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The
Sewing Room
Every hacienda on
every rancho had a room devoted to sewing. All of the
clothing worn on the rancho had to be hand made. Imagine women sewing
here, mending and embroidering -- all under the watchful eye of
Doña
Teodora, Don Raymundo's wife. Sewing was hard, monotonous work, and
required a great deal of time and effort.
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The
Dining Room
This room is
believed to be the main dining room for the Olivas family.
However, it was also the entertainment center of Max Fleischmann, the
last man to own the house and maintain it as a private residence. Mr.
Fleischmann bought the property in 1927. After his death in 1951, the
Fleischmann Foundation gave the Adobe to the City of Ventura with the
provision that it be used as a living history museum. Therefore, this
room is kept as Mr. Fleischmann left it as a memorial for his gift to
the city.
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The
Parlor
In the parlor or "La
Sala" visitors were greeted and entertained with
polite conversation and music. Here Don Raymundo played cards, his
daughters conversed with their suitors, and travelers exchanged the
latest news, such as the price of cattle and wool, world affairs, and
local politics.. |
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The
Kitchen
Although much of the
cooking was done out of doors, the kitchen was a
room of constant activity. The meals of the day would have been
prepared by skilled Chumash servants. Beef, mutton, chicken, vegetables
and fruits were important parts of the menu, as well as breads and
stone ground corn tortillas. During fiestas, hundreds of meals were
served, and the kitchen was a place of nonstop preparations.
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The
Girls Bedroom
Don Raymundo's eight
daughters slept in this room. It was accepted in
those days that more than one person slept in a bed, and custom
dictated that daughters slept near their parents. Young marriages were
common, so it is unlikely that all eight girls would have been present
at one time. Don Raymundo's 13 sons may have slept in rooms enclosed on
each end of the balcony or in the small adobe building across the
courtyard.
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The
Master Bedroom
This room was
carefully attended by the servants and family. Here the
pacing footsteps of Don Raymundo echoed as he pondered the effects of
the floods of 1860 and the terrible drought and economic depression of
1861 - 1862. It is believed that Don Raymundo died in this room on
February 24, 1879 at almost 70 years of age.
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The
Chapel
The family chapel was the spiritual center of the Rancho. Weddings,
baptisms and daily prayers made this an active room, where the flicker
of votive candles and the hushed whisper of prayer would fill it each
night before the family retired.
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Join
Us
Join us here at
Olivas Park for an actual tour. Take a step back in time in this
beautiful place.
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