Joaquín Moraga Adobe

The bronze records one rescue, Katharine Irvine's in 1941; the second took until 2024. After decades of private ownership the county's oldest surviving building was crumbling and covered in graffiti when the Friends of the Joaquin Moraga Adobe began bargaining with the developer of the houses now around it. The builder stripped the later additions and restored it to its look of about 1848, and the Friends bought it in 2024 for $500,000, half repaid by a state grant; docent tours began in 2026. The plaques by the door are reproductions: the originals were stolen in 2010.

What the plaque says

The Joaquin Moraga Adobe - 1841 José Joaquin Moraga - member of the Juan Bautista de Anza 1776 expedition, founder and first Commandante of the Presidio of San Francisco - was the grandfather of Joaquin Moraga who with his cousin Juan Bernal was awarded this grant in 1835 which they called Rancho Laguna de los Palos Colorados. In August 1941 this property was acquired and restoration made by Katharine Brown White Irvine of Oakland. Later ownership was bequeathed to her grandson William Thornton White III. Contra Costa County Historical Society 1954 California State Registration No.509 Joaquin Moraga Adobe 1841 Historic Landmark Designated by the City of Orinda March 7, 1995 Ordinance Number 95-01 The original landmark plaques were stolen in 2010 and never recovered. These reproductions were donated by The Daughters of the American Revolution Acalanes Chapter.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Muir Woods National Monument — 23 mi
  A redwood canyon saved from a reservoir by a gift, and named for a man who had been there once.
• Muir Beach Overlook — 24 mi
  A cliff edge on Highway 1, and the concrete dugouts where two-man crews watched the sea after Pearl Harbor.

More markers nearby

• Site of Blossom Rock Navigation Trees — 2.5 mi
• Rainbow Trout Species Identified — 2.9 mi
• Joaquin Miller Home — 3.1 mi
• Mills Hall — 4.7 mi