Sabra Hopper Housh 21 W Oak Street, 217 E Pine Street

Sabra Hopper Housh was born in Pennsylvania in 1845. Married in 1861, she had five children but by 1877, three children and her first husband had died. In 1897, she came to Lodi where one of her surviving daughters had settled. Soon after, she married Lodi farmer David Housh, and they lived in a two-story home at 21 W Oak Street. After four years, David Housh sold his ranch, and the couple turned the residence into the Housh Hotel. When Mr. Housh died just six years later, Sabra Hopper Housh continued to manage the Housh Hotel on her own — renovating and expanding through 1915 when there were 25 rooms under her care. Tales are told about a parrot who stayed on the front porch most days; its raucous laugh would startle and embarrass many passers-by. The old Housh Hotel was closed in 1921 when Sabra Hopper Housh died. The hotel building itself was moved to 217 E Pine Street.Another hotel established in Lodi’s early days was the Imperial Hotel (1912-1989) located at 5 W Oak Street. Among the early proprietors of the Imperial were Henrietta Monroe who ran it from 1815-1816, and Margaret Walker who took the reins through 1917. The hotel had 45 rooms and catered to salesmen and middle-class travelers.