Lecture – Uncovering the Stories of the Aliso Adobe: Archaeology, Archives, and a Forgotten Community
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From 2023 to 2025, the Palomar College archaeology excavation class uncovered a long-forgotten nineteenth-century adobe in San Diego County’s Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove area. These excavations provide the first comprehensive archaeological documentation of this historic adobe, revealing new insights into its residence, the community, and its place in the region’s past.
Conducted in cooperation with property owner Greg White and regional historian Alexa Clausen, the project investigated the adobe’s architecture, history, and changing use. Across four field seasons and 47 excavation units, students and researchers documented distinctive stone foundations, interior walls, a collapsed brick chimney, and other architectural features that offer new insights into historic building practices and domestic life.
Drawing on archaeological evidence, archival research, and comparisons with the nearby Robert Israel Adobe, this presentation explores the intertwined Californio and Anglo-American histories of the Aliso District. Despite extensive disturbance from erosion, salvage, recreational use, and other post-abandonment processes, the excavations revealed important details about the adobe’s construction and history, contributing to a deeper understanding of San Diego County’s historic adobe architecture and regional past.
Event Supported By
San Diego Archaeological Center
(Photo by John Koster - For the North County Times) The San Diego Archaeological Center Provides: Curation of archaeological collections, educational programs, public exhibits, quarterly newsletter, public lecture series, curation volunteer training, student internships, research opportunities and cultural renewal. The San Diego Archaeological Center is a museum where visitors can learn the story of how people have lived in San Diego County for the past 10,000 years. In addition to its role as a museum, the Center serves as an education and research facility and is the only local organization dedicated to the collection, study, curation and exhibition of San Diego County's archaeological artifacts. The San Diego Archaeological Center is a nationally recognized leader in the curation of archaeological collections, curating collections for the Department of Defense, City of San Diego and private parties. The Center accepts for accession archaeological collections to preserve in perpetuity for the benefit of the public. The Center museum is open to the public, with a suggested donation of $2 per person or $5 per family.