Shasta Union High School and departed Redding to attend Stanford University and the University of California at Berkeley, served in the U.S. Army in the Philippines and Siberia during World War I, and spent 51 years as a reporter and political editor for the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper.
1913 – Edna Behrens married Walter McCrum Eaton, former chief chemist at the Coram Smelter, on December 20th. They moved to Oregon where he was a civil engineer and land surveyor.
1914 – Richard Behrens Eaton was born on December 22nd to Edna and Walter.
1917 – Charles Behrens died on January 3rd in the family home after a period of failing health.
1918 – Walter Eaton was commissioned and served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army and serves in the Chemical Warfare Service during World War I. He died in December in Cleveland, Ohio after succumbing to a flu epidemic.
– Following the death of husband and father, Edna and Richard Behrens Eaton moved to Redding to live with mother and grandmother Mary, sister, and aunt Ella in the house on West Street. Over the next four years, Edna worked in the Post Office, as a Home Service Worker for the American Red Cross, and as a teacher in Redding.

Lush hydrangeas and hanging plants adorning the front, framing the entryway. (1920s)

1922 - Edna Behrens Eaton was elected treasurer of Shasta County and served for 16 years.
1925 - Sometime after that year, Ella Behrens began a second career as a clerk for the Division of Highways in the Right-of-Way Department.

Featuring a new portico on the south side and two upstairs windows. Lace curtains adorn the windows (1930)

1930 – Richard Eaton graduated from Shasta Union High School at the age of 15.
1934 – Richard Eaton graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor's degree. He held reserve officer status as a first lieutenant after four years in Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC).
1938 – Richard Eaton graduated from Stanford Law School and passed the bar examination. He returned to Redding and became an associate attorney at the law firm of Carter, Barrett, Finley, and Carlton. He moved back into the house on West Street and lived with his grandmother Mary, mother Edna, and Aunt Ella.
1939 – Edna Behrens Eaton retired as Shasta County treasurer. Richard Eaton joined the law office of Glenn Newton.

Tall trees and plants shade the house and property grounds. (1949)

1940 – Richard Eaton opened his own law office in the Cascade Theatre building.
– Richard Eaton was summoned to active duty. He served as Chief of Contracts and Legal Division in the U.S. Army Ordinance District in San Francisco.
1942 – Richard Eaton was promoted to Captain and was assigned to the European theater. He earned three battle stars and was promoted to Major while serving in a variety of logistics positions in East Africa, North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, and Germany charged with providing equipment, food, and supplies to front line forces.
1945– Richard Eaton returned to the United States.
1946 – Richard Eaton mustered out of active duty but continued his military service in the Army Reserve. He returned to Redding, moved back into the house on West Street, and again lived with his grandmother Mary, mother Edna, and Aunt Ella. He reopened his law practice, this time in the old Anglo Bank building at the southwest corner of Market and Yuba Streets.
1948 – Richard Eaton was named a United States Commissioner. He served for three years.
1949 – Mary Kountz Behrens died on January 25th.

Christmas front door and window decorations, lace curtains, and ivy-covered fence. (Circa 1950)

1950 – For parts of the next two years, Richard Eaton doubled as a city judge appointed by the Redding City Council and justice of the peace appointed by the Shasta County Supervisors.
1951 – Richard Eaton began 26 years as a Superior Court Judge of Shasta County. He was first appointed by the governor then elected a total of four times without opposition. He served not only in Shasta County but under assignment in 13 other counties and on the 3rd District Court of Appeal.

Upstairs covered sleeping porch, Latticed plants, American flags to honor Independence Day. July 4, 1965)

1969 – Edna Behrens Eaton died on December 4th. She had spent many years serving her community through the Women's Improvement club, Rebekah Lodge, American Legion Auxiliary, Shasta Historical Society, and American Association of University Women.

Metalwork in front of the upstairs windows. Brick steps lead to the front porch and door. (1973)

1970 – Earl Behrens received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
1974 – Richard Eaton retired from the Army Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel.
1976 – Ella Genevieve Behrens died on July 9th.
– Richard Eaton retired as a Superior Court Judge of Shasta County. He continued his life-long civic activities with the Boy Scouts, participation in the Masons, Episcopal Church, and other local community organizations, the George Grotefend Scholarship Board, regularly speaking at public events, and capturing Shasta County history.

Richard Eaton standing beneath the portico covered in Lady Banks roses. (1985)

1985 – Earl Charles Behrens died on May 13th in Menlo Park, California.

Behrens-Eaton House Museum decorated for Independence Day. (July 2, 2021)

2003 – Richard Eaton died on July 29th at the family home, thus ending 104 years of Behrens-Eaton family members living there.
– Upon his death, Richard Eaton left $5.5 million in a trust called the "Eaton Gift." This trust was to be used to maintain and operate the family home, including the house, its contents, and grounds, as a public museum called "The Behrens-Eaton House" to show future generations what a home of the Victorian period looked like.

Behrens-Eaton House Museum adorned with Independence Day decorations, featuring porticos and flagpoles with U.S. and California flags. (July 2, 2021)

Present – Over the years, the house at 1520 West Street has been authentically renovated, repaired, and turned into a place where the people of Shasta County can come to learn about local history. The collections of the Behrens-Eaton House Museum include a diverse selection of historical items including clothing, furniture, and silverware depicting the life and times of the Victorian and Gold Rush eras in northern California. Many artifacts and memorabilia speak of the broader city, county, and even World War II histories. The museum also contains an extensive and exclusive collection of antique and vintage books and notebooks as well as letters, illustrations, photographs, and papers.

The Behrens Family

Ludwig and Louisa Behrens, emigrated from Germany in the 1850s; they came for gold but sold supplies to miners. In 1859, Charles Behrens was born in Whiskeytown. Charles began clerking for John V. Scott at the Empire Hotel in Shasta and worked his way up to managing it.
In 1882, Charles married Mary Kountz and operated a store plus a hay & grain business. By 1889, he leased the Empire Hotel and was the postmaster, Wells Fargo agent and constable. In 1898, he won the Shasta County Sheriff’s election so he moved his family to the County Seat – Redding.
The Behrens had three children – all born in Shasta. Their oldest, Edna, was the Judge’s mother. Next came Ella who was a career woman – working in banks and for the Highway Dept. Their youngest, Earl, left Redding for Stanford and remained in the Bay Area. He became the Political Editor for the San Francisco Chronicle and held that position for over 50 years. In 1970 President Nixon awarded him the Medal of Freedom – the highest civilian award.
Edna Behrens, born in 1883, left high school as a junior to take the Teacher’s Exam. She then taught in the rural communities – one of them being Coram where she met Walter McCrum Eaton.
Their son Richard was born in 1914 in Albany, OR. In 1918 Walter died in the flu pandemic so Edna returned to Redding with her son. She was elected Shasta County Treasurer in 1922 and held that position for 16 years.

The Eaton Family

Walter Eaton was born in Ohio and moved to Oregon where he attended the University of Oregon in Eugene. He graduated in 1909 and began work as a Chemical Engineer in Shasta County at the Coram smelter. In 1918, he joined the US Army where he was doing highly classified work on chemical warfare.
The couple married in the parlor of this home in 1913 and moved to Oregon to be near his family.