Newly restored in 1994, the parlor/living room reflects daily life in the valley. But, back in 1877, the parlor/living room was reached through a hallway stretching from the front door to the kitchen. Evidence of that wall was discovered in patched floorboards during the renovation of 1993-1994. The Curator's Committee deliberately had new carpeting cut small enough to illustrate where the wall once stood. Photos of Amaziah and Illa Knox hang on opposite walls. Photos of the children can be seen in other places throughout the house, while pictures of other leading families stand atop the organ, which was built after the Civil War. Music coming from the organ is typical of the era. The 1905 Edison tulip-horned Victrola was a gift of Dr. and Mrs. Sydney Wiener, along with four cylinder records. Other records are owned by the Museum. The table upon which they sit was a gift of the El Cajon Branch of the American Association of University Women. The turn-of-the-century mahogany plant stand was donated by Chapman Grant of San Diego. Grant, a longtime friend of of Mabel Knox, was the grandson of Civil War general and U.S. President, Ulysses S. Grant, and son of Jesse Grant who built the Grant Hotel in San Diego. The Victorian brocaded rocker is a gift of Dorothy Beisigl.

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