WHO WE ARE

Our mission is to collect, preserve, and share the history and humble beginnings of the area’s early settlers, foster a better understanding and appreciation for the hard work, cooperation, and innovations that arose from their efforts and shaped this community, and show the connection between the many groups of people who share a similar immigration story.

By offering our site, we aim to educate the public through agricultural displays and stories of the early immigrants to the area and how they connected with later generations who have followed a similar path.

The Oxnard Historic Farm Park is Home to:

• Two of the oldest buildings on the Oxnard Plains: the 1870s Farmhouse and the 1869 Brick Residence/Winery

• A towering 1800s Canary Island Date Palm

• A 1890s Carriage House

• A 1870s spring wagon once owned by Johannes Borchard

• Two vineyards of 1880s Zinfandel Blanc grapes from Santa Cruz Island

• Two vintage Lima Bean threshers by Ventura Implement Company

The seeds for OHFP were planted back in 1997 after Jeffrey Maulhardt traveled to the Duderstatdt in the Lower Saxony area to research the early German settler families who migrated to Ventura County in the later 1800s. The families he sought information on included the Borchards, Diedrichs, Friedrichs, Kohler, Maulhardt, Reimann, and Wucherpfennig. After two weeks of gathering information about the families’ farming and craftsman histories dating back several centuries, he developed a deeper appreciation for preserving history. Many of the farmsteads and churches were built in the 1700s and 1800s, and they still housed relatives and provided a place of worship. The villages of Desingerde, Esplingerode, Mingerode, Nesselroden, and Werxhausen still included families that migrated to the Oxnard area.

At the Maulhardt farmstead in Mingerode, Jeffrey learned that the Maulhardt family included generations of zimmermeiter or building masters and maurer, bricklayers. All the buildings were made out of brick. Among the brick buildings was a storehouse building, similar to the brick winery building at the Bob Pfeiler ranch off Rose Ave in Oxnard. Knowing that the property was initially farmed by Gottfried Maulhardt, Jeffrey began discussing with Bob about preserving the original buildings that Gottfried built sometime in the 1870s. Jeffrey gathered friends Gary Blum and Eric Daily and started creating a plan to create a historic site. Within the following few years, paperwork began for the historic preservation of the buildings.

Farming on the Oxnard Plain today
photo: elibet valencia munoz

OHFP THROUGH THE YEARS | SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE

However, by 2001, Bob’s health deteriorated, and he passed away the following year. With his 47-acre ranch now up for sale, a new approach was needed. Out of respect to Bob’s five children, the historical paperwork was withdrawn. Through planning commission Maury Navarro’s connection, Jeffrey next approached the developer, John Laing Homes. The idea was to carve out an acre of land that would be a part of the three acres the developer had to give back to the city, which allowed the Pfeiler family to get the total value of their land and not delay the development of the property. The developer would benefit by not facing the backlash of destroying the historic buildings, and the community would gain a historical asset. Jeffrey, Gary, and Eric formed a nonprofit in 2003 as the Oxnard Historic Farm Park Foundation and, at this point, requested county landmark status and were granted designation as the Gottfried Maulhardt/Albert Pfeiler Farm Site – Ventura County Historical Landmark 165. The following year, in 2004, the Farm Park began selling $100 engraved bricks to raise money for its Foundation. It wasn’t until the residential houses were finished in 2007 that the Foundation could officially occupy the property and begin hosting events to raise money.

With no plumbing, electricity, or water, the first events were break-even at best, but support and momentum slowly began building. Early sponsors included Chuck Covarrubias, Jim Gill, Richard and Ruth Maulhardt, Dean and Toni Maulhardt, and Frank Naumann. With their generous donations, brick sales, and other sponsorships, the Farm Park added utilities, restrooms, and office space by 2013.

In 2009, the Farm Park hosted its first annual Oktoberfest. By 2013, OHFP had become part of Farm Day and Ventura County Ag Week, sponsored by SEEAG. In September 2024, the Oktoberfest event was replaced with the first Annual Lima Bean Fest, which occurs each year on the second Saturday of September.

Our Current Board of Directors:

Jeff Maulhardt, Director  |  Terry Ball, Treasurer  |  Jim Thompson, Secretary