A new book titled “Officers’ Row 1904” is based on a true story and captures a bygone era of Army glory in San Diego and Point Loma. Yes, you read that right — Army glory. The Army’s presence is a little-known chapter in the more dominant naval history locally, yet crucial to the development of early Point Loma, San Diego and Coronado. Before the Navy, there was the Army — both at North Island and at Fort Rosecrans. “Officers’ Row 1904” is historical fiction based on research unearthed by the author while living in those historic quarters. It’s a smart-looking, quick-read that brings to life many forgotten pieces of the past, while adding personalities and personal interaction based on written accounts of the time. In addition to providing a worthy glimpse into this region a century ago, it brings the reader back in time to 1904 and the former post of Fort Rosecrans, where houses, barracks, a hospital and even a bakery were constructed to create a small garrison on Point Loma in the name of seacoast defense. At that time, it was home to the Army’s Coast Artillery Corps. The book also relives the tragic explosion of the USS Bennington that took the lives of 65 men — another major piece of our history that has all but been forgotten over time. The explosion took place on July 21, 1905 in San Diego Bay. It remains one of the most terrible peacetime military disasters of all time. The burial of those unfortunate sailors took place on top of Point Loma, in a small graveyard mostly populated by those who fell at the battle of San Pasqual in 1846. For a time, it was known as the Bennington National Cemetery. It is now known to San Diegans as Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. “Officers’ Row 1904” was written by Navy wife and historian Mary Ellen Cortellini who, a century later, found herself sitting on the front porch of her new home at Officers’ Row looking out across San Diego Bay. “Who built these beautiful old homes,” she began to ask herself. “Who lived here long ago? What stories would they tell? I wanted to know.” The author has a splendid appreciation for turn-of-the-century romance. Her attention to late-Victorian detail, both in her characters and of the era, provide a lovely backdrop to the story. The book also gives a fine look at the architectural splendor of these simple but historic Army-built homes and buildings captured in photographs then and now, as well as floor plans of the structures. Today, they are home to senior-level naval officers and their families. Cortellini explores the wrap-around front porches, the ornate pressed-tin ceilings, secret staircases and even built-in sideboards in describing architectural elements of Officers’ Row. The book sells for $34.95 and is available at www.merriam-press.com. The book is dedicated to three Fort Rosecrans soldiers of the 710th Ordinance Company killed in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Proceeds will benefit families of fallen EOD personnel from all branches of service.
