Rodgers, Patrick, Farm
Also known as: Rodgers Ranch
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Why it's listed
Patrick Rodgers Farm is a surviving piece of Contra Costa County's wheat-growing past, set among suburban homes in Pleasant Hill. The 1.7-acre historic core holds a two-story Greek Revival farmhouse built between 1866 and 1868, with an early 1900s L-shaped addition and wraparound porch, plus an unaltered barn of the same period and a stone retaining wall. Patrick Rodgers, an Irish-born settler, bought the farm in 1868 and grew wheat, which dominated the county's agriculture until about 1900. The farm later shifted to vineyards and orchards, including almonds, and stayed productive until it was sold for development in 1978. The property is also linked to novelist Alice Tisdale Hobart, who lived here from 1937 to 1942. She wrote Their Own Country and The Cup and the Sword, the latter later filmed as This Earth Is Mine. The buildings are now vacant and deteriorated, and the park district plans restoration.
Significance in brief: The farm is argued to be a rare surviving wheat farm from the era when wheat dominated Contra Costa County agriculture, qualifying under Criterion A. It is also tied under Criterion B to novelist Alice Tisdale Hobart, who lived in the farmhouse from 1937 to 1939 and wrote Their Own Country and worked on The Cup and the Sword there.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 91000305, listed March 22, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 315 Cortsen Rd., Pleasant Hill |
|---|---|
| County | Contra Costa County |
| Listed | March 22, 1991 |
| Reference number | 91000305 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1868-1900 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | No Style (Greek Revival detailing noted in the house) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Literature |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Both the house and barn are listed as vacant and not in use. The buildings are described as deteriorated and unstable from lack of maintenance. The park district plans restoration and a living history park. |
| Acreage | 1.7 |
| Coordinates | 37.94347, -122.08720 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 91000305.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7147558
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.