In a busy corner of Delta College, sitting quietly between campus buildings and Buffalo Wild Wings, is a quaint cottage that goes mostly unnoticed by students. To those rushing by, it may appear to be an ordinary building, but this small structure holds a story that predates the college itself, recalling back to when the land was part of the Stockton State Hospital Annex farm.
“I never gave that building much thought,” said student MarQuelle Reynolds. “Honestly, it looks haunted.
From mental health care to higher education
Before Delta College was even imagined, the land it dwells on was part of a farm operated by the Stockton State Hospital, a facility for the mentally ill and elderly. According to Charles “Chuck” Bloch, Delta’s former political science and history professor and the institution’s historian, this farm was far more extensive than the current campus.
“Before Delta was made into a campus, the farm stretched from Pacific Avenue all the way to Interstate 5 and south of March Lane to Swain,” Bloch explained. “It was four to five times larger than the current campus, with a 14-mile slough.”
The farm was an integral part of the hospital’s operations, providing much of the food needed for the patients.
Established in 1904, the farm was operated by both farm managers and the more highly functional, non-harmful geriatric patients. They cultivated crops and tended livestock that sustained the hospital’s needs.
“They raised everything at the farm; beef cattle, almonds, nuts, dairy cows, fruit orchards, vegetable fields, and so on,” Bloch explained.
The cottage
While almost all traces of the old farm have disappeared, one building remains: the cottage near Buffalo Wild Wings. Originally, this building served as the home for the farm manager and his family.
“That building is a remnant of the state hospital farm. Whoever the farm manager was, he and his family would live in that cottage. It was purposely distant and secluded to give privacy from patients,” said Bloch.
The cottage was specifically designed as a residence, featuring about three bedrooms, a living room, dining room, kitchen and 2 car garage detachment. After the farm ceased operations, the cottage was spared demolition.
“They decided not to tear it down because it was a newly built building. It was nicely maintained, painted, and upkept,” Bloch said.
Eventually, the building was repurposed as an office for the police department, and today it serves as an office for flea market activities on weekends.
William Maxwell, an archivist at the Bank of Stockton, also shared insights about the historic building on Delta College’s campus.
“My wife, who worked at the State Hospital downtown for over 20 years, says that building was used by the state police prior to the college being built,” Maxwell said.
He also mentioned local architects Linda Devrivi and Steve Castellanos, who had worked on projects at Delta.
“I just happened to speak with Linda and Steve, and they also confirmed that the building once served as police department headquarters,” he added.
In fact, the cottage served as Delta’s campus police headquarters until December 2009, when the department relocated to the Lourn Phelps building.
According to Delta’s website detailing the history of the Phelps police building, “The old Police Cottage was the lone remnant from the County Hospital that used to sit on San Joaquin Delta College’s Stockton site.”
Bloch further explained how the building fit into the broader narrative of the area’s transformation.
“They decided to add a parking lot next to the cottage to accommodate the police department,” he said.
The transition to Delta College
The transformation of the land from a functioning farm to an educational campus occurred when the State of California decided to end the land’s farming operations.
The shift away from its farm operations came in part due to community concerns and advancements in mental health care.
According to Mike Wurtz, head of Special Collections and archivist at the University of the Pacific, “part of the reason the farm was auctioned off is because of residential complaints about the farm smell,” said Wurtz. “Not to mention the introduction of drug therapy and community mental health programs.”
The closure of the farm in 1959 marked the end of an era for the Stockton state hospital.
“It wasn’t until 1968, however, that the last of the patients residing at the Stockton state hospital farm were displaced,” Wurtz explained.
“The State of California thought it was more efficient to just house all patients on California Street and buy food from distribution companies,” Bloch said. When the farm property went up for auction, Delta College, still a growing junior college, seized the opportunity to build a new campus.
According to the college’s website on the history of Delta College, the college itself began in the 1930s as part of College of the Pacific, evolving through the years to become Stockton Junior College and eventually, San Joaquin Delta College. In the 1960s, the college separated from the Stockton Unified School District, expanding its reach to cover all of San Joaquin County and parts of neighboring counties. With the acquisition of the former farm property, Delta College found a permanent home, and the land’s purpose shifted from agricultural production to education.
The legacy of Stockton State Hospital
The cottage’s presence today serves as a physical reminder of the area’s layered history. It stands as the last remnant of the Stockton State Hospital farm—a testament to the land’s unique evolution from a mental health facility to an educational institution.
Wurtz reflected on the irony of the transition.
“It is pretty ironic how most of the asylums here in Stockton have turned into educational institutions,” said Wurtz. “What is now known as Edison High School was once a private mental hospital called Pacific Asylum in 1871.”
Bloch also pointed out another layer of the area’s history that continues to influence the community today.
“Do you notice how most businesses that surround Delta College are college-oriented? The college shopping center where Marshall’s is, the one where Togo’s is, as well as Planet Fitness — these were all part of the plan to accommodate the growing student population.”
He said that the Quail Lakes area was initially considered for the new college campus because of its proximity to the freeway.
