302 Elm Street , Magdalena, NM 87825(Socorro County)

This historical MacTavish house was built in 1915 and constructed of wood frame set on a stone foundation. First floor is 1600 heated square feet. Second floor is 1600 heated square feet. The attic is 740 square feet. The basement is 504 square feet. The first floor has a 168 square feet glassed in porch. The second floor has a 90 square feet glassed in porch. The Mactavish house was started in 1909. Shorty Patterson was the contractor and Dan Chamberlain (Bob Chamberlains father) did all the inside woodwork. On the inside of the house, you can see the superb craftsmanship of Dan Chamberlain. The windows are all wood double hung and the first floor front windows and top tower windows have leaded glass patterns. The house was built large to accommodate the MacTavish family and their many quests. There are 4 bedrooms with large closets. Travelers arriving by train or wagon brought trunks full of clothes and were expected to stay a while. In the spring of 1910, the MacTavishs moved into the new house. All the family bedrooms contained many beautiful furnishings and decorative metal ceilings from back east that remain today. The new metal roof has a corner tower, projecting gable wings, and an elaborate brick chimney. The bay window off the dining room has some original stained glass. The interior retains original large original pocket double doors. The basement held a coal bin large enough to hold a railcar load of anthracite coal ordered in from Pennsylvania every year. The MacTavish family lived in the home until 1940.

History:

MacTavish House is on the National Register of Historic Places. The MacTavish House is significant as the largest, most elaborate house in Magdalena. It first appears on the 1919 Sanborn map indicating a construction date of between 1913 and 1919. The house was built during Magdalenas wealthiest years and is the only really large, elaborate house in town. It is a good example of the Queen Anne Style and is the only house which testifies to the previous wealth of Magdalena.

J.S. MacTavish was born in Scotland in 1867 and came to the US twenty years later. He arrived in Magdalena within a few years of the towns founding. He first worked for Becker-Blackwell, a statewide general merchandise business. Within a few years, he was a partner in Becker-MacTavish. This general merchandise firm was by far the largest in Magdalena with its main store on the west side of Main north of First, and corrals, lumber yards and such occupied a large area along the railroad tracks. The firm remained in business at least throughout the 1930s. MacTavish died in 1947. Within the last 30 years, the west side of Main suffered a fire and the MacTavish store was destroyed along with other buildings. Thus the house remained the only structure associated with one of Magdalenas most successful businessmen.

Elevation: 6572 feet.

Annual Taxes: $1011.80

Schools: Magdalena Municipal Schools is a public school district located in Magdalena. It has 300 students in grades PK, K-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 11 to 1. Magdalena is very family oriented, quiet and friendly community. Magdalena is a very rural area. The town is surrounded by farms and ranches. Its 2 hours from the city of Albuquerque.

Area Attractions:

Magdalena is known as the "Trails End" for the railroad spur line that was built in 1885 from Socorro to Magdalena to transport the cattle, sheep wool, timber and ore. Thousands of cattle and sheep were driven into town (cowboy style) from the west, using the historic "Magdalena Trail".

"The Lady on the Mountain" is a rock formation on Magdalena Peak overlooking Magdalena. Spanish soldiers saw the face of a woman on the west face of the peak. A priest with them was reminded of a similar peak in Spain called "La Sierra de Maria Magdalena", so he called the New Mexico one "La Sierra de Magdalena".