Mary L. Hamlin

Mary L. Hamlin (September 8, 1856 – August 11, 1947) was an American hotelier and businesswoman who played a key role in the early development of the art colony in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. She is best known for founding the Monte Verde Inn and the Sundial Lodge, both still present in downtown Carmel. Her development of the Sundial Lodge became one of the few hotels from the early 1930s that still retains its original appearance. Additionally, she served as an early manager at Carmel's Pine Inn.
==Early life==
Hamlin was born as Mary E. LaCount, on September 8, 1856, in Auburn, New York. She was the fourth child out of five born to Peter and Mary LaCount. Her father served in the American Civil War from 1862 through 1865. Her parents separated and Hamlin moved in with her eldest sister, Emma, in Syracuse. Her early years were spent in upstate New York.
She married William Hamlin in 1879, and together they lived in Syracuse, raising two children, Guy and Clarence. Following 31 years of marriage, Hamlin made the decision to divorce her husband once her children had grown up.
Departing from her family in New York, she moved to California in 1908 to reunite with her now wealthy sister Emma, who resided in Fresno, California. Together, Hamlin and her sister acquired a summer residence in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. After years of a difficult marriage, Hamlin became involved in the activities of the All Saints Episcopal Church, which was founded in 1912 at the Pine Inn under the leadership of Dora Wingate. Hamlin maintained her active engagement with the church throughout her years in Carmel.. In 1929, she was elected president of the St. Anne's Guild held at the All Saints Church.
==Career==
Hamlin took over management of the Pine Inn in 1909, the first hotel in Carmel-by-the-Sea, located on Ocean Avenue, the town's main street. Arriving in Carmel in her fifties, she managed the hotel from 1909 to 1911. Hamlin was the last manager before James F. Devendorf, the real estate developer of the Carmel Development Company sold the Pine Inn in late 1911.
In the summer of 1908, Hamlin founded the Monte Verde Apartments, which are now known as the Monte Verde Inn. This establishment was also referred to as the El Monte Verde Apartments and the Monte Verde Hotel. The Inn was located at the southwest corner of Ocean Avenue and Monte Verde Street, diagonally across from the Pine Inn. Hamlin managed the Monte Verde as a hotel, accommodating both short-term guests and long-term tenants. For two seasons, she managed both the Monte Verde Apartments and the Pine Inn. 
In 1918, Hamlin put the Monte Verde Apartments up for sale. When the property did not find a buyer, Hamlin enlisted the services of contractor S. J. Wyatt in October 1918 to do improvements. In 1921, Carmel building records and the Sanborn maps show that Hamlin had to buildings, which included a boarding house on the opposite corner of Monte Verde, where she had several acquired lots. On February 7, 1923, Hamlin acquired two more lots midway between Ocean and 7th Avenues on the east side of Monte Verde. In September 1924, Hamlin hired contractor Percy Parkes to undertake a remodel of the Monte Verde Apartments to modernize and enhance them. Hamlin maintained control of the Monte Verde property until 1928. In March 1929, Parkes purchased the Monte Verde Apartments and moved them around the corner to face Monte Verde instead of Ocean Avenue, making room for the Normandy Inn.
By August 1929, Hamlin joined with Allen Knight (Carmel city councilman and mayor) to build and manage the Sundial Lodge, also known as the Sundial Court Apartments, on the east side Monte Verde Street and 7th Avenue. The Medieval Revival-style hotel had its grand opening on June 1, 1930, where Hamlin was present as the manager to distribute apartments and roses to their guests. Allen Knight had inherited a portion of the land on Monte Verde Avenue from his parents. Knight's aunt Alice "Alys" Miller also contributed to the partnership. The three partners collectively owned the Sundial Lodge, and Hamlin served as the initial president and manager. 
Hamlin managed the Sundial property through the Great Depression and the early years of the World War II. During this period, some of the shop space changed into galleries, and specific apartments were repurposed to serve as artists' studios. Hamlin retired in her 80s and continued to live at Sundial Court. The Sundial Lodge, now the L’Auberge Carmel, is one of the few remaining hotels from the early 1930s that has maintained its original exterior appearance and gained significant attention being acknowledged by the city of Carmel as an important historical asset.
In 1930, she was president of the St. Anne's Womaen's Guild, which held meetings at the All Saints Episcopal Church.Carmel Pine Cone 1930-01-17 
==Death and legacy==
Hamlin died at her home in Carmel on August 12, 1947, at 90 years of age. Hamlin's legacy as a hotelier in Carmel-by-the-Sea includes two hotels she established in Carmel-by-the-Sea, which continue to this day. In 1979, 50 years after starting the Sundial Court Apartments, she was remembered "As owner and proprietress of the Monte Verde Apartments, she has made a fine reputation in the science of such management."
==See also==
* List of Historic Buildings in Carmel-by-the-Sea
* Timeline of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Category:1856 births
Category:1947 deaths
Category:People from New York (state)
Category:People from Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Category:Businesspeople from California
Category:American hoteliers