The Maulhardt Winery

This building was built by Gottfried Maulhardt. Gottfried was born in Mingerode, Lower Saxony, Germany. He learned the trade of brick mason in his village. In 1867, he and his wife Sophie and Caspar Borchard arrived in Ventura County. They originally stayed in the Gonzalez Adobe, located on 1000 acres purchased by Christian Borchard and situated near the Santa Clara River near the present-day River Ridge area.

Soon after in 1869, Gottfried and Sophie began leasing land from Juan Camarillo. Camarillo purchased several thousand acres from original grantee Rafael Gonzalez. Gonzalez and seven other former soldiers from the Presidio in Santa Barbara were granted 44,000 acres on the south side of the Santa Clara River. The grant was named El Rio de Santa Clara o la Colonia,
or the Colony of the Santa Clara River. The colony never materialized & only the Gonzalez family took up residence on the rancho. The majority of the rancho was sold to Joaquin Ormart. Ormart sold to Thomas Scott, and Thomas Bard became the land agent for the rancho.

The brick building was originally used as a residence in 1869. Gottfried welcomed his brother Jacob and his family in 1870. By May 1870, the town of Wynema, soon to be renamed Hueneme, established the first lumberyard by William Barnard. With Jacob’s carpentry skills, they built the middle structure of the farmhouse. This also provided more room for a third family to join them on the farm, Johannes Borchard and his wife, Elizabeth. Arriving in California in the fall of 1871, the Borchard family suffered the loss of their 6 year and nine-month-old boys. By 1872, Gottfried, Jacob, and Johannes were able to pool their money together and purchase the 1,230 acres from Juan Camarillo. The cost was $12,300 or $10 an acre.

By 1876, Gottfried and his brothers Jacob and Anton Maulhardt, along with Christian Borchard, Dominick McGrath, and Thomas Cloyne, formed the building committee for the
Santa Clara Chapel. The church was originally built near the Esplanade Shopping area & moved in the 1950s near the Rose Avenue overpass & 101 Freeway. Gottfried and Jacob were growing grapes that were used to make the wine for the chapel. The bottom floor of the brick building provided a cool
storage area for the wine.

In 2003, the developer John Laing Homes put a new roof on the three primary buildings: the winery, farmhouse, and carriage house, which now serve as a library, office, and restrooms. The interior of the winery was also reinforced with 4x4 beams. By 2008, several of the missing bricks were reestablished. Daniel Rydberg rebuilt the stairs in 2009.

The future of the upstairs is to create a gift shop with the bottom to be used as a winery museum.

We appreciate your financial support. The OCHF General Fund supports this project.

OHFP IN 2005