Milpitas in Santa Clara County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Jose Higuera Adobe

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, November 26, 2022

1. Jose Higuera Adobe Marker

Inscription. Adobe house built by Jose Higuera about 1831 on Rancho Los Tularcitos

Marked by
San Jose de Guadalupe Chapter
Daughters of the American Colonists
August 1958

Erected 1958 by Daughters of the American Colonists.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Parks & Recreational Areas • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Daughters of the American Colonists series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1831.

Location. 37° 27.542′ N, 121° 53.797′ W. Marker is in Milpitas, California, in Santa Clara County. It can be reached from Wessex Place north of North Park Victoria Drive. The plaque is mounted to one of the doors on the front of the adobe. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 821 Wessex Place, Milpitas CA 95035, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area

and on the Coast Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Henry Curtner Mansion (approx. 1.9 miles away); Dr. Renselaer Smith Home (approx. 1.9 miles away); The Silveira House (approx. 2.3 miles away); Preservation Efforts, The Land Developer, and Reconstruction of the Higuera Adobe (approx. 2.3 miles away); The Curtner, the Silva and the Goularte Families

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(approx. 2.3 miles away); The Rancho del Agua Caliente and The Higuera Adobe (approx. 2.3 miles away); The Ohlones and the Mission San Jose (approx. 2.3 miles away); Former Ford Assembly Plant (approx. 3.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Milpitas.

Also see . . .
1. Must-see historical site in Milpitas: Higuera Adobe. The Mitipas Beat website entry (2020):

"The exact date is uncertain (thus an invitation for additional historical research), but possibly in 1828 José built a single-story adobe house on Calera Creek near the foot of the eastern hills, around which he planted prickly pear cactus to form a protective hedge, an impressive portion of which is still there today."

(Submitted on November 29, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.)

2. Rancho Los Tularcitos. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on June 7, 2024, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

Additional commentary.
1. City of Milipitas Cultural Resources Register (Undated), Page 2
"Jose Higuera Adobe (1831), 823 Wessex Place, City owned: 823 Wessex Place, City owned:
One of the adobes of the 4994-accre
Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, November 26, 2022

2. Jose Higuera Adobe Marker
On the door to the right, hidden in the shadow.
Rancho Los Tularcitos granted to Jose Higuera in 1821 by the last Spanish Governor of California. Jose Higuera was baptized in San Francisco in 1778, was a mayordomo of Mission San Jose during the 1820s, and served as a soldier in the Mexican Army for 20 years. He was Married three times and died in 1845, leaving the rancho to his 19 children.
The Higuera family owned extensive lands and haciendas throughout the Santa Clara Valley. The Higuera Adobe was built in 1828 on the Rancho Los Tularcitos. The adobe was one of five in a complex that served as a waystation for travelers between Mission San Jose and Mission Santa Clara. The rancho was used as a military base and practice ground before the Battle of Santa Clara, and the last major fiesta before the Bear Flag rebellion was held on the grounds.
The Higuera Adobe underwent significant alterations since 1828, but retained essentially the same shape and style as when first built. It was a simple one-story adobe house with end-gabled tile roof which extended to cover front and rear porches, both supported with square posts. The adobe walls were covered with stucco and the interior floor had quarry tile, both 1950 additions. Built as a one-story residence, a second frame story was added in the 1860s and removed during the 1950s restoration. The windows, which were modern, were of six-pane sash, and flank a central entry door.
Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, November 26, 2022

3. Jose Higuera Adobe
Western corner.
The house was surrounded by numerous trees; peppers, walnuts, figs, cypress, and sycamores. An extensive stand of nopales (cactus) grew in a ravine to the rear of the house.
This site (now a City park) includes the old roadway to the adobe and the olive trees that
line it, which were planted about the time of the adobe’s construction. The fig trees behind the building were planted by the Higuera family. This building is also listed in the State of California Inventory of Historic Resources and the Santa Clara County Heritage Resources Inventory."

— Submitted December 1, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.

Jose Higuera Adobe image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, November 26, 2022

4. Jose Higuera Adobe

Northern corner.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, November 26, 2022

5. Jose Higuera Adobe

Eastern corner.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, November 26, 2022

6. Jose Higuera Adobe

Frontal view from the park lawn.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 7, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 29, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. This page has been viewed 1,121 times since then and 130 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on November 29, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.