El Rincón Adobe History

El Rincón Adobe stands on a small, south-facing hill, the first landmark seen by visitors as they enter Talley Vineyards estate winery.

Although not built until the early 1860’s, the history of El Rincón Adobe began in 1837 when Ramon Branch traveled as an infant with his parents from Santa Barbara to the Arroyo Grande Valley. The Branch family made the journey to settle the 16,955 acres of land granted to Ramon’s father, Francisco Ziba Branch, by the Mexican government. This acreage became known as the Santa Manuela Rancho, named for Ramon’s mother, Manuela Carlon. In 1839, Ramon’s father built a large New England-style adobe on the property, designated the Santa Manuela Casa.

Wedding bells were ringing in Santa Barbara when Ramon Branch married Maria Isabela Robbins on June 24, 1863. Ramon’s bride was a member of the distinguished Carrillo family of Santa Barbara. At one point her family owned Catalina Island, which was later sold by her grandfather for fifty dollars.

After marrying Isabela, Ramon brought his bride to the two-story adobe he had built on 4,000 acres of land owned by his father. The land was eventually given to Ramon and Isabela as a late wedding gift from Ramon’s father. The Branch family spoke of the adobe as “El Rincón”, which means “corner” or “nook” in Spanish. This is probably a reference to the confluence of small valleys at the site. It was in this adobe that all twelve of their children were born and raised, with the exception of one who died at birth.

During the years that Ramon and Isabela resided in the adobe, the driveway leading to the property was bordered by olive trees. The house itself was surrounded by fruit trees and geranium hedges. The adobe’s roof was supported by a porch that surrounded the house on three sides. The main floor was made up of a kitchen, dining room, parlor, storeroom, and two bedrooms. The upper floor was comprised of four bedrooms.

According to Elsie Branch Anderson, Ramon and Isabela’s youngest daughter, the windows throughout the house were draped with white curtains. El Rincón was, and still is, known for its deep sills, where each morning the Branch children stood waiting for their mother to dress them.

Living in what was considered a large house had its privileges. El Rincón was host to many of the large Branch family barbeques and dinners. Isabela was known throughout the region for her entertaining. Two Chinese cooks were hired to help Isabela with her daily preparations.

Ramon began to settle and establish his ranch immediately after he and Isabela moved into El Rincón. It took planning and hard work to complete the various corrals, stables, barns, and dairy buildings that once graced the property. Along with his older sons and hired help, Ramon worked the flat land to the East of the adobe. Here he raised wheat, barley, corn, and beans. Ramon also owned a hay press for baling. The Branch children looked forward to the mowing of the hay, as they liked to play hide-and-seek in the heaps piled throughout the field. The fruit from the trees in the orchard were canned and stored in the cellar of a small cottage near the rear of the house. Between the orchard, dairy, and the fields, there were plenty of chores to keep the many Branch children occupied.

The Branch family experienced years of loss and years of plentitude while in residence at El Rincón. They continued to live off of the land surrounding the adobe until they moved in 1892. Elsie Branch Anderson best expressed the experience when she said, “I cannot penetrate the wall that would tell me of the love, labor, tears, and laughter that must have been a part of their daily lives in the early years."

El Rincón and the surrounding land changed hands several times before the Talley family purchased the property in 1974. The adobe was restored in 1988 to serve as the Talley Vineyards tasting room (until August, 2002) and was the oldest continuously inhabited residence in San Luis Obispo County until that time.