Katharine Van Arsdale

Angwin and Howell Mountain Katharine Van Arsdale

Just a few miles east of St. Helena, Howell Mountain overlooks the Napa Valley. The mountain's mild Mediterranean climate and extensive forests have drawn people for thousands of years. From the Wappo people to Spanish explorers and Mexican Californios, the region has a rich history. In the 1880s, the mountain was a popular place to establish health resorts like the Rural Health Retreat, which later became St. Helena Hospital. Cornish immigrant Edwin Angwin also opened a resort that hosted visitors such as author Ambrose Bierce. When Angwin retired in 1909, he sold his land to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. That year, Pacific Union College opened on the old resort grounds; the college has been the hub of the tiny town of Angwin ever since. Today, Howell Mountain is one of the most prized wine appellations in the world, and Angwin remains a quiet, rural village in the midst of wine country. It is surrounded by conservation easements and Land Trust of Napa County preserves, making it a unique community in this setting.