Santa Barbara’s park system is the result of the efforts of many dedicated citizens over the years. One of the most important figures in this story was Augustus Boyd Doremus.
He was born on the Fourth of July in 1842 in Louisiana. He served in the Confederate army during the Civil War and fought at the siege of Vicksburg. After the war, he graduated from dental school and began to practice first in his native state, then in Texas. After marrying, he lived for a time in France and Switzerland before failing health persuaded him to give up dentistry and seek out the mild climate of Santa Barbara.
He settled in Montecito, dabbled in real estate, and slowly recovered his health. After another foray to Europe, he built a home at 601 East Anapamu Street in the mid 1890s and began to indulge his passion for gardening. He was good friends with Francesco Franceschi, Santa Barbara’s foremost horticulturist of the period, and was also active in the floral festivals the city staged during the 1890s.