The Untold Legend of the Kenilworth Inn
By Tracy Rolling

Rare photo of the Kenilworth Inn as a single story (formerly Ramona Hotel). Photos Courtesy of Mary Kay and Lee Pinkard

Almost everyone's heard of the Kenilworth Inn, after all it was a significant part of Ramona's history.

It was the first hotel to accommodate guests in Ramona, with the first telephone and telegraph services and the first Ramona post office.

But this isn't the story of the Kenilworth Inn's history. No, this is the undisputable testimony from life behind the adobe brick walls, prior to burning in November 1943. This is a condensed biography of three generations and how Ramona blossomed into the city it is today, because of an extraordinary woman and her zest for community.

The story begins in spring 1887, when owner Milton Santee opened the Kenilworth Inn, originally named The Ramona Hotel.

It was a single-story hotel with state-of-the-art features such as indoor plumbing. It attracted locals and those who dare to venture over Mussey Grade in horse and buggy, at which time was an incredibly dangerous pass.

Ida May Roques Kearney wearing her apron and greeting Ramona's visitors at the Kenilworth Inn.

While traveling to Julian, Santee discovered an overflowing restaurant in Santa Ysabel. He was bewildered to see a 4-foot-9-inch, 90-pound lady ringing a triangle dinner bell summonsing all of the locals it was time for the noon meal.

Santee flocked along with the others and soon discovered the illustrious meal that would elevate his hotel and restaurant from common to sensational.

It was then that Santee met Ida May Roques Kearney for the first time.

Ida May had fled west due to family turmoil. She was the oldest of 16 children and a teenager when she carried everything she owned, including two heirloom dolls, in a steel trunk and boarded a train bound for Los Angeles.

It wasn't long before she opened a coffee shop in downtown L.A. that served sweet rolls and heavenly donuts. Although she made an effort, she decided this was not the city she wanted to live in, so she boarded yet another train, this time destined for San Diego.

George Roques and Mark Kearney in front of the two story Kenilworth Inn.

It was there she met a charming man by the name of David Kearney. They bought a small, slightly neglected milk ranch in Chula Vista and raised her son from a previous marriage and two boys of their own.

Due to the couple's financial differences, Ida May divorced her husband and headed northeast with her three children. At the helm of her horse and buggy, she was gold rush bound and had heard of a small town called Julian.

When her horse wouldn't take another step, Ida May had no choice but to reside in Santa Ysabel. She quickly saw a need for an eatery and converted a dilapidated boarding house into a restaurant that served a four-course meal for pocket change.

Immediately, Santee asked Ida May to name her price to move to Ramona and manage his hotel and restaurant. After playful negotiations, they agreed upon her wages and Ida May would pack up her children and belongings and move for the last time.

This 1918 picture is of Ida May's sons. From left: George Roques, Mark C. Kearney, Earl Kearney. The small boy is Mark Kearney's son Kenneth.

Soon, rumors of the mouth-watering chicken dinners at the Kenilworth Inn traveled far and wide. The Inn was attracting more and more visitors and Santee was determined to accommodate all of the town's guests.

In 1915, he added a second story to the inn, but before doing so, he asked Ida May for her blessing. He valued her opinion and had made her proprietor of the inn.

As Ida Mays' three sons matured into young men, they too began helping in the dining room and kitchen of the inn. Eventually, each son married and started a family of his own.

It was Ida May's oldest son, George Roques, who ultimately assumed his mother's position at the Kenilworth Inn. George quickly became a pillar of the community and the Kenilworth Inn was host to many community events such as the annual 4th of July gathering.

Ida May's second son, Mark Kearney, continued to play an active role at the inn and eventually all of his children contributed to the support of their grandmother's ambitions.

Mary Kay Kearny Pinkard with Grandmother Ida May's dolls.

Mary Kay Pinkard said that her grandmother worked hard and gave generously to the community. She never denied anyone a meal, even if it had to be at her expense. She found incomprehensible forgiveness for so many of life's circumstances and she always persevered. Her reputation as an exquisite chief was only surpassed by her excellent character.

In a sense, Ida May's legacy of giving is alive today, because where the Kenilworth Inn once stood, the Ramona Food and Clothes Closet now serves the community.

A life-long resident of Ramona, Mary Kay treasures the original dolls that journeyed with her grandmother so many years ago. She continues to support the community through various organizations and many of the artifacts from the Kenilworth Inn are on public display at the Guy B. Woodward Museum, 645 Main St.

On April 25, Mary Kay Pinkard will blow out 89 candles on her cake, sadly enough that same day she morns the loss of Ida Kay Kearny, her beloved grandmother who passed away of a sudden illness in 1923.

Lee and Mary Kay Pinkard stand beside an oil painting of Mary Kay's beloved grandmother, Ida May Roques Kearney.