Ventura County Landmark No. 2: Edwards Adobe

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 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).