There’s a silly story that Lynwood was named by local dairyman Charles H. Sessions (1850-1936) for his wife “Lynn Wood”, but in fact his one and only wife was born Katherine “Kittie” Gould (1855-1931). Lynwood was actually coined for a Southern Pacific Railroad station built here in July 1884 – a year before Sessions acquired his land here. Owing to a paper factory that was under construction nearby, the station was originally going to be called “Wood Pulp”! The SPRR kept the “wood” and added the “Lyn” for reasons lost to time, although it should be noted that a stage play called Lynwood, written by James Knox Tillotson, premiered in San Francisco in May 1884 and was a hit. Since the SPRR was headquartered in San Francisco, it’s certainly possible that whoever named the station was inspired by the play. Lynwood Road itself was christened in 1906.
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