A recently installed poppy jasper display at Villa Mira Monte pays tribute to late Morgan Hill resident Jane Reed Goularte and offers visitors a chance to experience the unique mineral while learning all about the local community at the historical site.
Goularte’s husband, Anthony Goularte, donated a large chunk of poppy jasper—about 30 inches tall—to the Morgan Hill Historical Society over a year ago with the intent to have it displayed on the grounds of Villa Mira Monte. Goularte, a longtime Morgan Hill resident and a “rockhound” whose family founded Associated Concrete, donated the piece—which he had polished himself—in honor of his wife.
Poppy jasper is a colorful mineral that often contains bright orbs and veins, and it is only found in Morgan Hill.
Morgan Hill Historical Society President Roger Knopf said after receiving the polished specimen from Goularte, Knopf and other MHHS board members put their heads together to determine the best way to display it. They decided to install it on a pedestal in a corner of the front lawn of the Villa Mira Monte site, with a “Poppy Jasper Patio” surrounding it.
The idea behind the patio, which is big enough to fit about 10-20 people around it, is to offer an exhibit for local students and other groups to view it, as well as a peaceful resting spot for passersby, Knopf explained.
“We are eternally grateful to Anthony Goularte,” Knopf said on behalf of the MHHS.
The patio is surrounded by three large unpolished poppy jasper boulders that crews have excavated from a City of Morgan Hill construction site, Knopf added.
The Goularte family joined MHHS and the chamber of commerce for a ribbon cutting of the new Poppy Jasper Patio at Villa Mira Monte on Aug. 24.
Villa Mira Monte, the historical Hiram Morgan Hill house, is located at 17860 Monterey Road. For hours and more information about Villa Mira Monte and the adjacent museum, visit morganhillhistoricalsociety.org/.
