The House Elena Built: Historical Archaeology of Las Violetas (CA-SDI-4674)

Las Violetas, also known as the Dear Adobe, is a late 19th century structure in Escondido, California, that was nearly lost to history. Elena Couts Dear, her husband Parker, and their five sons lived on the property from 1895 to 1904, and it is Elena who will be the primary focus of this project. She grew up in a wealthy, well known family in San Diego County, and Parker Dear owned a large rancho in what is now Riverside County. However, their fortunes changed, and they settled in this small home and property, a stark contrast to the life they had before. The current property owner and a retired California State Parks historian began the research into the ownership of the property using available historical documents. However, there were gaps in the documented history. This project sought to fill some of these gaps using the archaeological record. Because archaeological investigations had never been undertaken at Las Violetas, this project first sought to determine what artifacts were present at the site. From there, the artifact collection and analysis were guided by the following research questions in order to fill gaps in the historical information and find patterns in the artifacts that can tell us more about the people who lived there. The first question related to how the archaeological record expanded on the documented history of Las Violetas, the people who lived there, and this region of San Diego County. In particular, how did the archaeological record expand on what is known about Elena Dear, given her efforts to purchase the property and finish the house with her own money, and what did it reveal about her place in local society? The second question related to what the artifacts recovered during excavations revealed about transitions in the occupation of the adobe and/or in the socioeconomic status of the people who lived there. Specifically, what markers of status within the archaeological record indicated that the Dear family maintained or changed the lifestyle they enjoyed prior to their move to Las Violetas? Through the lens of feminist theory at the household scale, I conducted artifact analyses to present a contextual interpretation centered on Elena Dear that considered the documented history at Las Violetas, along with the archaeological record. In addition, I used personal letters written by the Dears along with mentions of them in local newspapers to provide a more comprehensive picture of what their lives were like when they lived at Las Violetas. Although the historical documents ultimately provided more information about the lives of the Dears, the archaeological record from Las Violetas opens the door for a wide range of opportunities for future research.