Campbell's Holiday Season Lives in a House That Was Moved 1.5 Miles

On November 18, 1990, a 185-ton English Tudor house was moved 1.5 miles from its original site near Hamilton and Bascom Avenues. Hydraulic lifting equipment pulled the whole house off its foundation, and it ended up at 300 Grant Street. The move cost $230,000, which was more than four times what it cost to build the house in 1925.

This November 18, the house will be six days into its 32nd holiday season. Campbell's best-known December tradition, a decorated historic home with tea in the Carriage House and a morning of photos with Santa, exists only because the city decided a cannery family's private residence was worth hauling across town. The way the season works in 2026, with tours in one building and tea and shopping in the other, still follows the layout J.C. Ainsley built a century ago.

A Canning Fortune, Then 52 Quiet Years

John Colpitts Ainsley was one of the Santa Clara Valley's first fruit canning pioneers. A city historical overview from 1996 lists him among Campbell's founding canners and packers. He and his wife, Alcinda, had already lived in two Campbell homes, one on North Third Street and one on Second Street near Campbell's first cannery. Then they built a third on their orchard land at what is now Hamilton and Bascom. Construction started in January 1925 and finished that December. The house cost a little over $50,000, and the Ainsleys spent another $25,000 on furniture and fixtures.

The Campbell Museums describe the style as an English Tudor Cotswold cottage from the Arts and Crafts era. Look closely at the details and you'll see half-timbering, leaded windows, fluted chimney corbels, and bay and oriel windows. The original roof was cedar shingle, steamed into shape to look like English thatch and fastened with copper nails.

J.C. Ainsley died in 1937. A 2015 feature in the Chico Enterprise-Record reported that the family kept the house afterward. It stood mostly empty, apart from occasional family gatherings, until the family donated it to the city in 1989. The same article put the original site where eBay and Noah's Bagels now sit on Bascom Avenue. It also quoted Kerry Perkins, senior museum specialist for the Campbell Historical Museum and Ainsley House: "People who come to visit the house saying they remembered seeing it moved from Bascom Avenue to here."

After the move, the city held study sessions from 1990 to 1994 to decide what the house should become. It opened as a historic house museum in 1994. In 2005 the house and its Carriage House were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Carriage House Was Built for Cars and a Gardener

The second building on the lot does most of the work during the holidays. When the Ainsleys built it, the Carriage House held a three-car garage, a tool room, a laundry room and an upstairs apartment for the gardener. Today it's where visitors buy Ainsley House tickets. It's also where the Holiday Tea is served and where most of the Holiday Boutique is set up.

That split shapes the whole season. The main house is the exhibit. Each room gets its own holiday look, created by community groups, local businesses and volunteers. The Carriage House handles everything else: food, gifts, tickets, and the refreshments at the evening open houses.

Hollywood Holiday, Room by Room

The 2026 theme is Hollywood Holiday. Rooms are styled after Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Elf, The Polar Express and It's a Wonderful Life, with movie-inspired scenes and surprises built into the decorations. According to the Downtown Campbell event listing, this is the 32nd year of holiday celebrations at the house.

Here's the full season calendar, as published on the museum's holiday page:

A few of these come with details that change how you'd plan.

Santa photos. Reservations come in three windows: 9 to 10, 10 to 11, and 11 to noon. There's hot chocolate and holiday crafts while families wait their turn. Santa visits for one morning only, so these slots are the scarcest item on the calendar.

The tea. The Campbell Museum Foundation hosts it, and Star One Credit Union sponsors it. The menu includes finger sandwiches, desserts, and a custom Ainsley blend tea created by Steepers. You also get a glass of sparkling wine or cider, then a self-guided tour of the decorated house. Proceeds support exhibits, education programs and preservation at both Campbell museums. Reservations go through the Campbell Museums events page.

The evening open houses. These are the only times the decorations are lit after dark. There's live music in the living room and refreshments in the Carriage House. Children 17 and under get in free, which makes these the best value on the calendar for a family.

The boutique. It spreads across the Carriage House and the first-floor kitchen of the main house. Stock includes ornaments, jewelry, scarves, home décor and specialty treats.

How the Season Differs From a Regular Visit

Outside the holidays, the Ainsley House is open Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Regular adult admission is $10, seniors pay $8 and youth pay $6. For the holiday run, the house adds Thursday and raises each ticket by $2.

The museum closes every January and February for its yearly renovation and reopens in March. That means the holiday season, with its extra day, runs right up to a two-month closure. If you miss the decorated rooms by December 20, the next visit is in March, with no tea, no Santa and no Hollywood theme.

The calendar has some gaps worth knowing about. The house is closed Thanksgiving Day. The 36th anniversary of the move, November 18, falls on a Wednesday this year, when the house is closed. The first tour days after the anniversary are Thursday, November 19, through Sunday, November 22.

Firehouse #1, and the Rest of Downtown

The Ainsley House is one of the city's two museum sites. The other is the Campbell Historical Museum at 51 N. Central Avenue, in Firehouse #1, which the museum describes as Campbell's first public building. The museum opened in January 1964 and has been in the firehouse since 1983. Combination tickets cover both sites and don't have to be used on the same day. That makes the firehouse an easy second stop in the same season.

Downtown Campbell's own holiday calendar overlaps with the Ainsley season:

• Saturday, Nov. 21. Santa photos at the Ainsley House in the morning.
• Saturday, Nov. 28. Small Business Saturday in Downtown Campbell, with local deals and events through the weekend. The Ainsley House is open for tours that day, and its boutique is the shop on the list that funds a museum.
• Saturday, Dec. 5. The Carol of Lights runs from 4 to 7 p.m. at E. Campbell Avenue and N. First Street. It's free, with Santa visits, a petting zoo, donkey rides, carolers and community performances. The Downtown Campbell Business Association and volunteers produce it, and it runs entirely on donations. The organizer notes the date or time may change. On the same afternoon, the Ainsley tea seats at noon and tours run until 3 p.m. You can fit in the tea, the house and the downtown festival in one Saturday.
• Thursday, Dec. 17, and Sunday, Dec. 20. Evening open houses, the last chances to see the rooms before the winter closure.

The year-round Downtown Campbell Farmers' Market on Sundays has no posted seasonal schedule change. A Sunday tour at 300 Grant Street pairs easily with a market morning.

The Ainsley House reached its 101st year thanks to careful construction, good materials and decades of care. If you're thinking about what your own home's history and upkeep might mean for its value, Diane Bucher Real Estate Group is glad to talk it through. Request Your Personalized Home Valuation, and we'll give you a clear, local read on where your home stands this season.