History, 40 years on

On Aug. 28, 1966, engineer George Madsen gathered with other Costa Mesa residents to dedicate the Diego Sepulveda Adobe, which he was instrumental in restoring.

The Costa Mesa Historical Society was formed partly because of the adobe’s restoration, and on Saturday, its members will celebrate the organization’s 40th birthday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Estancia Park.

The society’s Time Travel in the Park, Heritage Fair and Community Social will welcome families who want to learn about the history of the city while having fun in the park. There will be activities for kids and their parents.

Representatives from the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art in Santa Ana and San Juan Capistrano’s Blas Aguilar Adobe Museum will be on hand, and the Costa Mesa Recreation Department will keep the little ones busy with interactive games, face painting and crafts. Three presenters specializing in the history of Costa Mesa, the Sepulveda Adobe and similar structures, including Madsen, will talk to those who attend.

“The key thing is this is the oldest historic piece around, that I know of, and there’s very few original adobe buildings left anywhere,” he said. “It’s a really big part of our history because of that adobe.”

In the early 1820s, a small structure was built from adobe with a tar and tile roof as a station between the missions that dot the California coastline. After the traffic slowed, Diego Sepulveda moved in. From then on, the adobe was mainly used as a rambling ranch house. Many owners took up residency, including Mexican War soldiers, the Adams family (for which Adams Avenue was named), the Costa Mesa Post 455 American Legion and, before its restoration, the Segerstrom family.

In 1963, the Segerstroms donated the property and the land for the park, with the caveat the adobe would be restored.

When Madsen got his hands on it, the walls had been covered with wooden boards, vandals had made their mark and a fire had burned in the adobe.

“It was a very good idea because the building was a mess,” he said.

With the help of adobe and California mission experts, the “mess” was restored through a lengthy process. On Saturday, the group will lead people on tours through the adobe to give them an idea of what it would have looked like when Sepulveda lived there.

Along with Madsen, former Orange Coast College professor Henry Panian will speak about the society and the other work it’s done throughout the years. That includes gathering information about the old Santa Ana Army Basethat covered a huge expanse of land in Costa Mesa between Harbor and Newport boulevards and Baker and Wilson streets, and creating the Historical Society Museum and Library on Anaheim Street.

“Those are some of the bigger things we’ve done, although we’ve kept busy,” said Mary Ellen Goddard, a member of the society.

Chapman University professor Paul Apodaca will also visit Estancia Park and speak about the adobe and mission period when the Diego Sepulveda Adobe was erected.

The society is encouraging families to come, bring a picnic lunch and make a day of it to celebrate and commemorate the city’s rich history.

“It should be a really big, nice day,” Goddard said.

The society will also have a food and drink wagons at the park if people wish to purchase refreshments during the day.