The Dana Adobe, a 187-year-old ranch that was once home to Capt. William Dana, is one of the oldest standing buildings on the Central Coast, and its history is kept alive through the help of volunteers.
Sitting on 130 acres, the Dana Adobe has experienced its fair share of colorful history.
Dana Adobe Nipomo Amigos (DANA) board of directors President Jim Corridan said once the 1840s rolled around and the United States gained control of California from Mexico, Nipomo was actually considered the center of the territory, and the Dana Adobe became the hub of the mail system for the U.S. military until statehood in 1850.
“All mail traversing from San Diego up to San Francisco, anywhere in between there would come through the Dana Adobe house,” he said. “So the house is almost about 3.3 … miles off of dead center between San Diego and San Francisco so that’s why it was important for so long.”
While the home dates back to 1837, the story of the land itself predates the adobe by thousands of years, Corridan said.
“There’s two Chumash camps, one dating back about 9,000 years, based on what archeologists have told us, and the other one about 2,000 years,” he said. “So, there’s all sorts of archeological signs that the Chumash were actively involved here on the property.”
Looking to the future, the DANA volunteers have been working on landscaping projects to enhance museumgoers’ experience.
Corridan said they’ve added 30 acres of native California plants to the property as well as an orchard and vineyard. The project has taken about a year to complete.
“In the last couple of years, we’ve added a mission grape vineyard—mission grapes being the grapes that the Spanish brought to the Americas—and so the grapes we have planted here actually are from the oldest grape plant in California,” he said. “It was planted in 1806 in Mission San Gabriel, down in Los Angeles, and so these are all direct descendants of that vine.
In October, the the public will be invited to participate in cutting, harvesting, and crushing the grapes, Corridan said.
In keeping with the Spanish era, the relatively newly planted fruit trees around the vineyard would have been here when the land belonged to Capt. William Dana.
“Plus, we added about 100 acres of hiking trails—about 4 miles of hiking trails—on the property,” Corridan said.
To help keep this living history thriving, the museum runs on volunteers, and Corridan said DANA is always looking for new people to join the team.
“We have opportunities to work in the gardens, work in the vineyards, work in the orchard. There’s a lot to do with 130 acres,” he said. “We have opportunities to clear trails, lead hikes; if someone enjoys bird watching and is well versed in identifying different birds or plants or animals or archeology or geology, they might want to contact us.”
For former educators or those interested in volunteering in a more educational role, the adobe organization is looking for people to help lead school field trips. But don’t worry, Corridan said, each volunteer will receive training on how to do the job they’re interested in.
There are two tours led around the property. One goes around the house itself and focuses on its history during the 1840s, and the other focuses on Chumash history.
“Then there’s always the basic administrative things like helping with setting up events, helping sell tickets at events, all that kind of stuff,” he said. “We also need help with the newsletter and so forth. We have almost endless opportunities for volunteers.” Δ
Reach Staff Writer Samantha Herrera at sherrera@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Volunteers 2025.