Do you know the oldest surviving building in Contra Costa County is just a few miles away in Orinda? Kent Long will provide an overview of the Moraga Adobe from its 1841construction to the present. The Moraga family was one of the most important in the Bay Area; Their story is used to discuss the broader history of the “Californio” families that held ranchos during the Mexican era in California.
Kent‘s presentation moves to the later history of the Moraga Adobe in the 20th and 21stcenturies, including ownership and early restoration by the Irvine Family, decades serving as a suburban home, then ultimate deterioration. In 2024 funds were raised for Friends of the Joaquin Moraga Adobe to oversee the rehabilitation and successfully open the adobe to the public.