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Woodside’s Moore Road winds beneath oaks past gated estates, horse paddocks and sprawling homes tucked behind dense landscaping. Large custom residences on multi-acre lots give the area a distinctly rural character despite its location just minutes from downtown and Interstate 280.
The surrounding land was once part of the extensive J.J. Moore Ranch, which stretched from Woodside Road to Walsh Road along Interstate 280. It was one of several grand country estates wealthy San Franciscans established on the Peninsula as weekend retreats from the city.
But this quiet stretch of Woodside was once the setting for a dark chapter of Midpeninsula history that once captured headlines across the country.
Jan 30, 1912 San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, California) Newspapers.com
This 1912 article, shows San Mateo Judge Joseph McCormick, left, and San Mateo Police Chief Maurice Boland.
Before the property was subdivided, San Francisco coal dealer and capitalist John J. Moore built an elaborate home with stables and landscaped grounds there in the early 1900s. The narrow lane now known as Moore Road was once the driveway that wound through the center of the ranch to the family’s hilltop residence.
Not many years later, a series of tragedies overshadowed the estate’s idyllic setting. In 1907, the family’s home was destroyed by fire after flames reportedly began in the laundry room, prompting Moore to build a new, more modest residence lower on the property near the stables. Earlier that same year, Moore suffered a severe head injury after being kicked by a horse at a Los Angeles racetrack. Newspaper accounts later reported that he experienced seizures, declining health and other complications related to his head injury in the years that followed.
Moore’s personal life also began to unravel during this time. Moore’s marriage deteriorated into a bitter and highly publicized divorce battle marked by accusations of infidelity and courtroom drama that filled Bay Area newspapers as the judge weighed whether to grant the couple a divorce.
The conflict reached a violent climax in January 1912.
According to multiple newspaper accounts, Moore drove from his hotel room at San Francisco’s Pacific Union Club to the ranch on Jan. 27 after allegedly receiving “a mysterious message” claiming that his estranged wife had left their country home with another man. Moore suspected the man was his former chauffeur, S.R. Timothy. After confronting the maid and other members of the household while searching for his wife, Moore encountered Timothy on the roadway near the house. The two exchanged gunfire in what newspapers at the time described as a pistol duel. Moore was mortally wounded and died later that evening, while Timothy claimed he acted in self-defense. Witnesses testified that Moore’s wife was not with Timothy at the time of the shooting.
The following day, the San Francisco Chronicle wrote: “The divorce is granted by a power stronger than the courts. ”
The shooting touched off months of sensational headlines as prosecutors pursued murder charges against Timothy, and Moore’s family battled over his estate, valued at roughly $250,000 — the equivalent of several million dollars today. Court filings revisited Moore’s head injury, declining health and increasingly bitter dispute with his wife.
Timothy was ultimately found not guilty, as the jury found he returned fire in self-defense, in part because of Moore’s own deathbed testimony. According to court accounts, Moore acknowledged that he had fired several shots before Timothy shot back, the Chronicle reported.
The legal battles continued after Moore’s death. Most of his wealth was tied to the ranch and business holdings in San Francisco. During the estate proceedings, it was revealed that Moore had changed his will just days before the shooting to leave his wife just $1 and his 22-year-old son from a previous marriage the remainder of the estate.
Court records and newspaper accounts revealed additional twists during the lengthy legal battle. Papers reported that Moore’s hotel room at the Pacific Union Club had been broken into in what was suspected to be an attempt by his son to steal the will. Mrs. Moore testified that an earlier will had named her executrix and insisted Moore had never changed it. There were also allegations that Moore had hired Timothy to shadow Mrs. Moore during the divorce proceedings.
The dispute was eventually settled out of court that May, with Moore’s wife receiving what amounted to nearly half the estate, according to local newspaper accounts. In the following years, the ranch was subdivided into multiple estate parcels ranging from about 6 to 20 acres and sold piece by piece, preserving much of its rural character and shaping the landscape seen today.
Moore Road still follows the path of the original ranch driveway. Homes along the road now regularly list for $6 million to more than $13 million.
