Ventura County Landmark No. 2: Edwards Adobe

Historical Background

Located in Saticoy, the Edwards Adobe, a historic two-story residence, has been standing since before the establishment of Ventura County. Built in 1860 for Thomas More, the largest landowner in California at the time, the house showcases a unique blend of Yankee and Mexican architectural styles. The adobe was designed and built by William Dewey Hobson and was built on part of the Rancho Santa Paula y Saticoy, one of the large land grants More and his brothers bought from Mexican owners during the 1850s. Whitewashed redwood clapboard siding was added later to protect the adobe. In 1861, More sold the adobe and surrounding land to George Briggs. Briggs later subdivided the property into what would become Orchard Farm, later owned by Samuel Edwards, from whom this landmark derives its name (Triem, 1989).

The property contains the More-Edwards Adobe and an associated cluster of buildings consisting of an office building, two barns, equipment sheds, and a row of sheds and buildings that includes a circa 1870 schoolhouse. In addition, the property contains the Ranch Residence (consisting of a single-story residence and barn constructed around 1920) and the Edwards House (a two-story residence constructed around 1910 and surrounding grounds) (San Buenaventura Research Associates, 2017).

It was Edwards who built most all of the buildings on site with the exception of the adobe. Two of the residences and some of the sheds and a barn appear to date from the 1880s. The school, built about 1869-70, may have been moved onto the ranch around 1902. Samuel Edwards, a native of England, came to California with his brother John during the Gold Rush of 1849. The brothers were successful in selling mining equipment, and in 1869 they moved to Santa Barbara and established a hardware business. Samuel Edwards continued to live in Santa Barbara while operating the Orchard Farm. His son Roger Edwards moved to the ranch about 1906 and managed it for many years, building a house east of ranch headquarters about 1910. Another son, Hubert, lived on the ranch, and eventually built a house for himself west of the ranch on Darling Road in 1924 (San Buenaventura Research Associates, 2017). A third son, Carl Francis, lived for a while in the adobe residence. It remained in the Edwards family until 1985, when Santa Paula-based citrus and avocado grower Limoneira Associates purchased Orchard Farm (Triem, 1989; Lee, 1990).

Landmark Designation

In 1968, the adobe was designated as a Ventura County Landmark, but the designation was later revoked in 1977 due to the deteriorated condition of the adobe. Engineering reports showed that it was highly unsafe and that restoration would be prohibitively expensive. Removing the landmark designation gave the owners the option to tear down the adobe since it was sitting in the middle of valuable farmland. However, the adobe was never torn down (Lee, 1990).

In 1990, the Ventura County Cultural Heritage Board redesignated the building as a landmark as it was found to be the last standing Yankee Adobe in the county. No restoration plans have been established and the building remains in a state of arrested decay (Lee, 1990).

Additional Reading

• HABS Documentation (Photo content credit: Dennis Hill, Content Creation. Written content credit: Historic Resources Group)
• Historic Resources Report (San Buenaventura Research Associates)
• Edwards Adobe Regains Landmark Status
• Ventura Museum Photo

References

Garner, K. (1990, January). Historic Resources Inventory: Edwards Adobe. State of California - The Resource Agency Department of Parks and Recreation. (Ventura County Planning Division, Cultural Heritage Site Files).

Lee, P. (1990, March 19). Saticoy : House regains landmark status. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-03-19-me-404-story.html?_gl=1%2A1wmjiqr%2A_gcl_au%2AMTg0MjQwNTIxNS4xNjg3ODE4NjM3

Madsen, A.I. (2022, July). Historic American Buildings Survey: Edwards Ranch Orchard Farm, Santa Paula, California. Historic Resources Group. https://vcrma.org/docs/images/pdf/planning/programs/chb/HABS_photo_library/9_HABS_Documentation-More-Edwards_Adobe.pdf

San Buenaventura Research Associates. (2017, May 19). Phase II Historic Resources Report Agromin Commercial Organics Processing Operation, Edwards Ranch Road, Santa Paula. https://vcrma.org/docs/images/pdf/planning/programs/chb/HABS_photo_library/10_HRR_-_More-Edwards_Adobe.pdf

Triem, J. (1989, July 14). Preliminary Investigation: Edwards Adobe. San Buenaventura Research Associates. (Ventura County Planning Division, Cultural Heritage Site Files).

Date Designated: August 1968

Location: West of Edwards Ranch Road, Saticoy

Photos: