William Worthington Chipman – Alameda’s co-founder
William Worthington Chipman was born in 1820 in Vermont and grew up in Ohio, where he served as a school principal and studied law. In 1850, he came to San Francisco (via Panama) and set up a “Reading Room and Intelligence Office,” with newspapers from many cities as well as a register of “miners and strangers.” In 1851, Chipman and his business partner Gideon Aughinbaugh purchased the Encinal de San Antonio, an oak-covered peninsula which was part of the rancho of Antonio Maria Peralta, for $14,000. Chipman was hoping to establish a thriving town, while Auginbaugh’s dream was to plan commercial orchards for the lucrative San Francisco market. They imported fruit trees from the East, and auctioned off lots. [caption id="attachment_1929" align="alignleft" width="300"] c. 1850 Ambrotype of Alameda co-founder W.…