Centinela Adobe

This nineteenth-century rancho structure is considered the birthplace of the city of Inglewood and dates back to the 1830s when Ignacio Machado established a farm here. Overlooking the valley, its name translates to "the sentinel" in English. The Historical Society of Centinela Valley operates the property as a house museum and heritage center. Demonstrating change over time, the structure is now beyond the city boundaries while remaining central to its history.

Also known as La Casa del Rancho Aguaje del Centinela, this building gets its name, which translates to "the sentinel", from its location on a knoll overlooking the valley. Built of adobe brick, the ranch-style house is situated on a north-south orientation. Ignacio Machado came to the valley in the 1820s, planting corn and grapes along the creek bed which is now the San Diego Freeway. He built the Centinela Adobe between 1822 and 1836; sources differ on the construction date. The original ranch was 2200 acres, on land granted to Machado by the Manuel Micheltorena, governor of Alta California, then part of Mexico.

Rapid changes in land ownership took place over the next several decades. The Scottish Robert Burnett settled here in 1859 and began to establish Centinela Ranch, which would grow to 25,000 acres. He raised sheep and later (after 1870) planted citrus orchards. Daniel and Grace Freeman leased the land from Burnett beginning in 1873 with the agreement that they would continue to care for the citrus trees. Despite a drought in the mid-1870s, the Freemans were able to grow small grain such as oats and barley. The ranch became a significant source of small grain, shipping over a million bushels to New York and Liverpool by 1880.

Daniel Freeman began subdividing the ranch in 1887 through the Centinela-Inglewood Land Co., and tenant farming on the site, primarily of lima beans and corn, continued until 1960. Agricultural use of the land diminished due to competing demands for real estate for residential and industrial use.

The walls of the structure are two feet thick, constructed of adobe bricks fabricated on the property. In the 1860s, Robert Burnett augmented the adobe structure with wooden additions, and the wood floor over the original earthen floor also dates to this period. The original roof was brea, or tar, and was covered with shingles at around the same time as the additions. Further modifications to the roof took place in the 1950s.

The National Register of Historic Places recognized the site in 1973. The Historical Society of Centinela Valley, founded in 1964, operates the house as a museum and heritage center, offering tours every Sunday afternoon and by appointment. The society leases the property from the City of Inglewood.

Engh, Michael, and Betty Forsyth. Centinela Adobe, National Register of Historic Places Inventory -- Nomination Form. National Archives and Records Administration. July 1973. Accessed May 28th 2021. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123859021.

Historic American Buildings Survey. Casa del Rancho Aguaja de la Centinela, 7634 Midfield Road, Inglewood, Los Angeles County, CA, Library of Congress. 1936. Accessed May 28th 2021. https://www.loc.gov/item/ca0205/.