Joel R. Congdon Residence
The oldest wood frame home in San Juan Capistrano was built by Joel Rathbone Congdon in 1878. Congdon moved west from New York in 1854. He worked on ranches, in mining, as a letter carrier and reportedly was a Pony Express rider before buying 160 acres for a farm in San Juan Capistrano in 1868. In 1876 Joel decided to build a home to accommodate his growing family of eight children. He sold the farm and house in 1887 and moved his family to Santa Ana. The house passed through several owners before being abandoned in 1975. The City of San Juan Capistrano acquired the house in 1990 and undertook an extensive restoration. The house and remaining 28.8 acres are now managed by South Coast Farms and The Ecology Center. The farmhouse and water tower are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
San Juan Capistrano, Orange County
Photographer: Andrew Schmidt