Halcyon, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Halcyon
Unincorporated community
Blue Star Memorial Temple
Halcyon Location in California Show map of California Halcyon Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	California
County	San Luis Obispo
Area
• Total	125 acre (51 ha)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP codes	93421
GNIS feature ID	1660712

Halcyon is a small community in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. It is an unincorporated community, meaning it is not part of a city. Halcyon covers about 125 acres (50 hectares). It is located just south of Arroyo Grande.

Halcyon was started in 1903. It was founded as a special kind of community called an intentional community. It was created by a religious group known as The Temple of the People. This group follows a spiritual philosophy called Theosophy. Halcyon is still the main home and headquarters for this group today.

History of Halcyon

Halcyon is recognized as an important historical site. Both the state of California and the United States government have registered it. It was built by a group of Theosophists in the early 1900s. They constructed a special Temple building and other buildings around it.

Founding The Temple of the People

The Temple of the People group began in 1898. It was started in Syracuse, New York. The founders were William Dower and Francia LaDue. They were members of a part of the Theosophical Society. In 1903, the group decided to move their community to Halcyon.

William Dower was a medical doctor. He and Francia LaDue opened the Halcyon Hotel and Sanatorium. This place helped people with various health issues. It stayed open until 1949. Other members of the Temple group also moved to Halcyon from Syracuse. They earned their living by farming, raising chickens, and making handicrafts.

Growth and Development

The Temple group continued to buy more land. At one time, they owned much more land than present-day Halcyon. The Temple Home Association created a town plan. They divided some of the land into smaller plots. These plots were then sold or leased for homes.

A print shop was also set up in Halcyon. It produced a monthly magazine called The Artisan. This magazine is still published today. The shop also printed other books and writings about Theosophy. A general store and a post office opened in 1908.

Leaders of the Temple

Francia LaDue was known as "Blue Star" in her official role. She was the first leader of the Temple, called the Guardian in Chief. She led the group until she passed away in 1922. The beautiful Blue Star Memorial Temple building was built in 1923. It was designed by architect Theodore Eisen. The Temple was named in honor of LaDue.

William Dower became the second Guardian after LaDue. He led the Temple until his death in 1937. Pearl Dower was the third Guardian. During her time, the William Quan Judge Library was created. Harold Forgostein was the fourth Guardian until 1990. Eleanor Shumway has been the Guardian since then.

Notable People from Halcyon

Many interesting people have been connected to Halcyon and the Temple. These include:

• Henry Cowell: A famous composer and pianist.
• Ella Young: An Irish poet and writer.
• John Varian: A mystic poet and writer.

John Varian's sons, Russell and Sigurd, spent part of their childhood in Halcyon. They became very important inventors. They created the klystron. This is a special tube that helps make microwaves stronger. They later founded a big electronics company called Varian Associates.

A member named Cethil Mallory was a building contractor. He worked on many of the homes in Halcyon. He also helped rebuild the Halcyon General Store and post office when it was moved.

Halcyon Today

Today, Halcyon has fifty-two single-family homes. The Temple owns thirty of these homes. There are also several small buildings used by the Temple. More than one hundred people live in Halcyon. Most residents work outside the community.

The Temple of the People still operates today. It is a small but international Theosophical society. Its headquarters are in Halcyon. Weekly services are held on Sundays in the Blue Star Memorial Temple building. A short healing service is also held there every day at noon. Classes are currently offered online twice a week.

Chronological Overview

Here are the leaders (Guardians in Chief) of The Temple of the People:

• 1898–1922 — Francia A. La Due (1849–1922)
• 1922–1937 — William H. Dower (1866–1937)
• 1937–1968 — Pearl F. Dower
• 1968–1990 — Harold E. Forgostein
• 1990–present — Eleanor L. Shumway