Did You Know… ? Olivas Adobe Historical Park

Did you know… that the Olivas Adobe is Ventura County’s only remaining Monterey-style adobe home from the Rancho era?

Raymundo Olivas built what is now known as the Olivas Adobe as his home in 1841. It was expanded in 1849 to two stories, making it the only such building in the area. He and his wife and their 21 children lived here until 1899.

Olivas had received, in recognition of his service at the Presidio of Santa Barbara, approximately 2,250 acres as part of his land grant from Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado in 1841. He named the property Rancho San Miguel. The land had originally been part of Mission San Buenaventura but was appropriated during the secularization of the missions.

A Local Landmark

The property later became part of Max Fleischman’s holdings (he of yeast and margarine fame) and was eventually donated by Mr.  Fleishman to the City of Ventura.

The Olivas Adobe is now registered as California Historical Landmark #115 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

A fun fact about the Olivas Adobe: It is rumored to be haunted by the ghost of a woman and is listed as one of Ventura County’s haunted locations!