Eight Mile House
Why it's listed
Built in 1877 just north of Cuesta Pass, the Eight Mile House is a two-story Late Victorian country inn with saw-cut ornament, a large front porch and a wine and root cellar beneath the main body. Brothers Reuben and Edwin Bean built it beside the new county road, now called Stagecoach Road, along with an octagonal dance hall, stables and barns. The inn housed farmers, teamsters and drovers hauling goods over the pass, and later railroad workers when the Southern Pacific line was built toward San Luis Obispo. The Beans also planted an orchard of about 800 trees, and their success helped turn fruit growing into a major crop in the county's north and nearby valleys. Reuben Bean also served as a county supervisor. The inn changed in 1904, when the ell was removed and a new porch added facing the railroad. A 1976 restoration followed. About 700 feet of the original road crosses the property, which remains a private home today.
Significance in brief: It is described as the oldest wooden hotel structure standing in the county and is tied to the 1876 Stagecoach Road, where it lodged teamsters, drovers and Southern Pacific railroad workers (Criterion A, Commerce and Transportation). It is also significant for the Bean brothers' pioneering fruit growing, which helped make orchards a major local crop (Criterion B, Agriculture).
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 95000358, listed March 31, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Off CA 101 on Stagecoach Rd., Santa Margarita |
|---|---|
| County | San Luis Obispo County |
| Listed | March 31, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95000358 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1877-ca. 1900 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Transportation, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently used as a single dwelling; restored in 1976. The original barn was rebuilt after a 1994 fire and counts as noncontributing. |
| Acreage | 4 |
| Coordinates | 35.36710, -120.63905 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 95000358.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.